Universities, research firm win $2.5B Los Alamos contract

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The U.S. government has awarded a team of two universities and a research firm with offices around the world a $2.5 billion-a-year contract to manage Los Alamos National Laboratory.

The National Nuclear Security Administration said Friday the winning bidder is Triad National Security LLC, made up of Battelle Memorial Institute, Texas A&M University and the University of California.

The University of California has played a role in management since the lab’s inception. The once-secret northern New Mexico lab was the birthplace of the atomic bomb.

Following serious concerns about management more than a decade ago, the university formed a consortium with Bechtel and other private companies to become Los Alamos National Security LLC.