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Sandia bid


So were there really only two teams that went the distance on the Sandia bid? One led by Lockheed Martin and one led by Boeing, the two largest US defense contractors.

The government isn't prohibited from disclosing how many bids were received, so this must be some other politics at work.

http://www.abqjournal.com/807629/government-keeps-tight-lid-on-bidders-for-sandia-contract.html
July 14, 2016 at 10:03
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Anonymous Anonymous said...
One led by Lockheed Martin and one led by Boeing, the two largest US defense contractors.


The plan is for Boeing to get Sandia and Lokheed to get LANL. Bechtel keeps LLNL.
July 17, 2016 at 10:22 PM
Anonymous Anonymous said...
You must mean "UC keeps LLNL" as there is almost no Bechtel presence at LLNL compared to UC's involvement in the Lab. The LLNL Director is UC, there are very close interactions between LLNL and LBNL, as well as UC Berkeley, UC Davis and UC Merced.
July 18, 2016 at 9:50 AM
Anonymous Anonymous said...
July 18, 2016 at 9:50 AM

I take it that you do not work at LLNL?
July 18, 2016 at 10:06 AM
Anonymous Anonymous said...
July 18, 2016 at 10:06 AM

I've been in Operations & Business at LLNL for 20 years, and see no "really" Bechtel presence at LLNL. Yes, there's some influence on the board, but name one thing that Bechtel has done at LLNL on a regular basis. This doesn't include those phony and time wasting management reviews that are inflicted on us.
July 18, 2016 at 10:57 AM

Comments

Anonymous said…
So University of California was responsible for the firing of nearly 1000 people just after the contract change, and is responsible for all the things that have gone down the toilet since then?
Anonymous said…
You do know that Tom Giocanda is Bechtel right?
Anonymous said…
So University of California was responsible for the firing of nearly 1000 people just after the contract change, and is responsible for all the things that have gone down the toilet since then?

July 22, 2016 at 12:56 PM

Good point, I have to think about this.... Ok I gave good one, the LANL cowboy scientist are ultimately to blame. It was because of their arrogance that the LANL contract was changed, because of that the LLNL contract had to be changed, because of that 1000 people had to be fired. So once again the finger points to the true culprit, LANL scientists! Please point out where my logic goes wrong. I would add that no matter how you spin it the "perception was, is, and always will be, that arrogant scientists where the problem at LANL, and perception is reality." Who is going to counter this point? Bechtel, McMillion, LANS, Nanos, Richardson, no one thats who so this is the story and will remain the story. The only people to counter this are the scientists themselves and no one, I mean nooo one will listen to them. Look Germany had some issues in the 30's someone had to be blamed and someone was blamed, who was going to speak up, and if they did speak up look what happened to them. There is too much money at stake in the privatization of the labs to ever go back to a system that actually functioned or served the nation, so Bechtel it is and Bechtel it will remain.
Anonymous said…
"And the arrogant LANL scientist has been transformed into the privatized yet still arrogant LANL scientist. Look, if you put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig!"

EXACTLY!, someone is starting to get it. In the end nothing changed at LANL and that is way it has done just as badly after the contract change as before the contract change. Get rid of the arrogant scientists and the problems will be solved overnight. No more WIPP, electrical accidents, fires, stolen mustangs, stolen pipe fitting, bad deputy directors, culture of theft, culture of arrogance, missing disks and so on. I know what you going to say " but most of those are not associated with science!" This is technically true but is misses the main point that the scientists set the culture for the rest of the lab. When a scientists says, "I am smarter than anyone else because I am a scientist so the rules do not apply to me", the rest of the workforce follows along. Look LANL has had a lot of problems lately and someone has to be blamed.
Anonymous said…
Look LANL has had a lot of problems lately and someone has to be blamed.

July 28, 2016 at 7:04 AM



The top leadership at LANL for the last several years has been almost all UC legacy employees. Blame anyone but them!
Anonymous said…
The top leadership at LANL for the last several years has been almost all UC legacy employees. Blame anyone but them!

July 29, 2016 at 7:06 AM

The management has to fight an arrogant out of control workforce, Nanos talked about this. Someone need to be blamed. You tell me what is the more credible argument:

(1) The main problems with the labs is poor and corrupt management that was allowed to flourish and grow under a phony for profit crony LLC that was only about stealing as much money as possible and no have no vested interest in the long term success of the lab or the mission.

Or

(2) The main problems that arise are due to arrogant social misfit scientists and geeks who think that since they can know the middle name of every captain in Star Trek that they are know better and will not follow rules.

I think you will find that (2) seems far more plausible and believable to the average American and Congressman and trust me this is the story that will be pitched by the next contractor that wants to run the labs.
Anonymous said…
(1) fits the facts, (2) fits the narrative.
Anonymous said…
(1) fits the facts, (2) fits the narrative.

July 30, 2016 at 6:00 AM

Indeed, now just looking at the current US election tell me which one is how the modern world works (1) or (2). It is all narrative.
Anonymous said…
Fortunately, science is about facts, not narrative.
Anonymous said…
Fortunately, science is about facts, not narrative.

July 31, 2016 at 9:09 AM

And that is precisely why we need to get rid of science and arrogant science cowboys from the labs. Don't tread on our narrative!
Anonymous said…
Really? Then what will the narrative be about, Mr hate scientists/labs/NNSA?

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