Hanford Inventory Count Tallies Hundreds of Thousands of Items

RICHLAND, Wash. – A wall-to-wall count that will cover every item located in warehouses and storage areas on the Hanford Site is underway. This process ensures accountability for the accuracy and cost of purchases made on behalf of the EM Richland Operations Office (RL).

The inventory process covers all items within the warehouse network managed by Hanford Mission Integration Solutions (HMIS), the site’s essential-services contractor. The HMIS warehousing and property management team accounts for all items, such as spare parts and materials for future projects, as well as general supplies, waste-packaging drums, respiratory hoods and filters, and numerous other items to support the cleanup mission.

“Accountability to taxpayers includes fiscal responsibility and oversight of all inventories at the Hanford Site,” said James Gagnon, RL industrial property management specialist. “This includes maintaining an accurate tally across a network of more than 15,000 item locations covering 18 different groups of inventory, plus physical buildings and outdoor storage areas.”

The detailed process takes several months, with different items selected each week for counting. If the numbers don’t match, the history of the item is reviewed, and a recount called for. The 2021 inventory covered 470,420 items and resulted in an accuracy of more than 99% for both items and cost.

“Our team prides itself on the tremendous effort made to maintain a highly accurate inventory for the Hanford Site,” said HMIS Property Manager Billy Shoemake. “The team also serves as the steward of property purchased to support cleanup operations.”

HMIS expects to complete the inventory process by the end of September, in time for the end of the fiscal budget year.