2020 Project Management Awards

2020 Project Management Awards

The following awards were presented in 2021.

Click to learn more about the DOE Project Management Award Program.

Award	Recipient	Award Citation
Federal Project Director of the Year	Image Pamela Marks Office of Environmental Management	For demonstrating exceptional project management acumen while leading the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) - a first-of-a-kind Category 2 nuclear facility at the Savannah River Site (SRS), in Aiken South Carolina. The SWPF is designed, constructed and commissioned to treat more than 30 million gallons of radioactive waste generated by nuclear materials production operations at SRS over many decades of the Cold War. Ms. Marks ensured the SWPF was rigorously tested and commissioned to allow it to process the radioactive waste effectively and efficiently, significantly reducing the life cycle of the Liquid Waste Program at SRS, saving billions of taxpayer dollars. Her hard work and commitment allowed SWPF to achieve the CD-4 milestone and Authorization to Operate over 5 months ahead of schedule and $53M under budget. Ms. Marks is commended for this significant accomplishment central to the achievement of the Mission of the Office of Environmental Management.
Project Management Excellence	Image Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument Project Office of Science	In recognition of the successful delivery of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) project at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. This $56 million project delivered a state-of-the-art instrument to the Mayall Telescope at Kitt Peak, Arizona, transforming it into the most powerful multi-object spectrographs in existence. Containing six one-meter-diameter optical lenses, ten high-throughput spectrographs, 30 cryostats, 500 million sensor pixels, and 200,000 moving parts—this new instrument is highly complex. The DESI project will further enable the study of dark energy, which is believed to be driving the accelerating expansion of the universe. The project team is commended for the successful completion of this complex project, for meeting or exceeding the design requirements ahead of schedule and under budget, and for continuing to keep the U.S. at the forefront of this important physics frontier.
Project Management Achievement	Image Materials Design Laboratory Project Office of Science	The Materials Design Laboratory (MDL) at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) in Lemont, Illinois provided a high-performance, collaborative, and environmentally sustainable building for energy-related research and development. Located just inside of ANL’s main entrance, the 124,000 gross square feet building houses 100 researchers and staff. The $96 million MDL includes a wide variety of laboratory types including vibration, electromagnetic and thermal stability, and a radiological facility served by a dedicated exhaust system with HEPA filtration. In addition to achieving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, MDL was also recognized by the Chicago Building Congress as the 2020 Merit Award winner in the “Commercial Construction Over $50M” category and by the American Concrete Institute’s Illinois Chapter for Excellence in Concrete Construction, winner in the “Mid-Rise Buildings” category. The project team is commended for completing the high-profile MDL project on budget and ahead of schedule.
Project Management Achievement	Image Integrative Genomics Building Project Office of Science	The Integrative Genomics Building (IGB) at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) in Berkeley, California is the new home of the Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and the Department of Energy Systems Biology Knowledge Base (KBase). The $91.5 million IGB project provided 80,880 gross square feet of modern, sustainable, and efficient new laboratory and office space for 300 scientists, permitting improved interactions between these groups and other LBNL programs. The building is the cornerstone of the redevelopment of the new Bay View Site that will serve as a BioSciences hub at LBNL. The collocation of JGI and KBase with other biosciences and related research activities on the main LBNL campus will facilitate breakthroughs in genomics-based biology related to energy and the environment and improve operational efficiency. The project team is commended for completing the IGB project on budget and ahead of schedule in a highly competitive construction environment.
Project Management Achievement	Image Uranium Processing Facility Substation Subproject National Nuclear Security Administration	The $44 million Uranium Processing Facility Substation Subproject is commended for delivering the Pine Ridge Substation at the Y-12 site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, $16 million under budget and 6 months ahead of schedule. Leveraging a unique partnership with the Tennessee Valley Authority, the project team was able to execute a cost efficient and best value acquisition strategy as well as ensuring safe and high-quality construction. The successful completion of this project is a critical component of National Nuclear Security Administration’s mission to provide safe, efficient, and secure enriched uranium processing capabilities within the Nuclear Weapons Complex.
Project Management Achievement	Image Exascale Class Computing Cooling Equipment Project National Nuclear Security Administration	The Exascale Class Computing Cooling Equipment Project team is commended for successfully completing this challenging project at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico. This $36 million project was executed within a secure classified facility and was required to minimize disruption of ongoing operations and programs at the Strategic Computing Complex. The project team demonstrated exceptional project management acumen and technical expertise in completing the project. The project was baselined at $56 million, but the team delivered it $20 million under budget and 10 months ahead of schedule, while fully meeting the mission requirement of 5,200 tons of additional cooling to the Strategic Computing Complex.
Project Management Achievement	Image Expand Electrical Distribution System Project National Nuclear Security Administration	The Expand Electrical Distribution System project team is commended for providing a reliable and efficient electrical distribution system to support current and planned operations at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in Livermore, California. As a result of the perseverance, attention to detail, and focus on cost and schedule outcomes, the project team was able to overcome logistical risks and initial performance problems to deliver the $33 million project four months ahead of schedule and over $1 million under budget in a safe and effective manner. The successful completion of this project has increased LLNL’s mission execution efficiency and positions it for future success.