WHAT IS THIS?

This contract paid the Regents of the University of California to manage and operate Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in New Mexico on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The university handled the day-to-day running of the lab, including its staff, facilities, and research programs, over nearly three decades.

WHY WAS THIS FUNDED?

The DOE is legally responsible for maintaining the United States nuclear weapons stockpile and conducting national security research. Congress authorized the department to hire outside organizations, such as universities, to manage its national laboratories under long-term contracts.

WHAT PUBLIC PROBLEM IS IT TRYING TO SOLVE?

The United States needs a safe and reliable nuclear deterrent and must conduct advanced scientific research in areas like weapons safety, energy, and national security. Los Alamos National Laboratory was created to address those needs, and this contract kept it functioning.

WHO BENEFITS?

Thousands of scientists, engineers, and support workers employed at Los Alamos in New Mexico benefit directly, as does the surrounding local economy. The broader American public benefits from the national security, scientific research, and energy research the lab produces.

WHAT ARE THE RISKS?

Contracts of this size and length carry risks of cost overruns, limited competition, and reduced accountability since the same operator ran the lab for nearly 28 years. There were also publicly reported concerns during this period about security lapses and management problems at Los Alamos.

WHAT HAPPENS IF FUNDING IS REMOVED?

Without this contract, Los Alamos National Laboratory would have lost its managing operator, potentially halting critical nuclear weapons maintenance and national security research. The lab employs thousands of people, so a shutdown would also have had a serious economic impact on northern New Mexico.

ARGUMENTS FOR

• •Los Alamos is a cornerstone of U.S. nuclear security, and having an experienced operator like the University of California helped maintain world-class scientific expertise over decades.
• •The lab produces research that benefits not just defense but also medicine, energy, and basic science, giving taxpayers a broad return on the investment.
• •Continuity of management over a long contract period allowed for stable staffing and long-term planning that shorter contracts might not support.

ARGUMENTS AGAINST

• •A single no-bid or limited-competition contract running nearly 28 years and totaling $35.3 billion raises serious questions about whether taxpayers got the best possible deal.
• •Documented security incidents and management failures at Los Alamos during this period suggest the contractor oversight may not have been strong enough.
• •Critics argue that such a massive, long-term contract can reduce the government's ability to hold the operator accountable or switch to a better-performing manager.