CNS to host virtual business forum

As part of ongoing outreach to business owners and potential vendors, Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS) representatives will host a Partners in Excellence (PIE) Forum on Thursday, June 24, from 1 to 3 p.m. CDT. During the virtual event, leaders will offer attendees information about successfully doing business with the Pantex Plant in Texas and the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee.

Ben Skipper, executive director of aerospace and defense programs for the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, will offer the keynote address. He earned his doctorate in Management from Auburn University and holds an M.S. in Logistics Management from the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology. His current research interests include supply chain disruption and disruption avoidance, supply chain strategy, and supply chain leadership. His talk will focus on supply chain disruption and business impacts.

Free event series explains government contracting
The event is free and open to all, but registration is required via WebEx. .

CNS procurement leaders will share site information, requirements, and upcoming opportunities with potential vendors and subcontractors. Other speakers include Drake Russell, National Nuclear Security Administration acting management and operating policy manager; Bill Tindal, CNS chief operating officer; John O’Connell, Supply Chain Management Center (SCMC) principal customer programs leader; and Robert Leuszler, SCMC senior manager.

CNS began the PIE event series in 2018 to explain the government contract solicitation process, which is sometimes considered complex and cumbersome for businesses, particularly newcomers and small businesses. Since the pandemic began, CNS has demonstrated a commitment to business partnership by holding the events virtually.

“With this virtual event, we are hoping to reach businesses in Texas, Tennessee, and across the country,” said Greta Ownby, Y-12 Small Business Program manager. “We hold smaller workshops with invitations targeted based on agenda content, but PIE forums like this one are a great way for us to reach a broader audience of business owners.”

Sites award more than $1 billion in subcontracts annually
Each year, CNS awards more than $1 billon in subcontracts to businesses that help accomplish specialized tasks in support of our vital national security mission.

“Our goal is to increase the capacity and capability of our contractor base to support our small project execution,” said Cindy Morgan, director of CNS Supply Chain Business Management. “In our world, small projects are defined as $50 million or less.”

While CNS has a focus on modernizing the aging infrastructure of Pantex and Y-12, the company doesn’t only need construction contractors.

“We purchase a variety of goods and services from small and large businesses, and we need vendors for everything from general office supplies to information technology and staff augmentation,” said Randy Crawford, Pantex Small Business Program manager.

Gain business knowledge, network with business owners
The PIE events are a chance for CNS leaders to break down the requirements for doing business with Pantex and Y-12 and share upcoming opportunities. During a previous PIE event, Bill Tindal provided an overview of the Pantex and Y-12 site histories and explained why the company uses subcontractors as partners.

There’s also a chance to network with fellow business owners to encourage partnerships. “Sometimes a small business is not able to bond for a large job, but they have the expertise and skills that a larger business does not,” said Morgan. “Providing a chance to network encourages those businesses to work together and submit a joint bid.”

Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC operates the Pantex Plant, located in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, under a single contract for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration. CNS member companies include Bechtel National, Inc.; Leidos, Inc.; ATK Launch Systems, Inc.; and SOC LLC. Pantex and Y-12 are key facilities in the U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise, and CNS performs its work with a focus on performance excellence and the imperatives of safety, security, zero defects and delivery as promised.

For more information on each site, visit www.pantex.energy.gov or www.y12.doe.gov. Follow Pantex on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. Follow Y-12 on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

CONTACT
Allison Roberts
Communications
Office (806) 673.5520
allison.roberts@cns.doe.gov