U.S.

Department of Energy contractor CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Co. has partnered

with Richland-based Polestar Technical Services to further clean up the Central

Plateau and along the Columbia River.

DOE’s

Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization recently approved a

mentor-protégé agreement between CHPRC and Polestar, a small woman-owned

business.

To help provide a level playing field for female

business owners, the federal government limits competition for certain

contracts to businesses that participate in the women’s contracting program,

according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Companies

can qualify as a woman-owned business when they are a small business, at least

51 percent of their company is owned and controlled by women who are U.S.

citizens, and women manage day-to-day operations and make long-term decisions.

Through

this agreement, CHPRC will provide technical assistance and capability

development to expand Polestar’s business knowledge base, including identifying

and marketing new clients, developing internal business processes and

identifying subcontracting opportunities.

“CHPRC

looks forward to the opportunity to enhance Polestar’s business and technical

expertise performing as a DOE subcontractor,” said Mike Wells, CHPRC’s acting

vice president of Business Services. “The mentor program will help prepare

Polestar for future contract work for DOE, other government agencies and the

private sector.”

Polestar Technical Services specializes in strategy

development, planning and management of complex deactivation, decommissioning

and remediation projects, with experience in facility closure, remediation

planning and execution. Polestar will be working in Hanford’s 100 K Area

supporting the design development for interim safe storage of the reactors.

CHPRC’s

contract with DOE requires small businesses to perform at least 17 percent of

the total contract price.

Since

the beginning of the contract in 2008, CHPRC has awarded more than $1.5 billion

worth of work to small businesses. That means more than 27 percent of CHPRC’s

$5.8 billion contract helped strengthen small businesses, 70 percent of which

are locally owned.

“Polestar Technical Services is proud to be a partner with CH2M HILL

Plateau Remediation Company in the DOE mentor-protégé program,” said Kathy

Miller, Polestar’s managing director. “This agreement aligns with Polestar’s

long-term strategic goals of expanding our technical and management

capabilities.”