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US nuclear agency seeks bidders for nuclear lab contract

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. agency that oversees the nation's nuclear weapons cache and the science behind it has finalized its request for proposals to manage Los Alamos National Laboratory. The National Nuclear Security Administration posted the documents online Wednesday. The list of interested bidders includes defense contractors, technology companies and universities. They have until Dec. 11 to submit their proposals for taking over the troubled northern New Mexico lab. Among the charges will be improving the safety and security culture at Los Alamos, which has struggled in recent years with the mishandling of plutonium and radioactive waste. The current multibillion-dollar management contract expires in 2018. It was first announced in late 2015 that Los Alamos National Security LLC would be losing the contract since it failed to earn high enough performance reviews.