Science & Nature
Federal Report Card Scores Show Positive Trend for Argonne and Fermilab Contractors
Argonne National Laboratory is pictured in a file image. (Credit: Argonne National Laboratory)
Grades for the contractors operating the two national laboratories near Chicago saw an uptick in key areas, suggesting improved management at the area’s anchors of scientific innovation over the past fiscal year, according to the latest evaluations released Thursday.
The marks for Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont all met the standard for performance goals set by the Department of Energy Office of Science, which leads the appraisal process. Grades for the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia improved in some key areas, though the lab received a B for five of eight goals.
A grade of B+ is defined as meeting expectations.
Each year, the Office of Science evaluates the scientific, technological, managerial and operational performance of the private contractors that run its 10 national laboratories. The results determine annual performance fees and whether a contractor can earn additional years on its agreement through an award term extension.
The appraisals also inform DOE decisions on whether to extend or reopen a lab’s management-and-operations contract to competitive proposals when it expires.
Fermi Forward Discovery Group manages Fermilab, which named a new director Monday. UChicago Argonne operates Argonne. Both contractor organizations involve the University of Chicago.
FermiForward replaced the Fermi Research Alliance in January.
The current appraisal framework, in place since 2006, was designed to make evaluations more transparent, heighten leadership involvement, standardize how labs are graded and tie performance more directly to fees, contract length and public release of grades.
The Office of Science uses a common structure and scoring system across its labs, organized around eight performance goals, including mission accomplishment, design and operation of research facilities, and leadership and stewardship.
Each goal contains specific objectives, including notable outcomes that define priorities for the year. The targets are documented at the start of each fiscal year in a Performance Evaluation and Measurement Plan appended to each lab’s contract.
The Fermilab report card from 2024 had three goals that were rated a C or C+. No grade was below a B in any area for 2025.
While some scores for local national labs improved, others faltered. The contractor leadership grade for Argonne fell from an A- to a B+ in the 2025 fiscal year. Argonne also was awarded a B+ for environment, safety and health, a small improvement from 2024.
Fermilab’s grade for its mission accomplishments fell from an A- to a B+ this year. The goal measures how well the contractor delivers science and technology that advance research recognized by top scientists and strengthen national security.
A fire at a key power substation and subsequent equipment failures have left Fermilab’s main injector offline since September 2024 with repairs delayed by costly parts and long delivery times.
This could certainly impact the mission grade of an accelerator laboratory.
A spokesperson for Fermilab did not respond to questions about the lab’s overall grade, or how issues powering the accelerator may have contributed to the diminished mission score.
Representatives at Argonne and the University of Chicago also did not immediately respond to questions.
Contact Jared Rutecki: @JaredRutecki | [email protected]
