<p>Yes, Chicago knew the situation. There was always a risk that some stealth bidder would appear, but since DOD had lots of meetings for prospects, it was easy to look around…</p>
<p>And yes, I believe DOD had the ability to reject all bids, even if only one.</p>
<p>Although the National Lab management approach changed a few years ago to allow a much greater profit component, for Argonne, it just was not enough, especially since its future hangs in a balance. Whereas Los Alamos went from no profit to a guaranteed 70 mill per year or so, Argonne only had a few million in profit under the new approach. Sounds like a lot, but I bet UofC sees very little of it. Remember that UofC is part of an LLC that includes two companies.</p>
<p>Don’t know about Fermilab, but the academic benefits from fermilab have been minimal for any local institutions, so it seems less critical. Fermilab is so focused technically, whereas Argonne is not.</p>