Four organisations have been selected as preferred bidders for a 20-year partnership set to transform project delivery at Sellafield.
The Programme and Project Partners model will establish long-term relationships to deliver the site’s decommissioning programme.
Sellafield is home to one of the most complex portfolio of construction projects in the world, stretching over many decades.
The new approach will support the transformation of the company from a nuclear operator into a world leader in environmental remediation.
It is designed to support faster, more effective project delivery, stability in design and construction supply chains, greater workforce flexibility, and local economic benefit.
The partnership is made up of four lots.
Preferred bidders are:
- Integration – Kellogg Brown and Root Ltd
- Design and Engineering – Wood Nuclear Limited
- Civils Construction Management – Morgan Sindall Construction and Infrastructure Ltd
- Process Construction Management – Doosan Babcock Ltd
Martin Chown, Sellafield Ltd supply chain director, said: “The Programme and Project Partners marks a major step-change in the way we deliver major projects and ultimately our clean-up mission.
“It will transform our relationship with the supply chain and ensure projects are delivered safely, quickly, and cost effectively.
“The new approach will provide 20 years of sustainable employment in the design and construction supply chain and enhance workforce skills and opportunity.
“The Programme and Project Partners is fundamental to our aspiration to develop and maintain internationally respected centres of nuclear expertise in our local communities.”
There will now be a stand-still period prior to contract finalisation and award.
In a joint statement, Mike Starkie, Mayor of Copeland, and Trudy Harrison, MP for Copeland said: “We welcome the announcement of the preferred bidders on Sellafield Ltd’s Programme and Project Partners (PPP) framework, through which a significant portion of the site’s supply chain services in Project and Programme Management, Engineering and Design, Civil and Process Construction will be procured over the next 20 years.
“The announcement marks a key milestone in Sellafield’s Transformation programme, and will fundamentally change the way that major projects are procured and delivered on the site, with a move towards outcome based contracting and a high degree of collaboration between the preferred bidders and the wider supply chain.
“UK Government’s approval of this framework demonstrates confidence in the NDA and Sellafield Ltd to continue their world-leading work to overcome the complex and unique nuclear decommissioning challenges on the site.
“This new framework offers great opportunity for us to work together with Sellafield Ltd and the preferred bidders to ensure extraction of maximum value from the Sellafield site, to deliver value to the taxpayer and to help to diversify and enhance the resilience of the local economy. This is of particular importance during the Transformation of the Sellafield site as reprocessing operations end by 2020 and the company’s mission moves towards decommissioning and environmental remediation. There are associated opportunities for the new framework partners to make a positive impact on the local workforce, skills and education landscape and to help to deliver the targets set out in the Nuclear Sector Deal under the UK’s Industrial Strategy.
“We whole-heartedly congratulate the preferred bidders and offer our support to them in setting up or expanding their operations in Copeland, and becoming key delivery partners in Copeland’s economic vision.
“This is a significant milestone in the evolution of the management of the Sellafield mission. We look forward to building strong, productive and lasting relationships with the PPP team to realise our shared ambitions for our economy and community.”
