UK Public Sector Contracts & Tenders

Nuclear Waste Services Ltd (NWS) has created the Business & Technical Services (BATS) Marketplace Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) which is open for use by the following Contracting Authorities: NWS, Nuclear Transport Solutions Ltd, Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd, National Nuclear Laboratory Ltd, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Nuclear Restoration Services Ltd, and Sellafield Ltd.<br/><br/>An OJEU contract notice (2019/S 228-559692) was published on 22/11/2019 to open pre-qualification for BATS.<br/>A further notice (2023/S 000-002230) was published on 25/01/2023 to communicate an increase in the estimated total value from £75m to £125m.<br/>A further notice (2023/S 000-034966) was published on 27/11/2023 to communicate a change in the period of validity of the BATS DPS, from an end date of 21/11/2023 to 30/11/2025, and an increase in the estimated total value from £125m to £175m.<br/>This notice has been published to communicate a change in the period of validity of the BATS DPS, from an end date of 30/11/2025 to 28/02/2029.

The service shall provide confidence that all designs, construction activities, quality management processes and technical decisions are compliant with regulatory requirements, aligned with approved standards, and capable of delivering the required long-term environmental and operational performance of the Repository. The proposed Independent Assurance Services may support Nuclear Waste Services (NWS) across its wider business and repository-related demand, including but not limited to focusing on the activities at the LLW Repository near Drigg and the lifecycle of the Vault Optimisation & Capping Delivery (VOCD) Framework, which scope includes repository capping, adherence to regulatory guidance on landfill design and construction, use of Best Available Techniques etc. The Independent Assurance Services scope is not intended to be exclusive to the LLWR site and may extend to other NWS programmes, projects, assets or locations where independent construction quality assurance, technical design assurance or critical friend assurance services are required. The service shall support the achievement of regulatory confidence, audit readiness and effective delivery of NWS programmes through independent challenge, review, verification and certification activities. The services shall comprise of three primary functions: 1) Independent Construction Quality Assurance (CQA): • Review and development of Construction Quality Assurance Plans. • Inspection, surveillance and audit activities. • Verification of materials, workmanship and installation. • Hold point and witness point inspections. • Review of contractor quality records. • Assessment of non-conformances and concessions. • Verification of testing and validation activities. • Compilation of assurance evidence and records. • Preparation of Construction Quality Assurance Validation Reports. The service shall provide confirmation that completed works have been delivered in accordance with approved design and regulatory requirements. 2) Independent Technical Design Assurance (TDA): • Independent review of design deliverables. • Verification of technical assumptions and methodologies. • Independent challenge of engineering decisions. • Design compliance assessments. • Constructability reviews. • Long-term performance reviews. • Participation in design reviews and technical governance processes. • Verification of action close-out. • Production of design assurance recommendations and reports. The service shall support informed technical decision-making and confidence in design maturity prior to implementation. 3) Critical Friend Assurance: • Independent review of delivery strategies. • Technical and programme challenge. • Review of governance and assurance arrangements. • Identification of emerging risks and opportunities. • Benchmarking against industry good practice. • Participation in workshops, assurance reviews and project boards. • Independent assessment of key project decisions. • Strategic technical advisory support. The Critical Friend function shall provide objective and unbiased advice to support effective programme delivery.

Further to the previous preliminary market engagement notice (https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/016818-2026), a pre-tender market engagement webinar on will take place at 15:00 on 14/09/2026. Please use the link below to register for the webinar: Nuclear Waste Services SCPSS Webinar (https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/1e2d673b-4388-450c-9977-7c5c76dfc755@1929b5b6-230e-4b2e-837a-b96f0a9b1b56?source=copyLinkLegacyShareEventDialog) If you have any queries or require technical assistance with registration, please contact: [email protected] The Site Characterisation Professional Services Support (SCPSS) framework is designed to provide NWS with comprehensive support across all aspects of site characterisation activities. Site Characterisation is the process of developing a detailed understanding of the geology and surrounding environment of an area. It involves a range of investigative activities, which will help NWS to inform assessments of the safety and suitability of sites. Site Characterisation enables a better understanding of the likely design and construction methodologies and therefore a higher certainty of the cost outturn. NWS must ensure they have knowledge and processes in place to meet requirements of design and safety case teams in line with regulations. The scope is to provide professional services support for site characterisation activities across multiple sites. The scope has been split into three Lots: Lot 1: Site Characterisation Planning and Technical Advisory Services Lot 2: Geological and Geophysical Interpretation and Modelling Lot 3: Hydrogeological Interpretation and Modelling A pre-tender market engagement webinar on will take place at 15:00 on 14/09/2026. Please use the link below to register for the webinar: NWS has also created a webpage to facilitate communication with the market and the sharing of documentation. The link to the webpage is: www.nuclearwasteservices.uk/2025/11/site-characterisation-professional-services-support-scpss/

Please note that as a Research & Development framework, this will be EXEMPT under Paragraph 22 of Schedule 2 to the Procurement Act 2023. The purpose of this notice is to make the market aware of this upcoming procurement, which is currently due for tender release in November 2026. This framework aims to provide comprehensive professional services support for the assessment of performance and deployment options for UK-relevant engineered barrier system components and the evolution of candidate material(s) and their configurations under repository conditions.

Replacement to Environmental Safety Case (ESC) Lots 2,3&4 (General Technical including Geological and Hydrogeological Support & Peer Review Services) Initial market engagement conducted under PCR2015 (Notice identifier: 2024/S 000-023744 https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/023744-2024), due to unforeseen circumstances new market engagement is required to ensure market input on the considerations of additional scope. Suppliers are requested to contact Lewis Gribbin([email protected]) to receive a copy of the Market Engagement Request for Information (RFI) and return a completed Questionnaire document by 29/08/25.

The provision of Facilities Management (FM) and associated support services to Nuclear Waste Services Ltd (NWS) at the Low Level Waste Repository (LLWR) site, near Drigg. The primary objectives and deliverables of this contract are: To safely and effectively deliver comprehensive on-site Facilities Management services that support the ongoing waste management and operational activities at the LLWR site. To ensure the safe, timely, cost-effective, and high-quality execution of all planned Facilities Management activities, maintaining site assets, plant, equipment, and infrastructure in a fully operational condition and within their defined design parameters. To provide effective management and supervision of subcontractors undertaking Facilities Management and associated works, ensuring compliance with all site safety, security, and operational requirements. To maintain a professional and competent Facilities Management team that consistently delivers NWS requirements, supports business continuity, and promotes continuous improvement across all FM service areas. To contribute to the safe, secure, and efficient operation of the LLWR site through proactive asset management, regulatory compliance, and high standards of service delivery.

Nuclear Waste Services (NWS) is seeking a Contractor to provide all necessary Design & Engineering, Labour, Equipment, Plant & Materials to undertake all works associated with the delivery of Vault Optimisation and Capping Delivery. The contractor should have a proven track record in handling large scale Earthworks projects, equipped with necessary machinery and expertise to ensure the project is completed efficiently and on schedule. Nuclear Waste Services operates the Low-Level Waste Repository (LLWR) Site in West Cumbria on behalf of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. The LLWR Site is the national disposal facility for Low Level Waste (LLW) arising from the nuclear industry and wider industries, such as medical and defence. Protecting and developing the Repository’s radioactive waste disposal capability is a long-term programme of works, over the next 100+ years, that will provide future disposal facilities and protection of people and the environment from the disposed waste through to closure of the Repository Site. In the shorter term, over the next 15 years, the focus is on installing closure engineering works for long-term environmental protection from the wastes currently disposed of in Vault 8 and the adjacent legacy disposal trenches as well as constructing additional disposal capacity in the form of new LLW vaults. The project under NWS covers the following packages of works: - Final Capping (provide an engineered protective cover) over all the Low Level Waste that has been disposed of in the trenches and vaults. - Design of an extension to the existing disposal Vault (V9), retaining wall to allow partial closure seal of V9, new Leachate Management System and weather protection warehousing for HHISO containers awaiting disposal. - Construction of an extension to the existing LLW disposal Vault (V9), retaining wall, partial closure seal of V9, new Leachate Management System and weather protection warehousing for HHISO containers awaiting disposal. - Design of an Interim Cap over the closed section of Vault 9. - Construction of an Interim Cap over the Low Level Waste that has been disposed in Vault 9. Works include but is not limited to; - Earthworks, including excavation and Backfill work - Provision of associated plant - Site Clearance - Groundworks - Piling - Aggregates - Demolition - Drainage - Engineering & Construction Works - Design - Land remediation