Planning

PIN Peer Review of Initial Site Evaluations

NUCLEAR WASTE SERVICES LIMITED

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

06 May 2025 at 11:18

Summary of the contracting process

Nuclear Waste Services Limited is in the planning stage of a procurement process titled "PIN Peer Review of Initial Site Evaluations," categorised under research and development services and related consultancy services. This procurement, valued at £500,000, focuses on peer review consulting services for evaluations related to the geological disposal of radioactive waste in the UK. The contract aims to obtain independent reviews of Initial Site Evaluations by consultants with extensive international experience. The procurement is governed by public law regulations and is slated for execution within the UK region, with key communications having been outlined in early May 2025.

Businesses with ten or more years of experience in developing Environmental Safety Cases for geological disposal facilities are well-suited to compete for this opportunity. This tender presents a growth potential for consultancy firms specialising in environmental planning, research services, and safety cases, especially those familiar with regulatory frameworks and innovative site evaluation techniques. The procurement method invites businesses to present their capabilities to contribute valuable insights into the process and could be a substantial foundation for expanding their service footprint in environmental consultancy within the nuclear waste management sector.

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Notice Title

PIN Peer Review of Initial Site Evaluations

Notice Description

The Consultant's team should consist of a minimum of two peer reviewers. The peer reviewers should be independent of the Employer's work to develop the ISE and the associated permit applications. Give the novel nature of the ISE and associated permit application, direct experience of the staged regulation guidance and ISE development is therefore not possible.<br/><br/>The peer reviewers should have significant (10 years +) international experience of the development of Environmental Safety Cases for geological disposal facilities and the associated regulatory requirements. The Consultant should describe in their tender how the skills and experience of their team will benefit the peer review process and overall quality of the ISE submissions.<br/><br/>We are looking for Suppliers to provide views on:<br/><br/>* Firm bidding intention<br/><br/>* The Contract Technical Specification (CTS)<br/><br/>* Availability and feasibility of the procurement timescale

Lot Information

Lot 1

Nuclear Waste Services is responsible for implementing geological disposal of the UK's most hazardous radioactive waste and is currently working towards identifying potential sites for a geological disposal facility (GDF). Non-intrusive investigations and site evaluations have found that Search Areas under consideration have the potential to host a GDF. Further site investigations, including intrusive (deep borehole) investigations, are now needed to underpin GDF feasibility and environmental safety arguments. These assessments will then support decision-making on the preferred locations for the surface and sub-surface elements of a GDF associated with each Search Area.


The Environment Agency has set out a process of 'staged regulation' of the GDF implementation process [3]. Staged regulation begins with an application for an environmental permit to undertake surface-based intrusive investigations to obtain information about sub-surface conditions. Preparation of an Initial Site Evaluation (ISE) to support such an environmental permit application is consistent with the environmental regulators' guidance on implementing geological disposal (the GRA) [3] and preliminary guidance on the scope and content of an ISE (the 2014 ISE Guidance) [7]. The development of an ISE for a GDF has no precedent and EA has never determined a Schedule 23 application for intrusive investigation works. Consequently, there is a degree of uncertainty surrounding the approaches and expectations from both an applicant and regulatory perspective.

This PIN should be read in conjunction with the following documents, all of which can be viewed on Atamis: https://atamis-2464.my.site.com/s/Welcome

* Contract Technical Specification
* Request for Information
* Atamis Supplier User Guide
* Overview of the BATs Marketplace
You will be required to register on Atamis, and once registration is complete you can search for this PIN using the Atamis search box and using the title as a reference - PIN BATs - PEER REVIEW OF INITIAL SITE EVALUATIONS (ISE) - C25208

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-050d05
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/019056-2025
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Planning Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

44 - Construction structures and materials; auxiliary products to construction (except electric apparatus)

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services


CPV Codes

44421722 - Safety cases

73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

73110000 - Research services

73200000 - Research and development consultancy services

73210000 - Research consultancy services

90711200 - Environmental standards other than for construction

90712000 - Environmental planning

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£500,000 £500K-£1M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
6 May 20259 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
1 May 2025Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planned
Lots Status
Planned
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
NUCLEAR WASTE SERVICES LIMITED
Contact Name
Patrick Butler
Contact Email
patrick.butler@nuclearwasteservices.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
CALDERBRIDGE, SEASCALE
Postcode
CA20 1DB
Post Town
Carlisle
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLD North West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLD1 Cumbria
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLD13 Cumberland
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Cumberland
Electoral Ward
Gosforth
Westminster Constituency
Whitehaven and Workington

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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