Award

Waste Vitrification Plant Distributed Control System Critical Spares

SELLAFIELD LIMITED

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

18 Feb 2026 at 14:37

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

18 Feb 2026 at 14:15

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Sellafield Limited, located in Warrington, United Kingdom, has completed the procurement process for the supply of critical spares for the Waste Vitrification Plant's Distributed Control System. The procurement falls under the industry category of goods, specifically instrumentation and control equipment, due to the nature of the critical spares needed. ABB Limited, also based in Warrington, served as the supplier in this direct award. The value of the contract amounts to £977,688.89, with key dates including the publication of the award notice on 18 February 2026 and the scheduled contract period from 18 March 2026 to 30 July 2026. Due to technical reasons in maintaining compatibility with the existing system, the procurement method was a direct award without competition.

This tender provides significant opportunities for businesses specialising in instrumentation and control equipment, particularly those capable of supplying parts compatible with existing systems. While the direct award limits immediate competition, businesses with expertise in distributed control systems, especially those originally manufactured by ABB, may find potential partnership and subcontracting opportunities for maintaining and updating such systems. Large-scale enterprises with an understanding of electricity distribution may benefit from future similar contracts or maintenance-related opportunities within Sellafield Limited's operations.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Waste Vitrification Plant Distributed Control System Critical Spares

Notice Description

Supply of critical spares from the original equipment manufacturer for the waste vitrification plant (WVP) facility's distributed control system (DCS). The existing DCS was originally manufactured by ABB Ltd. Due to age and imminent obsolescence, procurement of critical spares will give resilience to the WVP which intern protects the highly active liquor (HAL) stream programme/deliverables.

Procurement Information

It has been determined that in current circumstances that competition is absent for technical reasons pursuant to Schedule 5 paragraph 6(a)(b) and 7(a)(b) of the Procurement Act 2023. Justification for the award is as follows: A change in supplier would result in the contract authority receiving goods that are different from, or incompatible with, the existing works. Introducing unproven spares could result in failure of the existing distributed control system (DCS) and therefore impact the waste vitrification plant's (WVP) operational availability. It is essential that the spares are compatible with the existing DCS within the facility and ABB Ltd as the original equipment manufacturer can manufacture spares for its system which are proven to be compatible with the existing system. Changing suppliers from ABB Ltd could require significant redesign, testing, and validation and any compatibility issues would result in the loss of WVP's ability to operate. Such an impact on operations is clearly disproportionate given the nature of the award.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-065727
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/014836-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

31 - Electrical machinery, apparatus, equipment and consumables; lighting

CPV Codes

31230000 - Parts of electricity distribution or control apparatus

31682210 - Instrumentation and control equipment

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£977,688 £500K-£1M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
18 Feb 20264 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
30 Jan 20263 weeks ago
Contract Period
18 Mar 2026 - 30 Jul 2026 1-6 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Pending
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
SELLAFIELD LIMITED
Contact Name
Steven Macilwaine
Contact Email
steven.macilwaine@sellafieldsites.com
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
WARRINGTON
Postcode
WA3 6GR
Post Town
Warrington
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLD North West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLD6 Cheshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLD61 Warrington
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Warrington
Electoral Ward
Birchwood
Westminster Constituency
Warrington North

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

ABB

Further Information

Notice Documents

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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