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Purchase of Criticality Lockets

Sellafield Ltd

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

02 Sep 2026 at 13:12

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

28 Aug 2026 at 09:41

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Sellafield Limited procured 1,000 criticality lockets, classified under CPV 38341600 (radiation monitors). The lockets support the manufacture and repair of up to 250 criticality belts for personnel working in buildings with a criticality risk. These belts form part of the required radiological protective equipment used by site personnel. The requirement is for goods supporting Sellafield’s ongoing site operations, rather than a standalone construction or professional services assignment. The product is a specialised component for criticality protection and radiation-safety equipment. Sellafield Limited is the buying organisation, and the goods are intended for use in connection with its operational sites and personnel.

This completed procurement was awarded through a direct award. The award date was 7 August 2026 and the contract period runs from 12 September 2026 to 28 February 2027. Nuvia Ltd was awarded the single lot and is the selected supplier. The award is valued at £354,230 excluding VAT and £425,076 including VAT. Sellafield justified the direct award on technical and regulatory grounds: Nuvia holds the patent rights for the required item and is the sole provider, and it is the only supplier approved by the Health and Safety Executive for this product. The requirement is an annual recurring supply of goods essential to ongoing operations. The lot was identified as suitable for SMEs, although the award was made to Nuvia.

This award demonstrates recurring demand from Sellafield for specialised criticality-protection components used within radiological protective equipment. A credible future competitor would need to supply the precise required locket, demonstrate access to the relevant patent rights or an authorised alternative, and meet the Health and Safety Executive’s approval requirements for the item. Suppliers would also need dependable manufacturing and delivery capacity for a substantial batch, together with practical understanding of criticality-risk controls and the repair and manufacture of criticality belts. The buyer’s use of a direct award shows that intellectual-property ownership and regulatory approval are decisive commercial barriers on this requirement. Businesses with complementary nuclear-safety supply-chain capability may need to establish how they could obtain equivalent rights and approval before competing.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Purchase of Criticality Lockets

Notice Description

To supply 1000 units of criticality lockets to support the manufacture and repair of up to 250 criticality belts for site personnel. The criticality belts are used as part of required radiological protective equipment for personnel in buildings with a criticality risk. The direct award justification being relied upon is Schedule 5, paragraph 5 of the Procurement Act 2023, as Nuvia Ltd holds the patent rights for the required item and is therefore the sole provider of this product. In addition, Nuvia Ltd is the only supplier approved by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for the supply of this item.

Procurement Information

This procurement is an annual requirement for the recurring supply of goods that are essential to ongoing operations. Nuvia holds the patent rights for the required item and is therefore the sole provider of this product. In addition, Nuvia is the only supplier approved by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for the supply of this item. Due to the absence of competition for technical and regulatory reasons, the contract can only be fulfilled by Nuvia, making a competitive procurement process impractical and unlikely to deliver an alternative outcome.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06ee3e
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083047-2026
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
SME
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

38 - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)

CPV Codes

38341600 - Radiation monitors

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£354,230 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
2 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
7 Aug 20261 months ago
Contract Period
12 Sep 2026 - 28 Feb 2027 1-6 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Sellafield Ltd
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
WARRINGTON
Postcode
WA3 6GR
Postcode Area
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

Nuvia Limited

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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