---
title: "Waste Vitrification Plant Distributed Control System Critical Spares"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-065727"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-065727"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-065727.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-065727.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "SELLAFIELD LIMITED"
published: "2026-04-08"
---

# Waste Vitrification Plant Distributed Control System Critical Spares

Buyer: SELLAFIELD LIMITED  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-065727

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## Summary

Sellafield Limited, a public authority operating within the sub-central government of the United Kingdom, awarded a contract for the supply of critical spares for its Waste Vitrification Plant's Distributed Control System (DCS). Based in Warrington, this procurement process was categorized under the 'goods' category and executed through a direct award method justified by technical compatibility considerations, as outlined in Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act 2023. The contract, valued at approximately £977,688.89 before tax, was signed on 9th March 2026 and remains active until 30th July 2026, ensuring operational resilience of the waste vitrification processes critical to the facility's deliverables.

This tender, by selecting ABB Limited—the original equipment manufacturer—as the supplier, presents limited immediate opportunities for new vendors. However, other businesses specializing in instrumentation and control equipment may explore future opportunities by offering compatible and innovative solutions that adhere to technical specifications. Companies with expertise in electricity distribution and control apparatus, particularly those capable of integrating seamlessly with existing systems, might consider engaging in similar procurement processes to advocate for potential expansions or technology updates in public sector projects.

## Notice

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.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/032041-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 8 Apr 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 30 Jan 2026 |
| Contract period | 10 Mar 2026 - 30 Jul 2026 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £977,688 |
| Contracts value | £977,688 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | SELLAFIELD LIMITED |
| Locality | WARRINGTON |
| Post town | Warrington |
| Postcode | WA3 6GR |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLD North West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLD6 Cheshire |
| ITL 3 | TLD61 Warrington |
| Local authority | Warrington |
| Electoral ward | Birchwood |
| Westminster constituency | Warrington North |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | ABB |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 31230000 - Parts of electricity distribution or control apparatus
- 31682210 - Instrumentation and control equipment

## Release History

- 8 Apr 2026 at 14:20 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/032041-2026
- 18 Feb 2026 at 14:37 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/014836-2026
- 18 Feb 2026 at 14:15 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/014814-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/032041-2026
  8th April 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/014836-2026
  18th February 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/014814-2026
  18th February 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/sellafield-ltd
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-065727. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-065727.json.