---
title: "3m3 Box Design Optimisation and Development"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06a316"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06a316"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06a316.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06a316.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "SELLAFIELD LIMITED"
published: "2026-06-17"
---

# 3m3 Box Design Optimisation and Development

Buyer: SELLAFIELD LIMITED  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06a316

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## Summary

Sellafield Limited, a sub-central government authority based in Warrington, United Kingdom, is the buyer involved in a public procurement process titled "3m³ Box Design Optimisation and Development." This process pertains to the engineering and industrial process industry, with the procurement aiming to enhance the existing 3m³ box design used in manufacturing environments. The procurement method employed was a direct award due to technical reasons, as specified in the UK Procurement Act 2023. The process has been completed with Stainless Metalcraft (Chatteris) Limited as the supplier. Key dates in this process included the contract award being made on 26th March 2026, with the standstill period concluding on 26th June 2026, and the contract period set from 30th June 2026 to 30th June 2027. The project location is designated as within the UKD11 region.

This tender represents a significant opportunity for businesses involved in engineering design services and the production of industrial equipment, particularly those with capabilities in manufacturing optimisation and development activities. It is tailored for companies that can engage in direct partnerships with existing production environments to enhance efficiency and product performance. The direct award to Stainless Metalcraft (Chatteris) Limited underscores the necessity for qualified manufacturers with established expertise in specialised manufacturing processes. Such projects offer pathways for growth by aligning with strategic industry needs and cementing roles as pivotal suppliers in high-value contracts within the public sector.

## Notice

The contract covers engineering development, testing and validation activities to support the ongoing optimisation of the existing 3m3 box design currently utilised within the live manufacturing environment, including: * Development and validation of methods to support refurbishment and reuse activities * Design and testing of enhanced base configurations to support long term performance * Development of an alternative reduced height bund configuration to improve operability and process efficiency * Testing and verification of proposed improvements * Preparation of supporting manufacturing instructions and technical documentation to enable controlled implementation This activity relates solely to the existing production design and supports ongoing product and process optimisation within the live manufacturing environment.

### Procurement Information

It has been determined that competition is absent for technical reasons in accordance with Schedule 5, paragraph 6(a) and 6(b) of the Procurement Act 2023, and that no reasonable alternative or substitute exists. The scope of this contract is limited to development, optimisation, and validation activities directly associated with the manufacture of 3m3 boxes produced using Stainless Metalcraft Chatteris (SMC)'s established and validated manufacturing process. These activities are inseparable from the existing production route and rely on production-specific tooling, equipment, processes, and manufacturing knowledge embedded within the live manufacturing environment. SMC is the incumbent manufacturer and the only organisation with direct access to the current qualified production configuration, accumulated process learning, validated methods of manufacture, and in-process and completed box inventory. The required activities must be designed, trialled, and validated directly within the live manufacturing environment to maintain compliance with safety, quality, and assurance requirements. For technical reasons, the scope cannot be delivered by an alternative supplier without establishing an equivalent qualified manufacturing environment, including replication of tooling, equipment, process capability, and validated production controls. Establishing and qualifying such an environment would be incompatible with the requirement to apply improvements directly within the existing production system and would not represent a viable, proportionate, or practicable alternative. Accordingly, in line with Schedule 5, paragraph 6(a), only SMC can deliver the required services for technical reasons, and in line with paragraph 6(b), no reasonable alternative or substitute exists. The award of this contract to SMC therefore represents the only technically viable means of meeting the authority's requirements. This contract relates solely to the optimisation of the existing 3m3 production arrangements.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/056897-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 17 Jun 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 26 Mar 2026 |
| Contract period | 29 Jun 2026 - 30 Jun 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £300,000 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Pending |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## 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 | STAINLESS METALCRAFT (CHATTERIS |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 44 - Construction structures and materials; auxiliary products to construction (except electric apparatus)
- 71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

### Codes

- 44613800 - Containers for waste material
- 71323000 - Engineering-design services for industrial process and production

## Release History

- 17 Jun 2026 at 08:21 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/056897-2026
- 26 May 2026 at 10:49 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/048590-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/056897-2026
  17th June 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/048590-2026
  26th May 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-06a316. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06a316.json.