---
title: "Purchase of Criticality Lockets"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06ee3e"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06ee3e"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ee3e.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ee3e.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Sellafield Ltd"
published: "2026-09-02"
---

# Purchase of Criticality Lockets

Buyer: Sellafield Ltd  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06ee3e

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## Summary

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.

## Notice

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.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083047-2026 |
| 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 |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 2 Sep 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 7 Aug 2026 |
| Contract period | 12 Sep 2026 - 28 Feb 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £354,230 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Sellafield Ltd |
| Locality | WARRINGTON |
| Postcode area | 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 | Nuvia Limited |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 38341600 - Radiation monitors

## Release History

- 2 Sep 2026 at 13:12 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083047-2026
- 28 Aug 2026 at 09:41 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/082043-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083047-2026
  2nd September 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/082043-2026
  28th August 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-06ee3e. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ee3e.json.