Architect Engineer and Owners Engineer for the GDF Programme

The development of a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) is essential for the final disposal of radioactive waste in the UK. It is a critical part of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s (NDA) overall mission to decommission and dispose of the UK’s nuclear legacy waste. <br/>The mission of the GDF programme is to deliver a permanent solution for the disposal of higher activity radioactive waste through the design, construction, operation and closure of a GDF. Its objectives are:<br/>

• To build trust and work in partnership with one or more communities to gain consent and support to host a GDF.<br/>
• To facilitate economic benefits and growth, delivering regional jobs and skills and a positive legacy.<br/>
• To deliver a permanent solution for the safe disposal of higher activity waste through the safe, sustainable, and cost-effective design, construction, operation and closure of a GDF.<br/>
• To enable the timely retirement of the significant and currently enduring financial liability and risk associated with above ground storage of higher activity waste, that would persist for thousands of years if a disposal solution was not developed.<br/>A GDF will be a significant piece of UK infrastructure where the majority of the facility is built between 200 and 1000 metres underground, with a surface area of approximately 1 square kilometre. Geological disposal involves putting the waste in purpose-built containers which are then placed in tunnels and vaults beneath several hundred metres of solid rock.<br/>Further information about the GDF programme can be found here: GDF (Geological Disposal Facility) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk ↗)<br/><br/>This Prior Information Notice (PIN) relates to future market engagement that Nuclear Waste Services (NWS) intend to conduct concerning the appointment on an Architect Engineer and Owners Engineer for the GDF programme. It should be noted that the OE requirement might be an NWS scope,wider than just for the GDF programme.<br/><br/>This PIN should be read in conjunction with the following documents, all of which can be viewed on Atamis: atamis-2464.my.site.com/s/Welcome ↗ <br/><br/>Architect Engineer – Request for Information<br/>Architect Engineer – Scope<br/>Architect Engineer – Contracting and Competition Principles<br/>Owners Engineer – Request for Information<br/>Owners Engineer – Scope<br/>Owners Engineer – Contracting and Competition Principles<br/>GDF Design Strategy Handbook<br/><br/>You will be required to register on Atamis, and once registration is complete you can search for this PIN using the Atamis search box and using the title as a reference, and express your interest in the Architect Engineer and/or Owners Engineer requirements. Additional information: This PIN is not a call for competition; it is to signal an intention to commence market engagement with interested organisations for the provision of an Architect Engineer and Owners Engineer for the GDF programme with industry experts and suppliers who are interested in potentially bidding for the resulting commercial agreement(s). <br/><br/>If you wish to participate in the market engagement please register your interest via the URL here on Atamis, no later than 16:00 BST, Friday 21st June 2024. <br/><br/>atamis-2464.my.site.com/s/Welcome ↗<br/><br/>Please DO NOT register interest through any other route.<br/><br/>Market engagement is being carried out in two initial stages.<br/><br/>For the first stage, NWS are requesting written responses to a number of questions, which can be found within the Request for Information (RFI) documents on Atamis. Suppliers’ responses to these questions should be sent to NWS via the messaging function on Atamis no later than 16:00 BST, Friday 28th June 2024.<br/><br/>For the second stage, NWS will hold “one-to-one” market engagement sessions with interested Suppliers who are interested in potentially bidding for either the Architect Engineer and/or Owners Engineer procurements, with a view to gaining a more in-depth understanding of the supply chain perspective on our current approach. These sessions are likely to take place face-to-face in the week commencing 15th July 2024 in the Birmingham area (venue TBC). Whilst it is NWS’ preference to meet with Suppliers face-to-face, where this is not possible, alternative virtual sessions may be scheduled for the week commencing 22nd July 2024.<br/><br/>Additional CPV codes(s):<br/><br/>71322000 - Engineering design services for the construction of civil engineering works<br/>98113100 - Nuclear safety services<br/>71240000 - Architectural, engineering & planning services<br/>71332000 - Geotechnical engineering services<br/>90521300 - Disposal of radioactive waste<br/>90521400 - Transport of radioactive waste<br/>90521500 - Packaging of radioactive waste