Official UK procurement notice
Site Characterisation Professional Services Support (SCPSS) - C26888
Authority: Nuclear Waste Services Limited (Public body)
What is being bought3 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionThe scope of the SCPSS Framework has been split into three Lots to allow NWS to appoint the right specialist.
Lot 1 - Site Characterisation Planning and Technical Advisory Services: includes a wide range of consultancy, advisory, review and support services to NWS associated with all aspects of the planning, design, specification and delivery of site characterisation programmes (including onshore and offshore, intrusive and non-intrusive, plus off-site analysis).
Lot 2 - Geological and Geophysical Interpretation and Modelling: encompasses geological and geophysical analysis, interpretation and modelling activities required to support the development of geological understanding. This will include interpretation and modelling across multiple UK sites, regions and basins, reflecting evolving data availability, uncertainty, and project maturity.
Lot 3 - Hydrogeological Interpretation and Modelling: encompasses the research and technical development required to characterise, interpret and model hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical systems. This includes the development of conceptual and numerical groundwater flow and solute transport models.
ITP and ITT documentation available on Atamis: atamis-2464.my.site.com/s/Welcome ↗
- How the procedure runs: Stage 1 - Conditions of Participation Stage Stage 2 - ITT Stage
CPV: Advisory and consultative engineering services · Civil engineering consultancy services · Core preparation and analysis services · Digital mapping services · Engineering services · Engineering support services · Environmental engineering consultancy services · Environmental impact assessment other than for construction · Environmental issues consultancy services · Environmental management · Environmental monitoring other than for construction · Environmental planning · +15 more
How this framework works
From the published notice- Type
- Closed framework
- Call-offs
- call-offs may be awarded directly or by further competition
- Places
- up to 15 suppliers
- Framework period
4 yrs · up to 5 yrs from 26 Apr 2027, NWS considers a longer term of 4 years plus an optional 1-year extension for the SCPSS framework to be necessary owing to uncertainty of the geological disposal facility (GDF) programme and funding cycle changes that may affect the site characterisation phase of the GDF being a major infrastructure project.
Published description of the framework
Three Lots - Max Five Suppliers per Lot.
Lots and requirements (3)Procurement structure
3 lots · all with a published value · a supplier may bid for at most 2 and win at most 2 of themEvery one of these 3 lots carries the same published figure, £4,600: it is the framework's maximum for the whole notice, not each lot's own budget, and no share per lot is published. The cards below say ceiling above rather than repeat it.
Lot #1Site Characterisation Planning and Technical Advisory ServicesRenewalceiling above
Lot 1 - Site Characterisation Planning and Technical Advisory Services
Lot #2Geological and Geophysical Interpretation and ModellingRenewalceiling above
Lot 2 - Geological and Geophysical Interpretation and Modelling
Lot #3Hydrogeological Interpretation and ModellingRenewalceiling above
Lot 3 - Hydrogeological Interpretation and Modelling
What it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
- “Site Characterisation Professional Services Support (SCPSS) - C26888” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, up to 15 suppliers, not a single contract: call-offs may be direct or by further competition.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Competitive flexible procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Closed
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Framework agreement
- Who may use this agreement
- Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 15 Sept 2025, 15:38 BST
- Last source update
- 8 Oct 2026, 11:26 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 17 Mar 2027
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-091954- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Not published
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-059a7aFind a Tender
- How it runs
Stage 1 - Conditions of Participation Stage
Stage 2 - ITT Stage
How it was run
Official notice- Requests to participate (first stage)
- 26 Oct 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Appointment period ends
- 26 Oct 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 19 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Invitation to Participate (ITP) documents for the first stage of this procurement, as well as DRAFT Invitation to Tender (ITT) documents are available on Atamis: atamis-2464.my.site.com/s/Welcome ↗
Submissions should be made through the Atamis portal.
Please note NWS only requires a submission for Stage 1 (ITP) by 12pm on 26th October 2026.
Timeline
15 Sept 2025 → 26 Apr 2027 · 9 dates- Planning notice published15 Sept 2025, 15:38 BST
- Market engagement42 days ago14 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
a pre-tender market engagement webinar on will take place at 15:00 on 14/09/2026. Please use the link below to register for the webinar:
Nuclear Waste Services SCPSS Webinar (events.teams.microsoft.com/event/1e2d673b-4388-… ↗)
If you have any queries or require technical assistance with registration, please contact: gdfmajorprocurements@nuclearwasteservices.uk
NWS has also created a webpage to facilitate communication with the market and the sharing of documentation. The link to the webpage is: www.nuclearwasteservices.uk/2025/11/site-charact… ↗
- Tender notice published27 days ago29 Sept 2026, 14:47 BST
- Next notice expected27 days ago29 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
- Latest notice published18 days ago8 Oct 2026, 11:26 BST
- Clarification questions by7 days ago19 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
- Admission / appointment period ends16h ago · period end, not a bid countdown26 Oct 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Today27 Oct 2026
- Award decision expected byin 141 days17 Mar 2027, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 180 days26 Apr 2027, 00:00 BST
Notice history
9 events · 6 releases on Find a Tender · since 15 Sept 2025- Pipeline notice published15 Sept 2025, 15:38 BSTUK1
- Preliminary market engagement notice published25 Nov 2025, 17:00 GMTUK2
- Preliminary market engagement notice published25 Feb 2026, 11:52 GMTUK2
- Published value published: £13,800,00025 Feb 2026, 11:52 GMT
- Preliminary market engagement notice published24 Aug 2026, 13:24 BSTUK2
- Tender notice published29 Sept 2026, 14:47 BSTUK4
- Status changed to active29 Sept 2026, 14:47 BST
- Procurement method changed29 Sept 2026, 14:47 BST
- Tender notice published8 Oct 2026, 11:26 BSTUK4
Published amendments (2)
The next round of SCPSS Market Engagement - Webinar
Adding 'Justification of Term' which weren't on the original notice. NWS considers a longer term of 4 years plus an optional 1-year extension for the SCPSS framework to be necessary owing to uncertainty of the geological disposal facility (GDF) programme and funding cycle changes that may affect the site characterisation phase of the GDF being a major infrastructure project
Routine re-releases (6)
- 2026-02: 1 release · 25 Feb 2026
- 2025-11: 1 release · 25 Nov 2025
- 2025-09: 1 release · 15 Sept 2025
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (6)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- Pipeline notice Pipeline notice on Find a Tender