Press release

Programme and Project Partners announce winners of new multi-million pound HVAC contract

A pioneering new way of awarding long-term work packages at the Sellafield site has reached a major milestone, with Programme and Project Partners appointing its first key delivery partners.

A major project on the Sellafield site

The Programme and Project Partners model plays an integral part in our project delivery

Balfour Beatty Kilpatrick and EJ Parker Technical Services have been appointed to deliver the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC), a framework agreement worth £150 to £250 million over the life of the programme.

The HVAC package is the first of several to be awarded by the partners over the coming months as part of a major framework spanning the next 18 years.

HVAC is used in all facilities to regulate temperature and humidity on the Sellafield site. Traditionally at Sellafield, HVAC procurement has been done on a project by project basis.

Through its multi-project procurement (MPP) approach, the programme and project partners seeks to work with specialist partners across the life of the programme for greater gains and efficiency.

The MPP approach encourages long-term collaboration throughout the supply chain, enhanced project delivery, and paves the way for greater economic and social impact in the West Cumbria region.

It has been procured under a new multi project procurement model which encourages long-term collaboration throughout the supply chain, enhanced project delivery, and paves the way for greater economic and social impact in the West Cumbria region.

The model will see the appointment of key delivery partners to deliver work packages covering everything from electrical and instrumentation and fabrication and manufacturing to groundworks and general civils.

Eldon Garnett, on behalf of the programme and project partners management board, said:

It’s really pleasing to award our first contract as part of the multi project procurement process, enabling us to start to realise the benefits that we know this programme will deliver.

Looking at the responses during the HVAC tender process, there is clearly huge enthusiasm right across the supply chain to be part of the programme and project partners team, addressing the wider Sellafield Ltd mission and we look forward to welcoming more key delivery partners in the months ahead.

Stuart Driscoll, managing director, at EJ Parker Technical Services, said:

We are delighted to be appointed as one of the first key delivery partners. Our team has large, complex HVAC experience and our values of people, safety and service are a good alignment for this opportunity.

We are looking forward to working closely with the programme and project partners lot partners, key delivery partners and supply chain members to successfully deliver this framework.

Mark Bullock, Balfour Beatty chief executive officer, UK Construction Services said:

Our deep knowledge and expertise, combined with our sustainable, innovative delivery approach will enable us to safely and successfully deliver the HVAC works required at Sellafield.

We look forward to supporting as a key delivery partner; helping to provide greater economic and social impact across the region for many years to come.

The programme and project partners will work closely with all key delivery partners to deliver its ambition to create a clean and safe environment at the Sellafield site for future generations, improve sustainability and better outcomes for the local economy and communities.

As part of its pioneering approach to project delivery and local impact, the partners have engaged with the Swimming with the Big Fish, small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) matchmaker service, which brokers introductions and develops relationships between those bidding to become key delivery partners and high performing SMEs willing to invest in West Cumbria.

These SMEs plan to create additional jobs, recruit apprentices and invest to expand/create new facilities in the West Cumbria as a result of the work they do with their respective key delivery partners.

The programme and project partners is made up of lot partners KBR (integration partner); Jacobs (design and engineering partner); Morgan Sindall Infrastructure (civils construction management partner) and Doosan Babcock Ltd (process construction management partner) and Sellafield Ltd as the fifth partner, to support the site’s 100-year decommissioning programme.

Sellafield Ltd is the organisation responsible for the safe operation and clean-up of the Sellafield site in Cumbria, as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

Sellafield is the largest nuclear complex in Western Europe. We deliver a nationally-important mission, ensuring the safety and security of the UK’s nuclear legacy and progressively decommissioning some of the world’s oldest atomic facilities.

The site is 2 square miles with over 1,000 buildings. Although the site is effectively being dismantled, it is a hive of construction activity and as old facilities are decommissioned, new ones need to be built to store nuclear waste.

The decommissioning programme will run for over 100 years, so access to all skills, innovation and supply chain is crucial to ensure this is done safely and securely.

Multi Project Procurement (MPP) is the collective name for a number of competitions that the programme and project partners will be running to secure supply chain partners to support the forward plan of work for PPP.

MPP’s are considered to be a pioneering new way working by awarding long term work packages building upon the Sellafield Ltd/programme and project partners-model and learning from across the industry.

The multi project procurement model will support the partners in achieving their critical success factors by encouraging long term collaboration throughout the supply chain and bringing enhanced project delivery and paves the way for greater economic and social impact in the West Cumbria region.

The HVAC scope is for the design (where appropriate), supply, install, test and commission of the HVAC system.

The Framework agreement is 18 years in duration and will see 2 partners support the programme and project partners over its life, with an estimated value of between £150 million to £250 million.

There are 5 yearly review points to ensure continued alignment between the programme and project partners and the selected supply chain partners.

Published 25 November 2021