£multi-million R&D contracts: suppliers invited to find out more
31 Jul 2019 03:47 PM
The NDA has embarked on a process to award new four-year R&D framework contracts and is inviting suppliers to find out more at an information day in west Cumbria.
The contracts are part of the NDA’s Direct Research Portfolio (DRP) work, which is focused on projects to:
- find innovative solutions to technical challenges associated with cleaning up the NDA’s 17 ageing nuclear sites
- develop high-level technical skills
- influence or underpin overall strategy
DRP contracts were last awarded in 2016 to a range of organisations and consortia, including large corporations, academic institutions and small businesses. Worth £12 million in total, more than 70 organisations were involved, including 3 consortia led by SMEs.
The 2019 procurement will lead to a series of framework contracts, each lasting 4 years, for research covering the following themes:
- University interactions (single supplier)
- Integrated waste management and site restoration and decommissioning (multi-supplier)
- Spent fuel and nuclear materials (multi-supplier)
The NDA’s recently published 5-year R&D plan outlines future topics for research in greater detail, including those that will form part of the DRP portfolio.
NDA Research Manager Yvonne Morris yesterday said:
We would like to encourage wide-ranging interest from organisations of all sizes, including global corporations, UK businesses, academic institutions and SMEs.
The event is an opportunity to find out more about the contracts and discuss the areas of research we plan to cover. As we’re encouraging businesses to form consortia for the procurement, there will also be time for networking with other businesses and exploring options for joint submissions.
More details are available at:
The information day will take place at Energus, Workington, Cumbria, on 18 September. Suppliers wishing to attend must register in advance: procurement.inbox@nda.gov.uk