Very Low Active (VLA) Analysis Services - PIN No1 - Market Engagement Event

This Prior Information Notice (PIN), without call for competition, is to alert the market that Sellafield Ltd is to commence Market Engagement activity for the forthcoming Very Low Active (VLA) Analysis Procurement.

Sellafield Ltd are undertaking a Market Engagement event on Tuesday 26th November 2024 for the Very Low Active (VLA) Analysis Procurement. The event will take place at Energus Conference Centre, Lillyhall, Workington, CA14 4JW and shall run from 9.30am until 2pm.

The VLA Analysis Tender follows on from the cancelled Low Active (LA) and Very Low Active Analytical Services Tender, as per the FTS Notice reference 2024/S 000-034622 and Contracts Finder reference CF-0083500D4L000000iAvzUAE. Sellafield will now look to run a competition for the VLA scope only, with the LA element remaining within Sellafield pending further strategy review.

The Market Engagement event for the VLA Analysis Procurement shall be split into two parts, with the first part of the event being a Sellafield presentation to the group of attendees to brief the market on the upcoming Tender, confirm any changes to the process compared to the cancelled LA/ VLA Procurement, provide a reaffirmation of the expected testing volumes, an overview of the planned amendments to the commercial principles and Procurement Documents such as the Terms and Conditions and the Pricing Strategy and to brief the market on the procurement process to be used including timings and do’s and don’ts.

The second part of the market engagement event will involve breakout sessions where suppliers can engage individually with Sellafield in order to ask any additional questions around the process, specification or procurement documents, as well as for Sellafield to gain market feedback regarding the proposed procurement documents such as the contract and pricing strategy.

It is the intention of Sellafield to provide the market early sight of the draft commercial and legal principles of the competition/slidepack, via the Atamis system ahead of the Market Engagement Event, please see section VI.3 below for further details on how to access this system. For the following two key reasons, suppliers are strongly encouraged to review the commercial and legal principles that will be issued ahead of the market engagement event so that they can provide feedback on the documents at this stage rather than once the tender is published in early 2025.

1. Under PCR15, the Open Procedure does not allow for negotiation, Sellafield will be unable to materially amend the procurement terms that are published once the tender is issued.
2. Sellafield is keen to ensure an effective and efficient procurement process and as such is looking to remove any ambiguity or bidding barriers prior to tender publication.

To ensure supplier feedback is taken into account, where deemed appropriate, into the final drafting of the Procurement Documents, suppliers are also strongly encouraged to bring to the event the appropriate staff who can engage with Sellafield legal, commercial and technical representatives regarding the procurement documents and provide feedback that will help inform the final drafting of these documents ahead of the issuing of the tender in early 2025.