Programme and Project Partners (PPP) at Sellafield has awarded its final Key Delivery Partners (KDPs) to complete pioneering Tier 2 enterprise.
Altrad Support Services and KAEFER UK & Ireland have signed a multi-million-pound-a-year contract to deliver access solutions, insulation and painting services on PPP and help deliver major projects at Sellafield.
The framework agreement totals approximately £180m over the life of the partnership and sees Altrad Support Services and KAEFER become the final of 10 KDPs to join the PPP enterprise.
As the partnership celebrates its fifth anniversary, the completion of the KDP procurements marks a major milestone for PPP and will strengthen its capability to transform major project delivery at the Sellafield site, the birthplace of the UK’s nuclear industry. The announcement also comes in the same week that PPP Lot Partner KBR opened a new office in West Cumbria, further future-proofing relationships between PPP, its supply chain and the local community.
The last of the KDP frameworks are part of the partnership’s multi-project procurement model, which encourages long-term collaboration throughout the supply chain, enhancing project delivery and maximising economic and social impact in the West Cumbria region.
PPP has built on Sellafield Ltd’s radical approach to follow a collaborative ‘Project 13’ model when engaging the four PPP Lot Partners for its 20-year major project delivery programme to support the site’s decommissioning. It has taken it an unprecedented two further layers down the supply chain by engaging the main construction contractors through the KDP frameworks, but also with their suppliers on a similar collaborative basis, with the focus now being on developing Tier 3 enterprise partners.
The PPP approach is a first of its kind, developed to draw on the unique expertise brought from each partnering organisation. It is already helping to achieve significant firsts for the nuclear industry and is seeing benefits from quicker engagement and reduced overheads through early contractor involvement. This is helping the partnership realise significant business case benefits and its Critical Success Factors, such as leading the way in safety initiatives and improvements in project delivery excellence through an integrated approach to pipeline management, resourcing, design and governance.
With more than 100 years of work ahead at the site, Sellafield is becoming one of the largest infrastructure projects in the North, generating growth and employment in Cumbria, the North-West of England and beyond.
John Rossiter, PPP’s Head of Supply Chain, said:
“To award the final KDP frameworks and complete the PPP enterprise is a proud moment for everyone involved in the partnership. PPP is changing the dial, creating an enterprise based on commercially aligned, incentivised, long-term contracts, which give surety of work, confidence to invest in the region and puts small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) innovation into the earliest stages of project delivery. The KDPs’ key suppliers are often SMEs that will benefit after PPP from the long-term engagement.
“We’re delighted to welcome Altrad Support Services and KAEFER on board to deliver the access solutions, insulation and painting services framework over the course of the partnership. Now we have completed our core structure, we’re looking forward to building a deeper collaborative ecosystem through multiple supply chain tiers so we can meet our collective commitments and continue to improve major project delivery.”
Paul Raper, Altrad’s Nuclear Decommissioning Director, said:
“We are privileged to be part of this award-winning, collaborative partnership, which reflects the finalisation of the KDP framework delivery model. We look forward to working with the Programme and Project Partner teams and the partner companies to collectively enhance the delivery of major projects at the Sellafield site.
“The 15-year framework enables us to build on our 35-year relationship with Sellafield Ltd, while delivering long-term, sustainable projects which provide local employment opportunities and social value to the West Cumbria community.”
Nick Walters, KAEFER UK & Ireland’s Director for Nuclear and Defence, said:
“We are delighted to join PPP at Sellafield. KAEFER has supported the Sellafield site and local supply chain for over 20 years, with reliable, efficient, and technical industrial services. This award helps secure long-term career paths and development for our existing employees, and it’s a fantastic opportunity for new recruits to enter the nuclear industry with KAEFER. We look forward to getting started on delivering some exciting projects in collaboration with our partners.”
To view the full list of KDPs and frameworks, visit our new CompeteFor page.
