3m³ Box Design Optimisation and Development

It has been determined that competition is absent for technical reasons in accordance with Schedule 5, paragraph 6(a) and 6(b) of the Procurement Act 2023, and that no reasonable alternative or substitute exists.

The scope of this contract is limited to development, optimisation, and validation activities directly associated with the manufacture of 3m³ boxes produced using Stainless Metalcraft Chatteris (SMC)’s established and validated manufacturing process. These activities are inseparable from the existing production route and rely on production‑specific tooling, equipment, processes, and manufacturing knowledge embedded within the live manufacturing environment.

SMC is the incumbent manufacturer and the only organisation with direct access to the current qualified production configuration, accumulated process learning, validated methods of manufacture, and in‑process and completed box inventory. The required activities must be designed, trialled, and validated directly within the live manufacturing environment to maintain compliance with safety, quality, and assurance requirements.

For technical reasons, the scope cannot be delivered by an alternative supplier without establishing an equivalent qualified manufacturing environment, including replication of tooling, equipment, process capability, and validated production controls. Establishing and qualifying such an environment would be incompatible with the requirement to apply improvements directly within the existing production system and would not represent a viable, proportionate, or practicable alternative.

Accordingly, in line with Schedule 5, paragraph 6(a), only SMC can deliver the required services for technical reasons, and in line with paragraph 6(b), no reasonable alternative or substitute exists. The award of this contract to SMC therefore represents the only technically viable means of meeting the authority’s requirements. This contract relates solely to the optimisation of the existing 3m3 production arrangements.