Engineered Barrier Systems and Materials Science

The development of a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) is essential for the final disposal of higher activity radioactive wastes in the UK. It is a critical part of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s (NDA) overall mission to decommission and dispose of the UK’s nuclear legacy waste. The mission of the GDF programme is to deliver a permanent solution for the disposal of higher activity radioactive waste through the design, construction, operation and closure of a GDF. <br/><br/>Its objectives are:<br/>

• To build trust and work in partnership with one or more communities to gain consent and support to host a GDF.<br/>
• To facilitate economic benefits and growth, delivering regional jobs and skills and a positive legacy.<br/>
• To deliver a permanent solution for the safe disposal of higher activity waste through the safe, sustainable, and cost-effective design, construction, operation and closure of a GDF.<br/>
• To enable the timely retirement of the significant and currently enduring financial liability and risk associated with above ground storage of higher activity waste, that would persist indefinitely if a disposal solution was not developed.<br/><br/>A GDF will be a significant piece of UK infrastructure where the majority of the facility is built between 200 and 1000 metres underground, putting the waste in purpose-built containers which are then placed in tunnels and vaults beneath several hundred metres of solid rock. Further information about the GDF programme can be found here: GDF (Geological Disposal Facility) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk ↗)<br/><br/>This Prior Information Notice relates to future market engagement that NWS intends to perform, concerning the development of a supply-chain-based R&D services capability for EBS concept and material development, testing, and modelling. The long-term evolution of the EBS under repository conditions will also be a key area of scope. Such services will be required by NWS as part of its ongoing design programme for a UK GDF. For the purposes of this PIN, the term ‘EBS’ includes high-heat generating waste (HHGW) and low-heat generating waste (LHWG) barrier systems, including buffers, backfills, accessway plugs and seals, and waste container materials (all waste streams). The compatibility of some infrastructural components, such as tunnel liners, within the overall EBS system, will also be a consideration. The scope also includes assessing waste package accident performance (WPAP) for wasteforms and associated container materials. <br/><br/>This PIN should be read in conjunction with the following documents, all of which can be viewed on Atamis: atamis-2464.my.site.com/s/Welcome ↗ <br/><br/>
• Briefing document<br/>
• Scope<br/>
• Contracting and Competition Principles<br/>
• Request for Information<br/><br/>You will be required to register on Atamis, and once registration is complete you can search for this PIN using the Atamis search box and using the title as a reference – Engineered Barrier Systems & Materials Science. Additional information: This PIN is not a call for competition; it is to signal an intention to commence market engagement with interested organisations for the provision of a Migration pathways and Containment Framework for the GDF programme with industry experts and suppliers who are interested in potentially bidding for the resulting commercial agreement(s). <br/><br/>If you wish to participate in the market engagement please register your interest via the URL here on Atamis, no later than 16:00 BST, Friday 6th September 2024. <br/><br/>atamis-2464.my.site.com/s/Welcome ↗<br/><br/>Please DO NOT register interest via any other route.<br/><br/>Market engagement is being carried out in three initial stages.<br/><br/>For the first stage, NWS are requesting written responses to a number of questions, which can be found within the Request for Information (RFI) documents on Atamis. Suppliers’ responses to these questions should be sent to NWS via the messaging function on Atamis no later than 16:00 BST, Friday 4th October 2024.<br/><br/>For the second stage, NWS will hold 2 online meetings for all interested suppliers to provide detailed information about the scope of this engagement, and commercial points. The content of both meetings will be the same. These will be held at 14:00 BST, Monday 16th September 2024 and 11:00 BST, Thursday 19th September 2024. <br/><br/>For the third stage, NWS will hold “one-to-one” market engagement sessions with interested Suppliers who are interested in potentially bidding for either the Architect Engineer and/or Owners Engineer procurements, with a view to gaining a more in-depth understanding of the supply chain perspective on our current approach. These sessions are likely to take place face-to-face in the week commencing 21st October 2024 in the Birmingham area (venue TBC). Whilst it is NWS’ preference to meet with Suppliers face-to-face, where this is not possible, alternative virtual sessions may be scheduled for the week commencing 28th October 2024.