The provision of an “off the shelf” Master Trust defined contribution (DC) pension scheme administered and operated by Legal & General Resources Limited.

The existing EDF arrangement with L&G is being replicated by this arrangement as part of the AGR site transfer process and the MasterTrust arrangement may be a direct award for the purposes of Procurement Act 2023. The direct award is therefore being made pursuant to Paragraph 6 of Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act 2023.

NRS considers Paragraph 6 of Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act 2023 applies as the services provided by Legal & General Resources Limited have a critical impact on the ongoing operation of Hunterston B, Hinkley B and the remaining AGR sites transferring from EDF to NRS and it would create significant technical difficulties as well as posing unacceptable regulatory risks to NRS for any other supplier to supply the services at the point of the sites transferring. Only Legal & General Resources Limited can therefore currently supply those services, in order to avoid creating significant technical difficulties due to workforce recruitment and retention, acceptance by the employees and their unions, consistency of approach across all transferring sites, an inability to put alternative arrangements in place in time and the creation of a two tier workforce.

Background

As part of the UK’s nuclear decommissioning programme, Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS) will begin taking ownership of and the responsibility for the Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactor (AGR) sites from EDF Energy Nuclear Generation Limited (EDF). This transition, starting with Hunterston B in spring 2026 followed by Hinkley B in October 2026 and the remaining sites over the next few years, marks a key milestone in ensuring the safe, secure and cost-effective decommissioning of the UK’s nuclear legacy.

NRS is committed to transparency and collaboration throughout this transfer process, working closely with stakeholders to deliver a seamless transfer whilst maintaining the highest standards of regulatory, safety and environmental compliance. In line with this commitment, NRS therefore intends to make a potential direct award of a non-exempt service in accordance with Section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023.