Graham is supported by consultants I & H Brown and Mott Macdonald.
Subject to approval from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and completion of a number of procedures, the contract award is expected by the end of March. Construction is scheduled to begin in autumn 2011 and take two years to complete.
The new facility is needed for the safe, long-term management up to 175,000 cubic metres of low-level radioactive waste to complete the decommissioning and closure of the former nuclear research site. The lifetime cost of the development is expected to be in the region of £100m.
Graham’s contract is for the design and construction of two sub-surface vaults for the disposal of solid waste from the site clean-up. It will be based on target cost design and build contract under the NEC conditions.
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd (DSRL) has planning consent for up to six vaults adjacent to the site but hopes to reduce the number that need to be built through waste minimisation practices in decommissioning.
Up to 100 jobs will be created during the construction phase, with a quarter of the work expected to be sub-contracted to local companies. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority will invest up to £4m in a community benefit fund associated with the development
DSRL project manager Audrey Cooper said: “The design stage of the work is an opportunity to improve the scheme and take into account valuable feedback from local stakeholders, while still working within the constraints of the planning consent.
“I expect the first two vaults to be completed by mid-2013, which is two years earlier than previously indicated.”
Leo Martin, director at Graham Construction, said: “We are delighted to be announced as preferred bidder on this contract. This is a very important project for us, in a market sector which we are looking to expand into further. We are very much looking forward to delivering this important project for DSRL."
The full list of bidders for the job was:
- BAM Nuttall (BAM Ritchies, Halcrow, Golder Associates)
- Black & Veatch (John Gunn & Sons, Coopland Consultancy, BMT Cordah, Serco)
- Graham Civil Engineering (I & H Brown, Mott Macdonald)
- MBM, comprising Morrison Construction, Balfour Beatty and Morgan Est (Scott Wilson)
- ROK Construction (Atkins)
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