The government has approved the continuation of the contract engineering design and safety case services, which will now run until 2027 as part of the clean-up of the Sellafield nuclear site.
The Design Services Alliance (DSA) was first set up in 2012 with Sellafield Ltd as a partner working as one team alongside Axion, a four-entity joint venture comprising Assystem, Jacobs, Mott MacDonald and Progressive (Aecom and Cavendish Nuclear).
Since then, working with the broader supply chain, the alliance has delivered cashable, non-cashable and future benefits totalling more than £220m, said a government statement. “So, for every pound of the nearly £1 billion spent so far through the alliance, Sellafield Ltd has received 22 pence back,” it said. “In addition, the alliance has helped to make Sellafield safer sooner by cutting 744 months from hazard reduction schedules - bringing the creation of a clean and safe environment for future generations closer with each day saved.”
Paul Adams, head of the DSA, said: “This announcement is just reward for a lot of hard work by the people involved in the alliance. It recognises how we value each other across the alliance and our shared commitment to perform with passion, pride and pace.
“We are committed to continuous improvement and our belief that we can deliver even better results between now and 2027.
“The DSA makes a real difference at Sellafield by challenging accepted ways of doing things, removing unnecessary scope, making procurement smarter, and reducing project costs with radical new technologies and lean techniques.”
Last year an external review concluded that the alliance was well placed to continue meeting Sellafield Ltd’s ongoing need for engineering design and safety case services. It also urged greater integration with other delivery frameworks as part of a whole lifecycle approach.
New ways of working are currently being developed and tested across the alliance, including early contractor input under the Alliance Designed Delivery pilot projects and joint incentivisation arrangements. The aim is to develop these innovations into a standard part of the alliance’s toolkit.
Ian Belger, head of design engineering and safety case at Sellafield Ltd, said: “This is great news for the individuals and teams working in the DSA and a recognition of their contribution and effort.
“Our alliance with the DSA partners gives Sellafield Ltd access to a range of key capabilities and reach back into some of the world’s largest and most capable nuclear industry contractors. This has enabled Sellafield Ltd’s design engineering capability to deliver significant value over the past nine years.
“Our challenge now is to build on this by doing even better and delivering on our digital, sustainability and carbon targets. This latest sanction from government will allow the alliance to continue providing benefits as it concludes its 15-year mission.”
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