Knowledge and capability transfer from Waste Management Organisations (WMOs) that are at a more advanced programme stage than RWM is a fundamental activity that RWM is committed to.

Cooperation with our 'sister' WMOs has been highlighted as a corporate strength by our regulators and raised as a positive aspect of our programme by numerous key RWM stakeholders.

In 2017 RWM developed a detailed Geological Disposal Technical Programme (GDTP).

Along with siting, waste management and business support activities, GDTP will ultimately deliver Radioactive Waste Management's mission of delivering a geological disposal facility and providing radioactive waste management solutions.

It will do this by delivering the construction, operation and closure of the Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) along with any support capabilities that are required to underpin delivery such as a research facility.

RWM is interested in exploring the possibility that a number of these GDTP activities could be delivered, quicker, to a better standard, cheaper or in a more optimised manner, if RWM can benefit from co-operation with a WMO with a more advanced programme.

We primarily see this as access to information and people.

As well as access to information and people RWM also has a need to access and utilise international underground research laboratories (URLs) as part of our technical programme.

This is because our 2009 position paper on 'Planning for Underground Investigations' [ ] concluded that there are significant benefits in integrating underground investigation activities and disposal facility construction activities.

This decision means that RWM is not planning to develop a stand-alone URL, as part of the UK GDF programme.

Based on current programme/siting assumptions, we are 15-20 years from construction, therefore, this gives RWM a window of over 20 years without access to a UK URL.

Such access is nevertheless necessary to support both our technical development and demonstration programme as well as our siting and engagement activities.

For this reason RWM remains committed to maintaining our links and co-operation with a network of URL's located in rock-types of relevance.

This contract technical specification therefore seeks to support RWM's mission and delivery of the GDTP, by procuring access to information, expertise, capability, data and the facilities of a more advanced waste management organisation.