The procurement contact named on the official notice.

The submission route named on the official notice.

To deliver our critical mission in supporting the UK's defence and security, AWE (Atomic Weapons Establishment) is embarking on multi-billion investment programme to construct an on-site facility that meets the needs of the programme.

As part of the investment programme, AWE is seeking a Design and Assurance Partner to lead on delivery of complex, nuclear, engineering solutions to meet the strategic outcomes of the Fissile Infrastructure Project programme.

The Partner will be a member of the PTC Manufacturing Partnership that is being put in place to help deliver the programme.

The services required from the Design & Assurance Partner will include requirements and integration management, design delivery, safety case, assurance delivery, implementation support, CDM management and configuration management.

The Partner will have responsibility for the overall design and assurance authority and management within the Partnership.

This will involve working closely with other partners to ensure those Partner's work is integrated within the overall design and safety case to deliver the ALARP solution.

The Design & Assurance Partner will need to demonstrate experience and capability of designing and assuring engineering solutions and safety assessments for high hazard, nuclear facilities including incorporation of technically complex production processes into either a new build facility or the refitting of an existing facility.

The programme has significant technical and logistical challenges that create a significant level of complexity in delivery.

The contract term is anticipated to be 10.5 years covering the life of the project with an estimated value of up to £200M.

To register interest suppliers should email justin.hearn@awe.co.uk who will provide access to the Selection Questionnaire via Compete4/Delta-Sourcing.

Please note: AWE Ltd is the management and operating organisation which provides the UK's nuclear deterrent capability.

At the time of this notice being published, AWE does not have a legal obligation to undertake a regulated procurement process as it is not a contracting authority for the purpose of the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations (DSPCR 2011) and Public Contracts Regulations (PCR 2015).

Be that as it may, and without prejudice to the question of whether an exemption might have in any event been available under procurement legislation, AWE intends to carry out a fair and transparent contract award process and to that end, will align voluntarily aspects of this process to the DSPCR 2011 where possible and appropriate in its view.

For the purposes of advertising this opportunity voluntarily and establishing the long list of suppliers for the qualification process, AWE has utilised the Find A Tender portal to maximise the visibility of this opportunity to eligible suppliers.

The configuration of this portal requires AWE to specify the regulated procedure on the basis of which the contract award will be determined.

Accordingly, AWE has specified that it will use the negotiated procedure under the DSPCR 2011.

For the avoidance of doubt, the reference to the negotiated procedure in the notice does not prejudice AWE's ability to depart from any DSPCR 2011 requirements that relate to this procedure or more generally where it considers it appropriate to do so.

For the avoidance of doubt, AWE does not consider itself to be regulated by the provisions of the DSPCR 2011 for this contract award process and therefore the selection of this procedure or any other references to contracting authority or DSCPR 2011 in this notice is not intended to create any rights or obligations under procurement legislation.