If you are new to UKAEA and not sure how to become a supplier, we have many ways for you to familiarise yourselves with UKAEA, our programmes and procedures.
UKAEA's mission: Deliver sustainable fusion energy and maximise scientific and economic impact.
Our values:
Innovative – We will seek ways to do things better, be that designing fusion systems or how we operate our organisation.
Committed – We believe in what we do, the importance of our mission, and doing what we can to achieve it.
Trusted – We strive to be open, transparent and inclusive, so that everyone we work with believes and values what we say and do.
Collaborative – We believe in the power and importance of working in partnership.
Our principles:
Safety – The safety and well-being of our people is our priority and a leadership commitment.
Equality of opportunity – Our mission needs diversity of thought and people who are representative of society.
Environmental sustainability – We are fully committed to developing low-carbon sustainable fusion energy, as a key part of a future energy portfolio, and to implementing the principles of environmental sustainability in the way in which we operate.
Responsible management of public funds – We acknowledge the privilege of receiving public money to develop fusion energy. We will always use our resources carefully and we will be accountable for our investment decisions.
Working with business – Strong and effective public-private partnerships will be an essential part of developing sustainable fusion energy.
UKAEA (United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority) is a leading organisation in magnetic confinement fusion research. Based on Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, UKAEA has many exciting programmes such as MAST Upgrade, STEP, RACE and H3AT, as well as hosting and maintaining JET.
Resources for suppliers
As you will have seen on previous editions of the newsletter and our Procurement Pipeline document, there are three procurement portals utilised by UKAEA.
Our procurements are managed through EU Supply. Procurement opportunities with a cumulative value in excess of £25,000 are advertised via Contracts Finder. For opportunities above EU Procurement thresholds, we advertise on Find a Tender Service which has replaced the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) as of 1 January 2021.
Our Procurement Page has a range of additional information that can be useful for new suppliers. This includes resources such as previous editions of the Supply Chain Newsletter, our Procurement Pipeline, and our Supply Chain Charter.
Our procedures
The main routes to market are direct orders, framework agreements, or by contracts.
Direct orders are for low value purchases up to £20,000 excluding orders that require work on site, or agency supplied workers or consultants.
Framework agreements are set up via a tender exercise in the first instance, and once awarded becomes an arrangement where terms, conditions and often pricing are agreed with a supplier(s) for a set period. This means that procurements using this route can be placed quickly without a full tender being completed.
Contracts are used for opportunities that do not fall in the above categories. Contracts are set up following a competitive tender exercise, or in exceptional circumstances single supply contracts can be set up. These opportunities will be published via our tendering portals.
UKAEA commonly use NEC4 contracts and we would encourage potential suppliers to take the time to research and become familiar with this format.
NEC contracts are utilised by many public sector organisations because they stimulate good management, they are suitable for a wide range of commercial situations and types of work, and they are clearly written in plain English to ensure they are easy to understand.
More information about NEC is available on their website, where they provide information about NEC as well as materials like past webinars aiming to inform suppliers on NEC for public sector.