By Staff Reporter

Last updated at 10:44, Friday, 08 March 2013

Small and medium-sized businesses in Cumbria will get a chance to bid for a share of £300 million worth of nuclear decommissioning work under a new action plan published today.

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has revealed it wants to double the amount of cash it spends with small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to 20 per cent of its entire sub-contracting budget by 2015.

The move is part of a Government drive to increase the amount the public sector spends with SMEs in order to boost the economy and ensure locally-based firms benefit from big infrastructure and construction projects.

The NDA, which is based at Moor Row, near Whitehaven, owns Sellafield and is responsible for the clean-up of 19 nuclear sites across the UK. It currently spends around 11 per cent of its sub-contracting budget with SMEs.

NDA chief executive John Clarke said: “We are all fully committed to ensuring that the £1.6bn we spend in the supply chain every year delivers as much value as possible to the UK economy and provides benefits for communities through supporting local companies.

“It will be a challenge for us to raise the SME proportion from the current 11 per cent figure to hit or exceed the 20 per cent target but one we’re determined to meet.”

The plan, which has been approved by the Cabinet Office, builds on initiatives already under way across the NDA’s estate to boost SMEs.

Half of the NDA’s total annual budget of £3bn is currently spent by its site licence companies like Sellafield Ltd in the supply chain.

Ron Gorham, the NDA’s head of supply chain optimisation, added: “Together with our site licence companies, we have already been working over the last few years to create improved opportunities for smaller businesses and this challenging but realistic target is part of those measures.

“The plan is to exceed the target in subsequent years and continue with the initiatives now being implemented.”

First published at 10:34, Friday, 08 March 2013
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk