The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has published figures showing that levels of contract spending with smaller businesses is increasing across its sites around the country.
Dounreay’s head of commercial Joe Kane said: “During the last financial year we spent 17% of our budget with SMEs. This year we expect to spend 24% with them by simplifying our procurement procedures and ensuring that opportunities are more accessible for SMEs. SMEs often bring innovation and technical experience which is instrumental in helping us to decommission the site.”
Across all NDA sites, the aim is to spend at least 20% of the annual £1.6bn supply chain budget with small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) by 2015.
The NDA said that across its estate SMEs took a 13% share of the estate's annual spend, up from the 11% recorded for the first time in 2010/11. The plan, which sets an interim 17% target for 2013/14.
NDA's head of supply chain optimisation - and SME champion - Ron Gorham said: "There is much work still to do, but these figures demonstrate that we are making progress. We remain confident of reaching or even exceeding the formal 20% target.”
Among the measures now in place are the formation of an SME steering group supported by five regional groups, access to contract opportunities via the government's Contractsfinder website as the single portal for NDA Estate opportunities and establishment of an annual supply chain event.
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