The Sellafield site – iStock
Mitie has been awarded a new integrated facility management (IFM) contract worth up to £500 million by the Cumbria Consortium, which includes Sellafield Ltd.
The deal will run for an initial five-year term and includes the option for another five-year extension.
The company will supply all FM services across the sites, including engineering, cleaning, security, waste, grounds maintenance, catering and other projects. The deal covers locations across Cumbria and Warrington as well as Sellafield.
Mitie began its relationship with Sellafield – Europe’s largest nuclear site – in 2003 when it won a cleaning contract for the facility. The FM provider’s relationship with Sellafield has evolved over nearly 20 years as the service requirement has expanded through competitive tender and award, to cover a full integrated FM service across all of the Cumbria Consortium sites and its team now comprises about 650 employees.
As of August 2020, activities at the former nuclear power generating site include nuclear fuel reprocessing, nuclear waste storage and nuclear decommissioning. The licensed site covers an area of 265 hectares and comprises more than 200 nuclear facilities and at least 1,000 buildings.
As well as its experience in supporting the consortium and delivering services to comply with rigorous nuclear regulation, Mitie said its social value commitments were also key to the successful re-tender.
The provider has pledged to support the development of new talent through apprenticeships by upskilling at least 30 colleagues a year, as well as supporting 20 apprentices within Mitie’s supply chain and wider business. The Mitie team will also offer work experience opportunities for local young people.
Mitie has also agreed to invest in initiatives to support the local community, such as offering local entrepreneurs a chance to pitch for investment through a Dragon’s Den-style competition, as well managing a ‘Leader to Leader’ mentoring programme for up to 20 leaders of local SMEs and voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations.
Carlo Alloni, Mitie’s managing director of technical services and IFM, said: “We are proud to continue our relationship with the Cumbria Consortium and Sellafield Ltd. With our deep understanding of the sites and specialist expertise working in highly regulated environments, we will continue to deliver improvements that ensure that these facilities run as efficiently, safely and sustainably as possible. As a business that is committed to supporting local communities, we’re pleased to be using our presence in Cumbria to also make a positive impact in the region.”
Mike White, head of infrastructure at Sellafield Ltd, added: “High-quality, value-for-money facilities management services are crucial to the safe and secure delivery of operations across our sites.
“We look forward to working with Mitie to deliver our purpose of creating a clean and safe environment for future generations.”
