A refreshed approach to engaging smaller and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) at Sellafield has been rewarded with a nomination for a prestigious award.
Sellafield Ltd’s supply chain development and innovation team is in the running for the Best Initiative to Build a Diverse Supply Base category in the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) Excellence in Procurement Awards 2020.
It is recognition for the team’s SME strategy and action plan which has seen Sellafield Ltd’s spend with SMEs increase from 24 per cent of its annual budget to 31 per cent.
Martin Chown, Sellafield Ltd chief executive officer, said: “I’m delighted our hard work in this area has been recognised by CIPS. But more importantly, I’m thrilled to see so many smaller companies winning work and using their knowledge and skills to drive our mission forward.
“SMEs are the engine of growth for local economies and we are committed to doing everything we can support them to innovate, grow, and diversify.”
The approach included utilising the LINC platform which gives SMEs greater access to opportunities to work on Sellafield’s decommissioning programme.
LINC is a scheme that encourages SMEs at local and national level to collaborate and deliver innovative solutions to the mission of Tier 2 suppliers in the work they deliver to the Sellafield site.
It has allowed SMEs to form networks to bring new perspectives to Sellafield’s complex decommissioning challenges and inject innovation, agility, and efficiency into its programmes and projects.
