BABCOCK TEAM GETS NOD AT DOUNREAY

The UK’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has selected Babcock Dounreay Partnership—made up of Babcock Nuclear Services Ltd, CH2M Hill and URS Holdings (UK) Ltd.—as the preferred bidder in the competition to take ownership of Dounreay Site Restoration Limited, after a two-year public procurement process. The Babcock team beat out the other prequalified team of Caithness Solutions, made up of EnergySolutions EU Ltd and Amec Nuclear Holdings Ltd.  Following a mandatory 10-day standstill period, a three-month transition phase will begin during which the contract between the NDA and Babcock Dounreay Partnership will be finalized with the aim of awarding the contract in April 2012. “We have undergone a comprehensive and rigorous process aimed at securing the best possible parent body for this challenging site,” NDA Chief Executive Tony Fountain said in a statement today. “Babcock Dounreay Partnership bring a successful track record and extensive nuclear experience that will bring enormous benefits to the decommissioning and clean-up programme. We had a number of threshold criteria and these were all met and, in some instances, well exceeded the minimum requirements.”