Provision of Industrial, Medical Gases and Special Gases and Associated Equipment and Services

The Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) is an arms-length body of the Ministry of Defence employing around 6,000 people headquartered in Aldermaston, Berkshire. For more than 70 years, AWE has supported the UK Government's nuclear defence strategy and the Continuous At Sea Deterrent. We also use our nuclear know-how and technical expertise to provide innovative solutions that support the UK's counter-terrorism and nuclear threat reduction activities. We work at the extremes of science and engineering to understand the performance of nuclear warheads, and assess the safety, security and effectiveness of the stockpile in the absence of live testing. Remarkable science, technology, engineering and maths integrate across the lifecycle of the warhead: from initial concept and design, to final decommissioning and disposal. Experts in their fields work together in unique and advanced experimental facilities, to perform cutting edge experiments. AWE is looking to engage with the market to understand the supplier's capability and capacity to meet its needs for industrial, medical and special gases and associated equipment and services post expiry of its existing contract which expires on 31st December 2024. A procurement is required to secure future supplies under a new contract for the long term.

The supply of products and associated services will support the AWE sites at both Aldermaston and Burghfield. At present there are no plans to service other sites, however it should be noted that during the life of the contract term, the infrastructure and layout of the site may change which may in turn lead to required changes in respect of the in scope services.

In respect of the requirements, the following are deemed in scope. Please see the RFI Requirements document for more detail and note that a full list will be supplied at ITT together with specifications and sizes:

1. Compressed Industrial Gases 2. Compressed Medical Gases 3. Compressed Research/Special Gases and Gas Mixtures 4. Bulk Gases in Liquid Form 5. Cryo Liquids in Small Vessels 6. Solid Carbon Dioxide (CO2, 'Dry Ice') 7. Gas Regulators and Handling Equipment 8. Assorted Fixtures and Fittings 9. Maintenance and Inspection Services 10. Rental of Gases Tanks 11. Delivery Services 12. Gas Safety Training Courses 13. Demand and Inventory Management

In respect of requirement 13, it should be noted that AWE requires the successful bidder to undertake the inventory and demand management in respect of the requirements listed above. Continuity of supply is critical to AWE and as such, any successful bidder will need to implement an operating model to ensure that availability of gases meets AWE requirements can be met 365 days a year. The proposed inventory management solution should be light / zero touch from AWE staff, whilst demonstrating appropriate budgetary controls and contract management. To support the development of our procurement strategy and understand how the market can support an