Inspection & Quality Assurance

Date

2020 - ongoing

Location

Sellafield, United Kingdom

HSEQ

Zero incidents or accidents throughout the course of the contract

Scope of Work

In 2023, Stork’s Quality Services business line successfully secured an Inspection Quality Assurance (IQA) 3-year contract, with the option of a 2-year extension with Sellafield Ltd. This contract is part of a collaborative procurement that forms a critical part of the UK Government’s Nuclear Decommissioning programme and supports the vast majority of manufacturing companies within the sector and the end users Sellafield Ltd and other NDA strategic partners.

As part of the UK’s nuclear legacy and infrastructure programme, Sellafield is owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and Sellafield Ltd, a NDA subsidiary operating company have been licensed to manage all aspects of the site. The site covers 650 acres, comprising of more than 200 nuclear facilities and 1,000 buildings. As Europe’s largest nuclear site, the ongoing planned decommissioning of these legacy facilities is targeted for completion by 2120, at a cost of over £121 billion.

The scope of Stork’s IQA contract, covers every aspect of nuclear manufacturing, oversight and surveillance. It is therefore of particularly importance to our client, that we engage and mentor the relevant supply chain companies to ensure all quality concerns are not only identified, but remediated as part on the ongoing programme.

Stork’s Solution

Stork has a range of Suitably Qualified and Experienced Personnel (SQEP), with the appropriate levels of accreditations and competence to complete the contract requirements. This ensures all inspections are completed safely and are in full compliance with all relevant statutory and regulatory requirements.

Correctly resourcing individuals in a timely manner is crucial to carrying out this demanding contract. Using our bespoke in-house system, which includes a global locator dashboard to efficiently and accurately resource projects enable our Quality Services team to locate the most qualified inspector, nearest to the vendor’s location work site. This tool removes Sellafield’s requirement to mobilise their own inspectors, while supporting the reduction of their carbon footprint.

Nuclear, much like many other sectors, continually faces resourcing challenges. This is why Stork continually develops the next generation of Quality Inspectors and Technicians via a range of apprenticeships and mentoring initiatives:

• Welding Inspection development
• Engineering support training
• Nuclear R&D support

Further Developments

Stork introduced the Remote Digital Inspection process (RDI) to enhance and enable visibility for key stakeholders from a distance. At the same time as providing valuable and operational support technology for operations, it also reduces the need for people travelling excessively to various sites. Again further minimising our and our client’s carbon footprint.

This process was proven successful throughout COVID, where nuclear operations remained at the forefront while insuring the safety of our personnel.

“The continued engagement and support from Stork as our chosen inspection and quality assurance service provider is key to delivering the Sellafield Ltd mission.

The provision of a professional service that can deliver a 3rd party independent quality control and quality assurance service from both a technical and geographical perspective, helps us to comply with Nuclear Site License obligations.

Our business is highly regulated and quality standards for manufactured equipment are exacting. Engagement with Stork allows us to optimise the use of technical support and inspection personnel, whilst maintaining a focus on defect detection for safety related equipment within our extended UK and international supply chains."

Dave Tomlinson

Head of Inspection Services, Sellafield Ltd.