Guidance

CBRN and HazMat incidents: specialist providers that deal with decontamination

How contracting authorities can find approved specialist providers and award contracts for decontamination services in relation to a CBRN or major HazMat incident.

From:
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and UK Government Decontamination Service
Published
2 September 2014
Last updated
16 March 2021 — See all updates

Emergency contact in relation to CBRN or major HazMat incident please call the UK Government Decontamination Service (GDS) duty officer on 03300 416565 (24/7 availability).

Framework for decontamination services

Contracting authorities (responsible authorities) have a duty to deal with decontamination and remediation following a deliberate CBRN or major HazMat release.

You must be a publicly funded UK organisation to use the GDS supplier framework.

The framework lists specialist commercial providers available 24/7, who can supply decontamination and related services for CBRN and HazMat incidents. In using the framework you will be utilising a fully EU compliant procurement process which satisfies all the provisions of public procurement legislation.

Framework lots: types of services offered

Lot 1: chemical incident - sampling and monitoring

Lot 2: chemical incident - decontamination

Lot 3: chemical incident - waste management and disposal

Lot 4: biological incident - sampling

Lot 5: biological incident - decontamination

Lot 6: biological incident - waste management and disposal

Lot 7: radiological incident - characterisation, decontamination and waste management

The framework also supports the National Arrangements for incidents involving Radioactivity (NAIR) and allows the Environment Agency to access specialist services through the framework (specifically Lot 8) to deal with this type of incident.

Framework Services 2016 - 2021

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Mini competition

During the recovery operation following a CBRN incident, the preferred process for you to prove best value is through a mini competition. In this situation, the Contracting Authority (with assistance from GDS) will:

  • develop a clear specification, setting out the requirements of the service
  • invite all suppliers who are capable of supplying the service within a lot to submit a tender in writing, including their proposed statement of work
  • evaluate responses
  • award the Call Off Contract

There are 3 types of mini competition processes -

  • 24 hour turnaround for replies on urgent work
  • 5 to 7 day turnaround for more comprehensive tasks
  • a full tender process for more complex incidents with a 2 to 4 week turnaround.

Direct Award

When work is awarded to any supplier within a lot it is not necessary to consider using any further form of bidding process or mini competition to call off this work, particularly in the case of extreme urgency.

Framework User Guide

The user guide is available upon request. The guide contains a breakdown of the lots covered by the framework, specification and relevant templates and links to other useful documents.

The GDS Framework User Guide can be requested by emailing cbrnrecovery@defra.gov.uk

Guidance on decontamination

Read the strategic national guidance on decontamination of buildings, infrastructure, and open environment. The publication gives guidance to those responsible for contingency planning.

Updates to this page

Published 2 September 2014
Last updated 16 March 2021 + show all updates

  1. Updated CBRN telephone number and contact email address

  2. First published.

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