LCR Firm Aids North West SMEs To Secure £19M Of Sellafield Decommissioning Work With Procurement Scheme

CITY OF LIVERPOOL, LIVERPOOL CITY REGION.

North West SMEs Secure £19m Of Sellafield Work Through Home-Grown Procurement Scheme

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A procurement matchmaker scheme developed in the North West has helped 16 Small and Medium‑Sized Enterprises (SMEs) secure an estimated £19 million in contracts on Sellafield’s flagship nuclear decommissioning programme in Cumbria.

The scheme, known as ‘Matchmaker’, was a procurement scheme created by the Liverpool City Region's very own Solomons Europe, an established Chartered Quantity Surveying practice headquartered in Newton‑le‑Willows.

'Matchmaker' was designed to remove the long‑standing barriers that can prevent regional SMEs from accessing major, highly‑regulated infrastructure frameworks.

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Having now reached a five-year milestone, the model has become an integral part of how Sellafield engages with its supply chain through its £7 Billion Programme and Project Partners (PPP) framework, one of the UK’s most complex and long‑term infrastructure programmes.

The impact is already evident. Through its work on Sellafield’s PPP framework, Matchmaker has engaged more than 100 SMEs, facilitated 40 joint Heads of Terms, and supported 16 framework awards.

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Among the North West businesses to secure work through the initiative are Oldham Engineering, RAF Engineering, Delkia and West Coast Thermal.

The concept was developed by Dominic Doig FRICS, Managing Director of Solomons Europe, who said the original ambition was to showcase the often‑overlooked strength of the North West’s SME community.

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Dominic, said: “The Matchmaker scheme began with a simple idea – to shine a light on the collective strength and quality of SMEs in Cumbria and across the wider North West”.

He added: “These are businesses that create jobs locally, invest in skills, take on apprentices and deliver social value that stays in the region. Seeing them succeed on a programme of Sellafield’s scale is hugely important for the long‑term resilience of our supply chain.”

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Solomons Europe embedded NEC4 Clause 10 principles at the heart of its matchmaker service. Rather than focusing on compliance alone, the service applies a human‑centred contracting model aligned with NEC4’s core spirit of mutual trust and cooperation.

It prioritises relationships, clarity and confidence – enabling Tier 1 and Tier 2 partners to better understand SME capability, while supporting SMEs to navigate demanding procurement processes and delivery expectations.

The impact goes far beyond individual contract wins. The initiative has contributed to job creation, on‑the‑job learning and skills development, helping to future‑proof Cumbria’s built environment and engineering supply chain.

(Credit: Supplied/Image was provided to The Liverpudlian with permission to share, courtesy of the Publicist on behalf of their client. We make no claim to this content).

Dominic, said: “This has increased confidence across the region – not just for SMEs, but for the entire delivery ecosystem”.

He added: “It’s about building a stronger North West supply chain that can support major programmes not just today, but for decades to come.”