Autonomous Waste Sorting and Segregation (Auto-SAS)

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
1 April 2025 to 31 March 2029

This innovation partnership involves a two-phase project to design, build, and test an integrated robotic platform off-site, followed by on-site installation, commissioning, and operational testing at a nuclear licensed facility. The system must comply with rigorous safety and design justification processes, including Factory Acceptance Testing and Site Acceptance Testing, to demonstrate autonomous waste handling capabilities.

Open the official notice

Awarded value: £5m; As published
Published: 1 July 2024; Find a Tender
Awarded: 1 May 2025; ARCTEC JV (AtkinsRéalis UK Limited and Createc Ltd.)
Contract length: 48 months; Ends 31 March 2029

What the buyer is asking for

Development and deployment of autonomous robotic systems for the sorting, segregation, and characterisation of complex radioactive nuclear waste materials.

Lifecycle

Publishedon Find a Tender
1 July 2024
Contract awardedto ARCTEC JV (AtkinsRéalis UK Limited and Createc Ltd.)
1 May 2025
Contract starts
1 April 2025
Contract ends
31 March 2029

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The buyer

Type: Other public body
Nuclear waste disposal contracts, 24 months: 8
Open nuclear waste disposal tenders: 0
Typical nuclear waste disposal contract: £2.2m

See everything Nuclear Decommissioning Authority buys →

How it compares

12.5× the typical nuclear waste disposal contract (£400k).

Cite this contract

Link: https://bidskim.com/tender/854110/autonomous-waste-sorting-and-segregation-auto-sas
Buyer reference: Not published
Source: Find a Tender
Last checked: 12 October 2026

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. Autonomous Waste Sorting and Segregation (Auto-SAS). Contract award, 1 July 2024. BidSkim, https://bidskim.com/tender/854110/autonomous-waste-sorting-and-segregation-auto-sas (accessed 12 October 2026).