Renewal of GDS Framework of Specialist Suppliers

The Government Decontamination Service (GDS) is provided, on behalf of UK Government, by the Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra).

The Government Decontamination Service increases the UK’s capacity to resist and recover from deliberate releases of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) materials, and from accidental releases of hazardous materials (Hazmat), regardless of scale where the incident is in excess of local capability and/or is a novel situation and authorities request GDS services. These services include advice, guidance and access to practical CBRN recovery services to support those who will be responsible for decontamination. This includes assisting the Contracting Authority (Contracting Authority as defined in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015), usually but not exclusively the Local Authority, in returning contaminated sites to use after single or multiple incidents.

Defra is seeking to establish a framework agreement of specialist providers (hereafter called the Framework) to provide contingency decontamination and related services in the areas of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear contamination.

This Framework Agreement provides contingency decontamination and related services in the areas of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear contamination. The Services covered by this Framework Agreement have been sub-divided into eight (8) lots, and the Services applicable in this Framework Agreement are as follows:

LOT 1 – Chemical Sampling and Monitoring

LOT 2 – Chemical Decontamination

LOT 3 – Chemical Waste Management and Disposal

LOT 4 – Biological Sampling

LOT 5 – Biological Decontamination

LOT 6 – Biological Waste Management and Disposal

LOT 7 – Radiological / Nuclear Characterisation, Decontamination and Waste Management

LOT 8 – National Arrangements for Incidents involving Radioactivity (NAIR) Requirement