IAEA launches updated toolkit for nuclear contracts

A new online Nuclear Contracting Toolkit has been launched by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to help member states plan and implement procurement and contracting processes for their nuclear power projects.

The toolkit provides a step-by-step guide on how to develop a procurement strategy, propose and solicit bids and negotiate and manage contracts. It also provides templates and application guides for various types of contracts.

According to the IAEA, "Procurement must be managed effectively to ensure that a facility functions as designed throughout its service life. Ineffective procurement can jeopardize facility safety, reduce performance or result in increased costs. The new toolkit is one of the methods developed to identify and promote best practices in procurement and contracting.

"The toolkit can be used for two major purposes. First, it is a guide for individuals or project teams that are involved in planning a nuclear project. Depending on the phase of the project, the team can access information, tools, links, and references that will assist a team's planning activities. Second, it can be used as a guide by organizations to develop their own web-based planning processes. By using the toolkit format, documents, templates, and tools, an organization can adapt the toolkit for internal use."

The IAEA said the tool references numerous IAEA publications and products, newly developed guides and checklists, and a number of non-IAEA resources and best practices. "The hope is that this toolkit will encourage use of these resources to promote consistency and excellence in contracting, and thus improve nuclear project effectiveness," it said.

Mikhail Chudakov, IAEA deputy director general and head of the agency's department of nuclear energy, said: "The procurement and contracting process for new nuclear power plants is a complex endeavour and is essential for the success of such projects. Efficient, fair and equitable contracts are, thus, key for safe, secure and sustainable nuclear power generation, and the IAEA is here to help."

The free, web-based toolkit - which replaces an earlier one that ran on Bideval-3 software - was developed by the IAEA with support from an extrabudgetary contribution from Japan.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News