Scope
Reference
DNO/493
Description
UK Nuclear Sector labour market assessment to drive future recruitment strategy.
Contract 1. DNO/493 Delivery of the Labour Market Intelligence Report
Supplier
Contract value
- £1,152,000 excluding VAT
- £1,382,400 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Earliest date the contract will be signed
6 February 2026
Contract dates (estimated)
- 9 February 2026 to 31 March 2028
- 2 years, 1 month, 20 days
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 73210000 - Research consultancy services
Contract locations
- UK - United Kingdom
Participation
Particular suitability
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
Other information
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Direct award
Direct award justification
- Single supplier - intellectual property or exclusive rights
- Single supplier - technical reasons
In accordance with Schedule 5, paragraph 5 of the Procurement Act 2023, the Authority considers a direct award to be justified on the basis that Cogent Skills Services Ltd are the only supplier capable of delivering the required Nuclear Workforce Assessment (NWA) service without disproportionate cost, delay, or risk to value for money.
Cogent holds unique and non replicable capabilities essential to the successful delivery of this requirement, including:
• Proprietary historic datasets underpinning the Nuclear Workforce Assessment (NWA), developed and maintained since 2015;
• Specialist technical expertise in nuclear labour market modelling, built over multiple iterations of the NWA; and
• Established relationships and data sharing arrangements with nuclear sector organisations formalised through the Nuclear Sector Executive Council (NSEC).
Cogent has been the sole developer and publisher of the NWA for over a decade, independently refining the methodology and recovering costs directly from sector organisations through individual contributions. The Authority does not own, nor does it hold rights to, previous iterations of the NWA or the underlying datasets. Continuity of methodology and data is critical for tracking trends, ensuring comparability across years, and measuring the effectiveness of the Nuclear Skills Plan (NSP). No alternative provider could replicate the existing dataset or methodology without incurring substantial development time and cost, which would materially undermine both value for money and the timely delivery of the NSP. On this basis, Cogent is the only provider capable of delivering the required service in a way that preserves continuity, avoids duplication of cost, and protects the integrity of the sector-wide evidence base.
Supplier
COGENT SKILLS SERVICES LTD
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PLDR-3797-CGLZ
- Companies House: 07806185
720 Mandarin Court
Warrington
WA1 1GG
United Kingdom
Email: info@cogentskills.com
Region: UKD61 - Warrington
Small or medium-sized enterprise (SME): Yes
Voluntary, community or social enterprise (VCSE): No
Contract 1. DNO/493 Delivery of the Labour Market Intelligence Report
Contracting authority
Ministry of Defence
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PHVX-4316-ZVGZ
Abbey Wood
Bristol
BS34 8JH
United Kingdom
Email: dne-supplychain@mod.gov.uk
Website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence
Region: UKK12 - Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire
Organisation type: Public authority - central government