Great British Nuclear (GBN) is preparing to initiate a £600m ($801.7m) procurement process to appoint up to two Owner’s Engineers (OEs) for its Small Modular Reactor (SMR) programme.

According to a newly published Prior Information Notice, the selected contractors will support the deployment of the “first-of-a-kind” nuclear technology within the UK.

This move will advance GBN’s objective of securing a Final Investment Decision for up to two SMR projects, with each OE contract to be valued at up to £300m.

GBN is targeting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for this initiative, the notice said.

The OE will deliver independent assurance to the Intelligent Customer and Intelligent Client for the applicable SMR project.

The OE will be a ‘client friend’ to both the Intelligent Customer and Intelligent Client, offering specialist resources to oversee specification, auditing, review, and advisory functions across design, scope, budget, risk, delivery, and contract compliance.

The role will also include acting as a subject matter expert, responsible for delivering independent technical oversight and Line of Defence 2 assurance for major design and build contracts.

The procurement covers 36 technical disciplines and six key programme management areas.

Bidders will be required to demonstrate capacity in all these domains from the outset of the contract.

While the contract duration is yet to be confirmed, the notice outlines a potential 14-year term running from 26 March 2026 to 26 March 2040.

A pre-qualification round is expected to open in June, with tenders submission deadline due by 19 September.

Contract awards are scheduled for March 2026.