Nuclear weapons factory | Civils firms without security clearance face competition risk
Posted: 15th February 2025
Civil engineering firms hoping to work on the multi-billion pound development of the Atomic Weapons Establishment’s (AWE) Future Materials Campus (FMC) may face a competitive disadvantage if they do not currently have security-cleared staff.
What is AWE and the FMC?
AWE is the UK’s sole provider of nuclear warheads. It is responsible for the manufacture, maintenance and renewal of the warheads which are fitted to US-made Trident II D5 submarine-launched ballistic missiles for deployment on the UK’s Vanguard-class submarines, in combination forming the UK’s ‘continuous-at-sea-deterrent’.
AWE’s main facilities are spread across two sites in Berkshire in England, one at AWE Aldermaston and the other at AWE Burghfield.
The organisation is currently engaging the market for the procurement of construction, including civils work, on its FMC, a new manufacturing facility at its Aldermaston site for its next generation ‘Astraea’ nuclear warhead.
Nuclear weapons factory | Civils firms without security clearance face competition risk