What should the factory decommissioning brief ask contractors to assess?
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Describe the outcome the factory needs and ask competent contractors to assess the work required. A request to "remove the plant" may omit technical assessment, remaining services, environmental questions and the condition expected afterwards.
The owner should establish the project brief with appropriate advisers. Contractors then need enough reliable information to identify scope, assumptions and the disciplines involved. This article does not provide a decommissioning sequence, isolation method or lifting plan.
A short enquiry that exposes the boundaries
Structure the initial brief around these questions:
- Which parts of the factory and operation are included?
- What work continues nearby, and what must remain available?
- What outcome is required for each area, and who will accept it?
- Which site information is available, uncertain or missing?
- Which assessments, permissions and decisions remain outstanding?
- What is explicitly outside the proposed appointment?
- How will the contractor identify interfaces with other appointed parties?
Attach the relevant factory closure scope. Distinguish the desired outcome from an instruction to achieve it by an unassessed date. State which dates are business preferences and which arise from actual commitments requiring advice.
For a site subject to COMAH, start with the major-hazard specialist programme. A general decommissioning enquiry cannot define that site's formal requirements.
Ask what the proposal assumes
A proposal may assume that another party has completed a particular technical task, removed process contents or confirmed access. Ask the contractor to identify those assumptions explicitly and refer them to the responsible specialists.
Compare proposals on scope as well as price. Two figures are not comparable if one covers a defined technical package and the other assumes that package has already been completed. The owner needs to know who will close the gap before making an appointment.
Where the proposed work is construction work in Great Britain, HSE's commercial-client guidance explains the client's arrangements and responsibilities. Obtain advice on applicability and appointments for your project; using a contractor does not remove the need to establish the correct arrangements.
Give the assessment team the site story
Provide the process history and the engineering handover through the agreed project route. Label the status of drawings and unresolved changes. An informal tour cannot verify every technical interface.
Ask how changes discovered during assessment will be reported and authorised. Keep the decision record connected to the wider closure programme so a revised scope reaches the people planning adjacent work.
Discuss the sale and clearance component with UK Auction Group. Be clear about which technical work is separately assessed and what must be confirmed before assets are available. Do not assume an asset-disposal enquiry includes every specialist decommissioning service.
Leave the enquiry with a list of unanswered questions and their owners. Resolve those questions before relying on a price that assumes the answers.
See the manufacturing site closure hub.
Sources
This guide is general information and education only. Legal, tax, employment and safety decisions may need a qualified adviser who knows your situation. Read the disclaimer.