Actemium secures back-to-back nuclear engineering recognition at 2026 DSA Awards

The annual awards celebrate excellence across the DSA framework, recognising individuals and teams who deliver outstanding value, collaboration, and innovation in support of Sellafield’s mission.

This year individual awards were presented to Darren Whittaker, Senior Project Manager, in recognition of his long-term support to the DSA framework, and Jackie Graham, CAD Operator, for her outstanding work ethic, innovation and creativity in CE&I design support.

The MSSS RIOT team was also acknowledged for its collective contribution and delivery excellence. The mechanical engineering team includes Mark Docherty, Principal Engineer; Brad Hughes, Principal Engineer; Simon Hey, Engineer; Jack Curwen, Designer; and Louis Wirga, Designer.

Together, these awards reflect not only individual and team excellence, but also the strength of Actemium Design UK’s embedded delivery model across project management, mechanical, process and CE&I engineering, design assurance, and site-facing technical support. They demonstrate the business’s ability to deliver high-quality nuclear engineering services within a highly collaborative alliance environment, while reinforcing the visibility and impact of Actemium’s contribution across the wider Sellafield supply chain.

A nuclear framework built on collaboration

Established in 2012, the DSA framework plays a key role in delivering integrated nuclear engineering design services across Sellafield’s most complex programmes.

The framework brings together specialist organisations to provide collaborative, multi-disciplinary engineering support, helping to drive innovation, efficiency, and value through close alignment between Sellafield and its supply chain.

For Actemium Design UK, the DSA has provided the opportunity to apply its specialist expertise to critical programmes, including the Plant Facing Design Office (PFDO), major retrievals projects and wider asset care and hazard reduction scopes. This work has maintained a strong focus on safety, quality, continuous improvement and practical engineering delivery in a highly regulated nuclear environment.

The 2026 recognition builds on Actemium Design UK’s success at the 2025 event, where the business secured three awards for collaborative and innovative delivery across the Sellafield programme.

Looking ahead

Following extension approvals, the DSA framework is expected to continue through to 2028. Alongside this, Sellafield is moving towards a new procurement landscape that will shape the future of engineering delivery across the site.

Future Sellafield delivery models such as the Infrastructure Delivery Partnership (IDP) are expected to create further opportunities for Actemium Design UK to apply its nuclear engineering, project delivery, and site-facing design capability across nationally important programmes. This includes continued support to remediation, retrievals, asset care, infrastructure, and design-led delivery scopes where safe, efficient, and collaborative engineering remains essential.

As these new delivery models develop, the recognition achieved at the 2026 DSA Awards demonstrates the expertise, collaborative behaviours and practical engineering judgement that position Actemium Design UK to continue supporting Sellafield’s long-term mission.

With more than 40 years of nuclear heritage, Actemium Design UK provides specialist mechanical, process and CE&I engineering, project delivery, and design assurance capability across complex nuclear programmes. Its expertise includes remote handling, automated systems, retrievals, robotics-led hazard reduction, digital engineering, and bespoke and engineered solutions that enable safe operation in challenging nuclear environments.