NI Water has gone out to tender with a contract for satellite imagery leakage detection worth an estimated £3 million.

The water company is looking for satellite imagery using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensor (or equivalent) with the ability to scan for ground saturation displaying areas of potential leakage.

The results will be used to prompt leakage teams to proactively investigate the affected areas.

As a minimum bidders must have satellite technology available that can:

• penetrate the ground
• find ground saturation
• differentiate the saturation between treated and untreated water
• identify Points of Interest for leakage detection

Initial contract term is 2 years with three further annual extension options.

Time limit for receipt of expressions of interest is 8 February 2021 – click here to access the tender documentation.