Yorkshire Water has gone out to tender with a framework contract for temporary alternative water supplies worth an estimated £7.5 million.

The water company is seeking expressions of interest for the establishment of a framework agreement for temporary alternative water supplies (TAWS) related to: clean water tankering, bottled water provision, bottled water deployment and warning card notices.

The framework agreement is expected to be the primary route for selecting suppliers for the delivery of the temporary alternative water services for the duration of the agreement.

Any estimated quantities or values contained or referred to in this or other documentation are for guidance only and do not bind YWS to buy any specific quantities should the bidder be successful and enter into an Agreement.

Yorkshire Water has a Statutory obligation to provide Temporary Alternative Water Supplies when there is a disruption to the water network, outlined by the Drinking Water Inspectorate and the Security & Emergency Measures Direction enforcement policy.

Interested suppliers will have the opportunity to express an interest in providing as many of the required services as they wish.

The contract is being tendered in the following five Lots:

Lot 1 TAWS and All Associated Services

Lot 2 Clean Water Tankering

Providing bulk water tankers to deliver potable water to designations determined by Yorkshire Water in the event of a supply failure. The supplier would be responsible for providing the fleet and drivers (with necessary training and certification) to respond to the incident within agreed SLAs.

Lot 3 Bottled Water Provision

Yorkshire Water requires the ability to purchase bottled water, to be able to deploy to areas where the water supply cannot be restored, or a tanker cannot be deployed. The supplier will be responsible for warehousing and providing stock of bottled water to be able to respond to an incident, where required and to Yorkshire Water specifications.

Lot 4 Bottled Water Deployment

Yorkshire Water requires a relationship with a supplier that can deploy bottled water, in the response to an incident where the water supply cannot be restored, or a tanker cannot be deployed. The supplier would be responsible for storing and maintaining levels of stock from the bottled water supplier, as well as the ability to transport and manage the bottled water deployment process, including delivering pallets of bottled water to designated zones within communities and also delivering to vulnerable customers, registered on the Priority Services Register.

Lot 5 Warning Card Notices

Where the water is not safe to drink, boil water and rescind notices are required to be delivered to the customer, to inform them. The supplier would be required to print and deliver these notices on behalf of Yorkshire Water, to any affected customers.

Initial contract term is five year with up to three further annual extension options.

Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate is 12 January 2024 – click here to access the tender documentation