United Utilities has gone out to tender with an AMP8/9 framework contract for ground investigations work worth an estimated £170 million.

The water company is looking for contractors to undertake ground Investigations to support AMP8 and AMP9 construction activity (indicative project value £60k-£1.8m) to meet its ongoing regulatory commitments.
The contract is being tendered in three separate Lots.
Lot 1 - Ground Investigation Works (£150 million)
Lot 1 predominately relates to works forUnited Utilities’ ground Investigations programmes to manage ground risk and includes:
- boreholes, including cable percussive, rotary, sonic etc to investigate ground and groundwater conditions
- trial pits, window and windowless sampling to investigate ground and groundwater conditions
- installation of/monitoring a range of geotechnical /geo-environmental instrumentation
- downhole and surface geophysics
- cone penetration investigations
- other in situ testing (pumping tests, down hole and surface tests)
- geotechnical / geoenvironmental laboratory testing
- specialist site access arrangements
- Reporting; including GIR, GDR, Geo-environmental reports, AGS format reporting etc
Lot 2 - Offshore Geophysical Services (£5 million)
Lot 2 predominately relates to works for the company’s ground investigations programmes associated with offshore geophysical surveying and includes:
- Multi beam bathymetry surveys, reduction and analysis, plus ability to create digital thematic mapping and difference charts from past and present electronic data.
- Magnetometer surveys and associated analysis
- Sub bottom profiling with interpretation for geophysics and pipe locating
- Topographic surveys of inter tidal zone
- Correlation of geophysical surveys results compared to intrusive investigation
- Stratigraphy and interpretation
- Reporting, ground section and chart production
Lot 3 - Hydrogeological Drilling & Well Services (£15 million)
Lot 3 relates to works forthe company’s ground investigations programmes associated with Hydrogeological services and well drilling and includes:
- Rotary drilling works (including 500 to 1000mm diameter holes)
- Well hole development
- Well hole logging
- Well maintenance
- Reporting
Initial contract term is 5 years followed by 5 further annual extension options.
United Utilitities is looking to appoint up to 16 contractors to the framework agreement.
Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate is 9 December 2024 - click here to access the tender documentation.
Uniwater has acquired Hy-Ram Engineering, a specialist in tooling, products and hire for the water sector, based in Mansfield, England.
Near-real-time microbial monitoring of wastewater discharge and bathing waters is now possible thanks to the BactoSense ID solution created by Swiss-based bNovate Technologies.

Southern Water has released film and images showing what it’s like to walk inside Hampshire’s expanded Yew Hill underground reservoir for the very last time, before it gets filled with water.