The Central Market Agency Ltd, whose systems are used to manage the wholesale water market in Scotland, is seeking Expressions of Interest from suppliers for the provision of services for the ongoing application development, maintenance and management of day-to-day operations of its principal Central Systems, along with other supporting systems.

The CMA's systems are used to manage the wholesale water market in Scotland which is regulated by the Water Industry Commission for Scotland (WICS). Its operational and development activities are derived from its Market Code, as amended and developed by the Market's participants, which include Scottish Water, as the sole Wholesaler, and its Licensed Providers.

The two key functional components of Central Systems are:

• Central Settlement System - the systems and business processes operated and maintained by the CMA to support the calculation of Wholesale Charges.
• Supply Point Register - the database (and any related business processes) which facilitates the Registration of Supply Points to Licensed Providers and the Transfer of Supply Points from one Licensed Provider to another Licensed Provider.

The CMA has launched preliminary market engagement seeking expressions of interest ahead of going out to tender with a contract consisting of the following 2 Lots:

Lot 1 - Application Development & Maintenance

Services include provision of application development and maintenance services of the Central Systems in-line with Market and Regulatory requirements. This would involve delivery of a minimum of two releases of software each year and production of related documentation.

Lot 2 - Central Systems Operations

Services required will include day-to-day operation of the Central Systems and provision of service to agreed service levels; maintain overall reliability and security levels.

In addition, the supplier awarded Lot 2 would lead and advise on the procurement of Lot 3 - the contract for the Central Systems

• physical hosting location
• physical security and connectivity between the hosting location and the CMA location in Scotland and the CMA's end customers the Market Participants.

Estimated total Lot values over the three-year contract period plus the one year discretionary extension period are:

• Lot 1 - £3,100,000 including VAT
• Lot 2 - £1,300,000 including VAT

Suppliers who express an interest in engaging with the CMA will be required to complete a short summary of their organisation background and experience. A supplier can express an interest in both Lots but cannot be awarded both Lots.

Estimated start and end dates for thecontract are 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029, with a possible extension to 31 March 2030.

The CMA is seeking initial Expressions of Interest under each Lot  - qualification criteria for shortlisting potential suppliers will include:

• Supplier Annual Turnover of no less than £5million and a headcount of greater than 30 employees
• Supplier to have delivery staff that are predominantly based in the United Kingdom
• Supplier ability to demonstrate relevant experience and technical skills in a relevant industry and in projects of similar scope / sizes to Lots 1 and/ or 2
• Supplier holds current ISO27001 accreditation, Cyber Essentials Plus or equivalent.

Interested suppliers should contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to ask clarification questions by 23rd of May and to formally register interest by 4th of June, stating which Lots are of interest, along with the following details:

• Your organisation name

• Your name and job title

• Your email address

• Your telephone number

• A short summary of your organisation and how it meets the selection criteria

Suppliers who fail to meet any of the above criteria are advised not to submit an Expression of Interest. The CMA intends to publish its detailed requirements and contract terms around 2nd July 2025.