Southern Water has issued a Request For Information seeking supply chain engagement on its proposed data centre transformation and rationalisation programme.

The water company is developing a programme to transform and rationalise its data centre estate. The RFI is a preliminary market engagement exercise intended to inform and shape the emerging vision ahead of any procurement. Through it, Southern Water is seeking to:

• Understand the capability, capacity and appetite of the market to deliver a programme of this nature;
• Test the feasibility and realism of the emerging vision, and in particular the delivery timescale;
• Gather delivery approaches, technical options, innovations, case studies and indicative commercial models;
• Understand how the market would best package (Lot) the requirement; and
• Inform Southern Water's business case, sourcing strategy and eventual procurement approach.

Current estimated start and end contract dates are 1 October 2027 to 30 September 2031.

The utility is inviting interested parties to respond via Southern Water's Sourcing Portal (Coupa) - the engagement deadline is 23 September 2026

Click here to access the portal