Northumbrian Water has gone out to tender with an AMP8 contract for Direct Procurement for Customers (DPC) / Specified Infrastructure Project Regulations (SIPR) Advisory Services on major strategic infrastructure programmes with an estimated value of £100 million including VAT.
The water company is looking to appoint providers of Specialist Advisory Services to support the development, procurement and mobilisation of major strategic infrastructure programmes, specifically related to the Direct Procurement for Customers (DPC) / Specified Infrastructure Project Regulations (SIPR) pathways, including the North Suffolk Reservoir Project.
The framework will provide access to specialist financial/commercial and legal advisors who will support the delivery of strategic infrastructure programmes through the provision of advisory services covering:
- procurement strategy
- commercial structuring
- financial modelling and assurance
- legal strategy
- procurement law support
- contract drafting
- regulatory compliance
- mobilisation support
Current estimated start and end contract dates are 1 August 2027 to 31 July 2032 with further possible extension options up to 31 July 2039. Estimated contract award decision date is currently 1 July 2027.
Northumbrian Water’s intention is to award twelve year framework agreements for the provision of the services. The duration is in recognition of the significant investment required from both the client and consultants to establish a long term framework that will provide NWL with a stable, compliant and scalable mechanism to access specialist advisory services throughout the development, procurement and mobilisation phases of major strategic infrastructure programmes.
The contract is being tendered in the following Lots:
Lot 1. Financial & Commercial Advisory ( estimated value £50 million including VAT)
Provision of financial and commercial advisory services to support the development, procurement, contract award, and mobilisation of major infrastructure programmes. Services include financial strategy and modelling, commercial and delivery model development, procurement strategy and documentation, payment mechanism design, market engagement, bidder evaluation and negotiations, contract close activities, and associated assurance support. The appointed adviser will provide strategic support throughout the programme lifecycle and will work closely with the programme team, technical advisors and legal advisors.
The scope is agnostic to delivery model, including SIPR and DPC models.
The intention is to appoint one supplier per lot, with the addition of one reserve supplier per lot to provide additional resilience, capacity and flexibility to support future programme requirements.
Lot 2. Legal Services (estimated value £50 million including VAT)
Provision of legal advisory services to support major infrastructure procurement programmes, including legal strategy, procurement law, contract drafting and negotiation, regulatory compliance, land and planning matters, contract close and mobilisation activities, and corporate finance legal support. The appointed adviser will provide strategic legal support throughout the programme lifecycle and will work closely with the programme team, technical advisors and financial/commercial advisors.
The scope is agnostic to delivery model, including SIPR and DPC models.
The intention is to appoint one supplier per lot, with the addition of one reserve supplier per lot to provide additional resilience, capacity and flexibility to support future programme requirements.
Northumbrian Water is looking to appoint up to four suppliers to the framework.
Deadline for submission of enquiries about the tender is 12:00pm on 6 November 2026,
and deadline for requests to participate is 12:00pm on 10 November 2026.
Expressions of Interest must be sent to the e-mail address This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it before the deadline date of 10th November 2026 at midday. Applicants must provide the following information:
- Full company name
- Main contact details of the person who will be given access to the Ariba portal - Name, job title, E mail address and telephone number.
- The Lot they are bidding for.
The procurement process will be conducted electronically with all documents and communication being managed through the Northumbrian Water eSourcing Spend Management Ariba portal.
Once an Expression of Interest has been received which contains the above information, applicants will be given access to the Ariba portal within 48 hours from request.
The portal will contain all the tender documents associated with the procurement that are available at the time. An email link will also be provided to the email address the supplier supplies to access the portal.
Deadline for return of the completed Conditions of Participation is midday on 16th November 2026.
The competitive flexible procurement procedure consists of the following stages:
Stage 1: Invitation to Participate & Conditions of Participation (COP)
This stage begins with the tender notice - suppliers who have expressed interest will be invited to complete a Conditions of Participation questionnaire and submit their tenders.
The assessment of these responses will identify the top scoring 5 number of suppliers in each Lot to be invited to participate in Stage 2.
Stage 2: Invitation to Submit Initial Tenders
Suppliers who were shortlisted at Stage 1 will be invited to Stage 2 to submit their tenders.
All tenders must be submitted in line with the Procurement Timetable and instructions contained in the document and any supplementary information provided.
Supplier interviews will also be conducted as part of Stage 2 and will be assessed in accordance with the process and award criteria set out in the tender documents.
Stage 3: Supplier Interviews and Invitation to submit a Best and Final Offer (BAFO)
After assessment of stage 2, suppliers will be invited to Stage 3 to participate in BAFO.
Best and Final Offers (BAFO) must also be submitted at this stage in accordance with the Procurement Timetable and instructions set out in the tender documents.
Northumbrian Water will also consider whether any supplier (or associated entities relied upon to meet participation conditions) is an excluded or excludable supplier under the Act. If a supplier is excludable solely due to an associated supplier or subcontractor, the water company will notify them and provide a reasonable opportunity to replace that entity.
Following assessment, Northumbrian Water will provide an assessment summary to all suppliers who submitted a tender including:
- whether they have been awarded a framework agreement,
- an explanation of how their tender was assessed against the award criteria, and
- information about the most advantageous tender where this differs from their own.
Stage 4: Preferred Supplier Stage
The highest scoring supplier(s) will be invited to engage with NWL - this stage concludes with NWL entering into the contract with the preferred supplier(s).
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