Official UK procurement notice
PRO004877- Tankering & Industrial Cleaning Framework
Authority: United Utilities Water Limited (Public body)
What is being bought3 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionUnited Utilities Water Limited is procuring a single integrated framework for Tankering, Industrial Cleaning and Water Sludge Cake services across its water, wastewater, network and bioresources operations. The framework will replace existing fragmented legacy arrangements and provide a compliant route to market for planned, reactive and emergency operational services. The services include the collection, movement, transport and discharge of wastewater, sludge, sludge cake, solids and associated materials; industrial cleaning of operational wastewater, network, treatment and bioresources assets; and the collection, haulage, transfer and operational spreading of waterworks sludge cake and liquid sludge. The framework is expected to be split into three lots: Lot 1 Tankering Services, Lot 2 Industrial Cleaning Services, and Lot 3 Water Sludge Cake / Water Sludge Services. Suppliers admitted to the framework will be assessed as meeting United Utilities’ minimum technical, operational, commercial, health and safety, environmental, transport and compliance requirements. Admission to the framework will not guarantee work. Specific operational requirements will be allocated through separate call-off competitions, which will determine the Active Call-off Suppliers for relevant service areas, regions, asset types and capacity requirements. Other approved framework suppliers may be used for back-up, resilience, overflow, emergency or continuity requirements where Active Call-off Suppliers cannot meet demand.
- How the procedure runs: United Utilities is using the competitive flexible procedure to establish a single closed framework for Tankering, Industrial Cleaning and Water Sludge Cake services. The procedure will be run as a staged competition, beginning with a Conditions of Participation Questionnaire to assess supplier eligibility, good standing, financial standing, compliance, health and safety, insurance, relevant experience and general capability. Suppliers that satisfy the conditions of participation will be invited to tender. The tender stage will assess suppliers for admission to the framework at lot level. The framework assessment will consider overarching technical capability, service credibility, governance, compliance, service management capability and ability to operate within the proposed commercial and operational framework model. Commercial information may also be requested at framework level to establish framework commercial controls and ceiling rates where applicable. Following framework assessment, United Utilities intends to run separate call-off competitions, which may be run in parallel with the framework award process where appropriate. These call-off competitions will determine which framework suppliers are appointed as Active Call-off Suppliers for specific operational service requirements. Call-off assessment may consider asset type, region, capacity, response capability, mobilisation, operational delivery model, service levels, resilience and submitted commercial rates. The procedure may include negotiation and/or clarification stages, followed by a Best and Final Offer stage before award. The final award will be subject to capacity, financial exposure and overall value-for-money checks to ensure that proposed allocations are deliverable, commercially robust and proportionate.
CPV: Cleaning services of transport equipment · Sewage tankers · Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services · Sewer cleaning services · Sludge disposal services · Sludge removal services · Sludge transport services · Tank-cleaning services · Tanker trailers · Tankers
How this framework works
From the published notice- Type
- Closed framework
- Call-offs
- every call-off is a further competition among the appointed suppliers
- Places
- up to 20 suppliers
- Framework period
- 4 yrs · up to 8 yrs from 26 Oct 2026
Published description of the framework
The framework will operate as a closed multi-lot framework for Tankering, Industrial Cleaning and Water Sludge Cake services. Suppliers will first be assessed and admitted to the framework at the relevant lot / service-area level. Admission to the framework will not guarantee any work, volume, region, operational requirement or Active Call-off Supplier role. Specific operational requirements will be allocated through separate call-off competitions under the framework. These competitions may be run alongside or shortly after the framework award and may consider service type, asset type, region, capacity, response requirements, mobilisation, operational delivery model, service levels and commercial submissions. Suppliers successful in a call-off competition will become Active Call-off Suppliers and will be the primary delivery route for the relevant planned, reactive and/or operational demand. Other Approved Framework Suppliers may be used only as a back-up or resilience route where Active Call-off Suppliers cannot meet demand, capacity, response, SLA, incident, emergency or continuity requirements. United Utilities may run further call-off competitions during the framework term where operational requirements, demand, supplier capability or performance change.
Lots and requirements (3)Procurement structure
3 lots · all with a published value · a supplier may bid for at most 2 and win at most 2 of them · same evaluation weights on every lotLot #1TankeringRenewalPublished value£160,000,000
Lot 1 covers the provision of Tankering Services across United Utilities’ wastewater, network and bioresources operations. Services may include planned, reactive and emergency tankering; loading, collection, transport, transfer and discharge of wastewater, sludge, thickened sludge, sludge cake, solids, grit, screenings and associated materials; interworks sludge transfer; wastewater transfer; process tankering; solids haulage; and operational support during incidents, capacity constraints, maintenance, outages or emergency events.
Lot #2Industrial CleaningRenewalPublished value£150,000,000
Lot 2 covers the provision of Industrial Cleaning Services across United Utilities’ wastewater, network, treatment and bioresources operations. Services may include planned, reactive and emergency cleaning; emptying, desilting, de-ragging, de-gritting, washdown, vacuumation, jetting, screening, pumping, removal, containment and clearance of materials from operational wastewater and sludge-related assets.
Lot #3Water Sludge Cake (1)RenewalPublished value£17,000,000
Lot 3 covers the provision of Water Sludge Cake / Water Sludge Services across United Utilities’ water treatment and bioresources operations. Services may include the collection, loading, transport, haulage, transfer and operational spreading of waterworks sludge cake, liquid sludge and associated sludge materials between United Utilities sites, operational locations and approved destinations.
What it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Published sub-criteria (2)
- Technical: 80%
- Commercial: 20%
Published award criteria (2)
- Commercial
- Technical
- Price carries 20 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 2 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
- “PRO004877- Tankering & Industrial Cleaning Framework” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, up to 20 suppliers, not a single contract: each call-off is a further competition, so the pricing contest starts after appointment.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Competitive flexible procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Closed
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Utilities
- Commercial structure
- Framework agreement
- Who may use this agreement
- Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 28 May 2026, 18:31 BST
- Last source update
- 29 May 2026, 10:23 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 26 Oct 2026
- Authority reference
PRO004877- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-050543- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Not published
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06a837Find a Tender- Contract terms summary
Payment terms will be set out in the framework agreement and call-off documentation. Payment will be made in accordance with United Utilities’ standard contractual payment provisions following receipt of a valid and undisputed invoice, supported by the required completion records, work order references, management information, waste transfer documentation and any other evidence required for invoice validation.
- How it runs
United Utilities is using the competitive flexible procedure to establish a single closed framework for Tankering, Industrial Cleaning and Water Sludge Cake services. The procedure will be run as a staged competition, beginning with a Conditions of Participation Questionnaire to assess supplier eligibility, good standing, financial standing, compliance, health and safety, insurance, relevant experience and general capability. Suppliers that satisfy the conditions of participation will be invited to tender. The tender stage will assess suppliers for admission to the framework at lot level. The framework assessment will consider overarching technical capability, service credibility, governance, compliance, service management capability and ability to operate within the proposed commercial and operational framework model. Commercial information may also be requested at framework level to establish framework commercial controls and ceiling rates where applicable. Following framework assessment, United Utilities intends to run separate call-off competitions, which may be run in parallel with the framework award process where appropriate. These call-off competitions will determine which framework suppliers are appointed as Active Call-off Suppliers for specific operational service requirements. Call-off assessment may consider asset type, region, capacity, response capability, mobilisation, operational delivery model, service levels, resilience and submitted commercial rates. The procedure may include negotiation and/or clarification stages, followed by a Best and Final Offer stage before award. The final award will be subject to capacity, financial exposure and overall value-for-money checks to ensure that proposed allocations are deliverable, commercially robust and proportionate.
- Risks
Key risks to contract performance include service disruption during transition from existing arrangements, insufficient supplier capacity to meet planned, reactive and emergency demand, supplier concentration, supplier financial exposure, reliance on off-framework or back-up suppliers, mobilisation delays, and operational constraints such as site access, weather, asset availability, treatment constraints, sludge production variability and receiving site availability.
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- 26 Jun 2026, 12:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 19 Jun 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
28 May 2026 → 26 Oct 2026 · 5 dates- Tender notice published145 days ago28 May 2026, 18:31 BST
- Clarification questions by124 days ago19 Jun 2026, 12:00 BST
- Admission / appointment period ends117 days ago · period end, not a bid countdown26 Jun 2026, 12:00 BST
- Today21 Oct 2026
- Contract startsin 5 days26 Oct 2026
- Award decision expected byin 6 days26 Oct 2026, 23:59 GMT
Notice history
3 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 28 May 2026- Tender notice published28 May 2026, 18:31 BSTUK4
- Tender notice published29 May 2026, 10:23 BSTUK4
- Deadline moved to 26 Jun 2026, 12:00 BST29 May 2026, 10:23 BST-28 days · was 24 Jul 2026, 17:00 BST
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (2)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender