Official UK procurement notice
Southern Water Andover Link Main (ALM) Pipeline Construction & Connection
Authority: Southern Water Services Limited (Public body)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe Andover Link Main (ALM) scheme is being delivered by Southern Water Services (SWS) under the Major Projects Directorate. The ALM project is part of the WRMP programme and is associated with SWS’s agreement with the EA under Section 20 of the Water Resources Act 1991 put in place following Public Inquiry to reduce our abstraction licenses for public water supply. Its purpose is to provide environmental protection for the rivers Test and Itchen. The WRMP Programme aims to create greater resilience to water shortages, especially during dry weather and droughts. Existing abstraction licences for the River Test and River Itchen have been substantially reduced through changes required by the Environment Agency to protect the rivers, both designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and the River Itchen as Special Area of Conservation (SAC). Additional licence changes will bring further reductions. These rivers are key examples of rare chalk stream habitat which support a wide variety of species. The Proposed Scheme will support environmental improvement by increasing the protection of these rivers while addressing the need for secure water supply.
The ALM scheme involves approximately 25km of below-ground pipeline connecting critical infrastructure between Winchester and Andover, alongside upgrades to existing and new booster stations. It aims to deliver a bi-directional transfer capacity of 15Ml/d by March 2030, ensuring both strategic drought resilience and operational reliability for the isolated Andover Water Resource Zone (WRZ).
SWS delivery strategy is to appoint a single Principal Contractor to design and build Andover Link Main, delivery to inclue detailed design and construction package with enabling work to be completed prior to construction.
The Principal Contractor will act as a Tier 1 provider and sub-contract specialist elements such as Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD), this strategy is to reduce risk of interdependency issues in construction, testing and commissioning.
We understand the current market status of the Tier 2 requirements including
Civils
Groundworks
Temporary site works
PE Pipe
Pipe fittings
Plant tools and equipment (welding, excavation etc)
Specialist HDD Equipment and Pipe-Jacking Machines
MCCs
Pumps
is stretched as we enter this significant investment period for water and other infrastructure. To support the success of our ALM scheme we are conducting a market engagement exercise that invites the Tier 2 supply chain to register their interest in supporting our Tier 1’s in delivering the scheme
CPV: Ancillary works for water pipelines · Civil engineering support services · Construction machinery and equipment · Construction materials and associated items · Drilling equipment · Drinking-water piping · Instrumentation and control equipment · Mobile plant construction work · Pipeline, piping, pipes, casing, tubing and related items · Pipes and fittings · Process-control valves · Site preparation and clearance work · +2 more
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedPipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published
How Southern Water Services Limited buys Pipeline, piping, pipes, casing, tubing and related items (CPV 4416), and who usually turns up
The market side is the UK-wide market, including every region. The notice also lists overseas delivery. Frameworks and DPS are left out: they draw different bid counts. Whole-market view: Pipeline, piping, pipes, casing, tubing and related items (CPV 4416) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
i
How often small and medium firms win.
Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.
The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.
Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
Local means the winner is registered in the region where that award was delivered.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners were registered outside the region where that award was delivered.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the bid deadline to the award date, on competitions that published both.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards have an award date within 79 days of the bid deadline.
i
How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
Both shares are minimums: some awards have no bid count.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Direct awards or one recorded bid are common here. Check the route before spending time on a bid.
How many bids did past lots attract?
i
How many bids past lots received.
Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.
Past bids do not predict this tender.
1 bid33%
2–350%
4–617%
7+0%
How did awards compare with estimates?
i
Where winning prices landed against estimates.
Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Below estimate60%
Within ±2%20%
Above estimate20%
Assess each lot i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list
Lot #1CPV 4213No real estimate
The notice lists UK and non-UK delivery areas for this lot. The figures below use UK market history and may not describe competition across every area.
This lot is listed as CPV 4213. The table above uses the notice category.
i
How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative. Published delivery includes UK and non-UK areas, so the UK model may not describe every area. The bar shows 220 past lots.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid24%
2–339%
4–629%
7+8%
i
Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
Candidate suppliers for this notice have not been worked out yet, so this is not a verdict that nobody fits.
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
- Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Works
- Notice status
- Planned procurement
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Utilities
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 31 Oct 2025, 11:55 GMT
- Last source update
- 31 Oct 2025, 11:55 GMT
- Authority reference
Prj_7195- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-070042- Latest notice
- Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area in notice
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05d7dbFind a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
31 Oct 2025 → 1 Jul 2026 · 4 dates- Planning notice published359 days ago31 Oct 2025, 11:55 GMT
- Tender notice expected309 days ago19 Dec 2025, 23:59 GMT
- Market engagement309 days ago19 Dec 2025, 23:59 GMT
The timely delivery of Andover Link Main is critical to us achieving our WRMP programme and is associated with SWS’s agreement with the EA under Section 20 of the Water Resources Act 1991. Our strategy is to is to appoint a single Principal Contractor to design and build Andover Link Main. The Principal Contractor will act as a Tier 1 provider and sub-contract specialist elements such as Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD), this strategy is to reduce risk of interdependency issues in construction, testing and commissioning.
We understand the current market status of the Tier 2 requirements including
Civils
Groundworks
Temporary site works
PE Pipe
Pipe fittings
Plant tools and equipment (welding, excavation etc)
Specialist HDD Equipment and Pipe-Jacking Machines
MCCs
Pumps
is stretched as we enter this significant investment period for water and other infrastructure. To support the success of our ALM scheme we are conducting a market engagement exercise that invites the Tier 2 supply chain to register their interest in supporting our Tier 1’s in delivering the scheme. By responding to this request you are confirming you have the requisite experience and are competent in delivering similar Projects.
Please note this will not constitute an approved or preferred supplier list from SWS and we will not be verifying any company credentials. Any appointment by our Tier 1 providers will require you to meet their supplier accreditation process and relevant due diligence, which is aligned with SWS supplier code of conduct. We will also request of our Tier 1 Contractors bidding they do not sign up exclusive agreements with any Tier 2 partner until contract award has been executed.
If you wish to be entered onto the ALM Tier 2 Supply Chain register please contact Kirsty Lodge at Southern Water. [email protected]
Please include your company name, company number, high level brief of your organisation’s capability, contact details (email and phone) and if appropriate current lead times.
We may undertake engagement sessions with those registered to fully understand the Tier 2 market conditions. We may also apply this list to other SWS Major Projects.
- Contract starts116 days ago1 Jul 2026, 00:00 BST
Notice history
1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender- Preliminary market engagement notice published31 Oct 2025, 11:55 GMTUK2
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Pipeline notice- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (1)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender