Official UK procurement notice
Water, Wastewater and Ancillary Services
Authority: YPO (Public body)·Consortium: 3 public authorities
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionYPO and its Collaborative Partners are embarking on preliminary market engagement to shape a compliant and effective route to market for the procurement of Utilities Framework Agreement for the supply of Water, Wastewater, and Ancillary Services across all public sector bodies, in alignment with the Procurement Act 2023.
This initiative represents the third evolution of the framework, building on the foundations of previous iterations established under the now superseded Public Contracts Regulations 2015.
The objective is clear: to deliver a streamlined solution that ensures public sector organisations have access to a high-quality, reliable water retailer. By engaging early with the market, YPO and its Collaborative Partners seeks to foster innovation, encourage competition, and secure best value, while maintaining full compliance with the latest legislative requirements.
This is an exciting opportunity to help shape a solution that not only complies the legislative framework for public sector procurement but also drives sustainability, efficiency, and excellence in service delivery for the public sector.
CPV: Public utilities · Water distribution and related services
How this framework works
From the published notice- Framework period
- 4 yrs · up to 8 yrs from 1 Sept 2027
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedWhat 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).
- “Water, Wastewater and Ancillary Services” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract.
Pipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published
How YPO buys Water distribution and related services (CPV 6510), and who usually turns up
YPO’s published record next to the market for the same work. Compared with other frameworks and DPS only. Whole-market view: Water distribution and related services (CPV 6510) →
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 99 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.
Missing bid counts may hide more single-bid awards. This share is a minimum.
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 bid7% / 17%
2–318% / 83%
4–628% / 0%
7+47% / 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.
On a framework or DPS, prices are agreed when work is called off.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Not comparable on a framework or DPS: the price is set later, on each call-off.
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 6510Published estimate£3.0bn
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. The bar shows 22 past lots.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid23%
2–345%
4–614%
7+18%
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
- Services
- Notice status
- Planned procurement
- 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
- 8 May 2026, 09:24 BST
- Last source update
- 8 May 2026, 09:24 BST
- Authority reference
001331- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-042264- Latest notice
- Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-069421Find a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- —
Timeline
8 May 2026 → 1 Sept 2027 · 4 dates- Planning notice published170 days ago8 May 2026, 09:24 BST
- Market engagement117 days ago30 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST
YPO and its Collaborative Partners is seeking feedback from suppliers within the water retail market to help shape the next iteration of our framework. Our aim is to ensure the solution is fully fit-for-purpose for public sector customers, enabling them to access high-quality services with confidence and ease. To achieve this, we invite suppliers to engage with us on the following key areas:
- Expanding the scope: identifying opportunities to broaden service coverage and enhance value.
- Reviewing Terms and Conditions: ensuring clarity, fairness, and compliance with the Procurement Act 2023.
- Discussing market conditions: sharing insights on current challenges and opportunities within the sector.
- Exploring the price element: considering approaches that balance affordability with sustainability.
- Delivering Social Value and Sustainability: reviewing options to embed meaningful social, environmental, and community benefits.
- Potential routes to market: evaluating pathways that encourage competition and innovation.
- Innovation and technology: identifying solutions that drive efficiency and future-proof service delivery.
- Mechanisms for call-offs: discussing practical approaches to ensure flexibility and responsiveness for public sector customers.
Through this engagement, YPO and its Collaborative Partners aims to co-create a solution that not only meets statutory requirements but also delivers excellence, innovation, and long-term value for the public sector.
Sessions will take place remotely (via Microsoft Teams) or in-person, depending on the availability and capacity. Please contact Maria Hadro at [email protected] to request the Request for Information (RFI) document and to arrange availability for a PME session.
- Today25 Oct 2026
- Tender notice expectedin 99 days1 Feb 2027, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 310 days1 Sept 2027, 00:00 BST
Notice history
1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender- Preliminary market engagement notice published8 May 2026, 09:24 BSTUK2
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
3 public bodies on the noticeConsortium members and other public bodies
- Eastern Shires Purchasing OrganisationContracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government
- West Mercia EnergyContracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government
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