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Winter Gritting - Pre-Market Engagement

SOUTHERN WATER SERVICES LIMITED

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

13 Jun 2025 at 10:12

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Southern Water Services Limited, a private utility company based in Worthing, UK, is in the early stages of planning a procurement process for winter gritting services. The procurement, titled "Winter Gritting - Pre-Market Engagement," seeks suppliers capable of providing comprehensive services across Sussex, Kent, Hampshire, and the Isle of Wight. This service will cover both routine and reactive gritting needs from October to April. The pre-market engagement notice was published on 13th June 2025, with a scheduled milestone for supplier engagement due on 1st July 2025. The planned contract period is set to begin on 3rd October 2025 and could extend to 2033, reflecting the utility's long-term commitment to this service.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in winter-maintenance materials, gritter vehicles, and snow-clearing services. With a contract value of £2,000,000, the procurement is suitable for SMEs and includes provisions for emergency services, digital tracking platforms, and flexibility in handling on-demand requests. Suppliers that can offer a robust infrastructure for responsive gritting services and utilise modern technology for real-time monitoring are particularly well-suited to compete. This engagement, therefore, opens doors for businesses to establish or expand their presence within the utility service sector while contributing to public safety and service reliability during winter months.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Winter Gritting - Pre-Market Engagement

Notice Description

Scope of Works - Southern Water is seeking a supplier for winter gritting services across the whole of its region - Sussex, Kent, Hampshire and Isle of Wight. The supplier must be able to deliver a flexible service across operational sites whilst also having the ability to cover reactive requests for leaks in public areas. The service must operate 7 days a week during the winter period, from October to April, and be temperature-triggered in response to pre-agreed thresholds (e.g. surface temperatures forecast below 0degC or as defined by Met Office data). All vehicles used must be roadworthy, clean, and regularly maintained, fully licensed and MOT certified. All drivers and personnel must hold a valid driving licence (appropriate categories) and be trained in winter maintenance procedures. Vehicles must not move between fresh water and wastewater sites without a full decontamination to avoid cross-contamination. The service delivery must be supported by a comprehensive digital Platform accessible to SW: * Site-specific gritting maps and access details. * Site and contact information. * Live and historical job tracking with vehicle GPS. * Job history and audit trail. * Picture evidence of service delivery * Automated time stamps for job start/finish. * Communication logs for instruction and completion confirmation. Routine Service - * The Supplier shall provide a planned, temperature-triggered gritting service for: Access roads, Car parks, Footpaths, Other designated areas as per site-specific requirements. * Snow clearance when required. * Monitor weather forecasts (via Met Office or equivalent) and respond in line with pre-agreed gritting criteria. * Perform gritting during off-peak hours (typically overnight or early morning) to reduce disruption. * Ensure areas are treated. Reactive Service - * The Supplier shall provide a flexible, on-demand gritting service based on daily instructions issued by the SW. * List of sites to be issued no earlier than 16:00 daily, requiring response that same evening/night. * Provide precision hand gritting, particularly in high-risk areas (e.g. leak sites, uneven terrain, pedestrian walkways). * Be capable of handling emergency and short notice gritting requests, including potential 24/7 availability during adverse weather events. * Allow for site additions after initial list issue (e.g. newly reported leaks). Jobs to be fully document via a communication portal, supplier to provided Gritting evidence, Leak location identification, photographic evidence, map marking or GPS location of affected area

Planning Information

Please not this is not a call for competition Note: If you are already registered on Southern Water's sourcing portal please go straight to Step 2 below If you are unregistered please follow the instructions below to register 1. Register your company on the Jaggaer sourcing portal (this is required only once) To register or log in please go to - https://southernwater.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.html Select the "Login or register to participate" link above and click the "Register Now" link on the home page Accept the terms and conditions and click "Next" Enter your correct business and user details Note the username you chose and click "Save" when complete You will shortly receive an email with your unique password (please keep this secure) 2. Respond to the PQQ/ITT Login to the portal with your username/password Click the PQQs open to all suppliers or ITTs open to all suppliers' link. Click on the relevant PQQ/ITT

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-054851
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/032197-2025
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

14 - Mining, basic metals and related products

34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

44 - Construction structures and materials; auxiliary products to construction (except electric apparatus)

90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services

CPV Codes

14410000 - Rock salt

14420000 - Sea salt

34144440 - Gritter vehicles

34927100 - Road salt

44113900 - Road-maintenance materials

44113910 - Winter-maintenance materials

90620000 - Snow-clearing services

90630000 - Ice-clearing services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£2,000,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
13 Jun 20254 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
11 Jul 2025Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
2 Oct 2025 - 2 Oct 2029 4-5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
SOUTHERN WATER SERVICES LIMITED
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
procurement.governance@southernwater.co.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
WORTHING
Postcode
BN13 3NX
Post Town
Brighton
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ2 Surrey, East and West Sussex
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ27 West Sussex (South West)
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Worthing
Electoral Ward
Northbrook
Westminster Constituency
Worthing West

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts. 

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