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Customer Research Services Framework

Southern Water Services Ltd.

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

04 Aug 2026 at 11:03

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

02 Apr 2026 at 14:06

UK4 - Tender Notice
Planning

06 Aug 2025 at 10:42

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Southern Water Services Limited has established a customer research services framework to support its business objectives. The requirement covers the full suite of market research services set out in the tender documents, for work across Southern Water’s requirements. The procurement is categorised as services and concerns market research services (CPV 79310000). Delivery is across Southern Water’s operating area in the United Kingdom, identified in the procurement data as the UKJ region. The framework is intended for suppliers able to provide a broad range of customer research expertise rather than a single defined research project. Southern Water is a private utility, so the requirement relates to research supporting a regulated water company’s customer understanding and decision-making.

The procurement is complete and was awarded on 3 August 2026 through an open competitive flexible procedure with pre-qualification followed by an invitation to tender for shortlisted suppliers. The framework award is worth £4.5 million excluding VAT, or £5.4 million including VAT. Eight suppliers were appointed: Red C Research Ltd; Thinks Insight and Strategy (BritainThinks) Limited; Explain Market Research Limited; I C S Consulting Limited; DJS Research Ltd; Turquoise Thinking Ltd; Accent Marketing and Research Limited; and Impact Research Ltd. The awarded framework runs from 24 August 2026 to 23 August 2030, with a further period of up to one year available, to 23 August 2031. Work may be allocated by direct award or mini-competition. Evaluation weighted technical quality at 70% and commercial price at 30%.

This award shows sustained demand from Southern Water for a broad customer research capability delivered through a multi-supplier framework. Suppliers well placed for a future requirement would need to cover the full range of services in the tender schedules, combining strong research design and delivery with the ability to support varied customer insight needs. The appointed panel includes both small and large market research businesses, indicating that credible competitors may be specialist SMEs as well as larger firms. A prospective supplier would need to demonstrate technical quality, commercial competitiveness and sufficient capacity to deliver work for a utility across its operating area. Familiarity with direct-award and mini-competition framework routes would also be commercially relevant, as would the ability to respond to requirements that may be tested against external market pricing.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Customer Research Services Framework

Notice Description

SWS intends to establish a framework panel whom have the expertise to support the company's objectives. The objective of this tender is to select suppliers to provide customer research services across Southern Water's requirements. In responding to this tender, you are confirming you are able to undertake the full suite of services, as set out in Tender associated schedules and documents. SWS will retain the right to compete work outside the pool of pre-qualified service providers (i.e. Procurement Act '23 process) where appropriate (e.g. where the pre-qualified service providers do not have the capability to deliver the services required by SWS or the price secured within the pool is not judged by SWS to be market competitive).

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: up to 1 year (12 months) extension

Planning Information

Please note this is not a call for competition. Southern Water (SW) is seeking information from the market and invites interested suppliers to complete a Request for Information as part of this engagement on our Sourcing platform: https://southernwater.bravosolution.co.uk/ Please submit your responses to this Request for Information by 15th August 2025 12 pm (midday)UK time. As part of this process, further market engagement will follow online via Microsoft Teams on 21st August 2025. If you would like to attend, please confirm your interest and provide the names and email addresses of participants when submitting your RFI response. All answers and queries related to this Request for Information should be directed to SWS via the e-sourcing portal by following the link provided. https://southernwater.bravosolution.co.uk/ 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-058236
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/073549-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Large, SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

CPV Codes

79310000 - Market research services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£4,500,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£4,500,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
£4,500,000 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
4 Aug 20262 months ago
Submission Deadline
5 May 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
3 Aug 20262 months ago
Contract Period
24 Aug 2026 - 23 Aug 2030 4-5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Southern Water Services Ltd.
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
WORTHING
Postcode
BN13 3NX
Postcode Area
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

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
8
Supplier Names

RED C RESEARCH LTD

Thinks Insight & Strategy

EXPLAIN MARKET RESEARCH LIMITED

I C S CONSULTING LIMITED

DJS Research

Turquoise Thinking Ltd

ACCENT MARKETING AND RESEARCH LIMITED

IMPACT RESEARCH LTD

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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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