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Water Meter Reading

AFFINITY WATER LIMITED

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

TenderCancellation

28 Aug 2026 at 07:45

UK12 - Procurement Termination Notice
Award

16 Jul 2026 at 11:55

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Affinity Water Limited procured a water meter reading service to collect data from its existing fleet of automatic meter reading (AMR) meters. The requirement covers meter data collection across England. Demand is expected to decline substantially over the next 10 years as Affinity Water continues to roll out smart meters, so the service concerns the remaining AMR estate rather than a growing meter-reading operation. This is a utilities procurement for an established water company and would suit businesses providing field-based meter reading, meter data collection and associated operational services. The buyer’s stated requirement is for continued service against existing infrastructure, with delivery spanning multiple English regions.

The procurement reached completion, with a direct award to M Group (Services) Limited, but that award was cancelled on 28 August 2026 because the supplier was identified as incorrect. The cancelled award was valued at £3,075,000 excluding VAT, or £3,690,000 including VAT. The planned contract period was 1 September 2026 to 31 March 2030, with an optional two-year extension available to 31 March 2032. The buyer used a direct award, citing diminishing volumes and no supply market, with stated reasons including single-supplier technical reasons and urgency. There was one lot. The planned signature milestone was 1 September 2026.

This process shows that Affinity Water has an ongoing need to obtain readings from legacy AMR meters while smart-meter deployment reduces the remaining workload. A credible future competitor would need reliable field operations across England, the systems to capture and transfer meter data accurately, and the capacity to manage an established meter estate as volumes decline. Experience in utility meter-reading services and continuity of service would be important, particularly where the buyer views technical capability or market availability as limiting factors. Suppliers should also be able to operate efficiently at diminishing volumes and demonstrate how they would maintain coverage, data quality and service resilience during the transition from AMR to smart metering. The cancelled award indicates that supplier suitability and selection accuracy will matter.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Water Meter Reading

Notice Description

Affinity Water requires the continued service of a supplier to collect data from our existing fleet of AMR meters. Over the next 10 years, the need for AMR meter data reads will decline significantly in line with the increasing roll out of smart meters.

Procurement Information

Diminishing volumes. No supply market.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06ccbf
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/082007-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK12 - Procurement Termination Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

65 - Public utilities

CPV Codes

65500000 - Meter reading service

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£3,075,000 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
28 Aug 20263 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Sep 2026 - 31 Mar 2030 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
AFFINITY WATER LIMITED
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
HATFIELD
Postcode
AL10 9EZ
Postcode Area
St Albans
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH2 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH26 North and East Hertfordshire
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Welwyn Hatfield
Electoral Ward
Hatfield Villages
Westminster Constituency
Welwyn Hatfield

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

M Group (Services) Limited

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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