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Data of Last Resort Data Collection

THAMES WATER UTILITIES LIMITED

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

08 Sep 2026 at 10:21

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Thames Water Utilities Limited is exploring a dedicated backup collection tool for operational technology (OT) environments. The service would capture and securely store the complete data state of critical OT assets across multiple United Kingdom sites, including configurations, control logic, firmware, hardware metadata and associated files. It would support automated, policy-driven collection and authorised manual backups through secure, non-intrusive protocols that do not interact with OT control or programming interfaces or affect live operations and safety-critical systems. The solution must be vendor-agnostic, deployable fully on premises or in a private cloud, and able to operate in air-gapped environments. It also requires audit trails and compliance reporting. This is an IT service opportunity, classified under CPV 72000000.

This procurement is at the planning stage and is currently a market engagement exercise rather than an invitation to tender. Thames Water expects to use the information gathered to shape its approach to procuring the service. Interested organisations are invited to register their interest through the buyer’s engagement form, with the planned engagement milestone falling on 1 October 2026. The planned contract period is 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2030. The procurement is treated as above threshold and falls under the utilities regime. It is planned as a single lot, covering delivery in the United Kingdom, with the lot marked as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises. No contract value is stated.

The engagement should suit suppliers with proven OT asset backup, configuration management, industrial cybersecurity or operational resilience platforms. Strong candidates will be able to collect complete asset states, including control logic, firmware and associated files, without disrupting live industrial processes or safety-critical systems. The requirement favours vendor-neutral products that can work across different OT technologies and support both scheduled, policy-based collection and controlled manual recovery points. Suppliers should be prepared to demonstrate secure operation across multiple sites, including fully on-premises, private-cloud and air-gapped deployments. Auditability, compliance reporting and reliable operation in environments where control interfaces cannot be touched will be central capabilities. The buyer has indicated that smaller businesses may be suitable, so specialist providers and relevant technology partners should prepare evidence of comparable delivery experience.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Data of Last Resort Data Collection

Notice Description

This Market Engagement seeks to identify options to enable procurement of a dedicated backup collection tool for Operational Technology (OT) environments. The solution will ensure that the complete data state of critical OT assets is consistently captured and securely stored across multiple sites, serving as the organisation's data of last resort. The tool must collect the full backup state of OT assets including configurations, control logic, firmware, hardware metadata, and associated files. It must support both automated, policy-driven backup collection and authorised manual backup initiation, operating through secure and non-intrusive protocols that do not interact with OT control or programming interfaces and have no impact on live operations or safety-critical systems. The solution must be vendor-agnostic, deployable fully on-premise or within a private cloud, and capable of operating in air-gapped environments, with full audit trails and compliance reporting. IMPORTANT: Please read this section before deciding whether you wish to register for this event. This section provides you with information regarding the scope of this procurement and details some of the key requirements that a successful applicant MUST be able to deliver.

Planning Information

If you are interested in participating, please complete this form: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/DGYm0xEjbM

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06f438
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/084737-2026
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

72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

CPV Codes

72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
8 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Apr 2027 - 31 Mar 2030 3-4 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
THAMES WATER UTILITIES 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
READING
Postcode
RG1 8DB
Postcode Area
Reading
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ16 Berkshire West
Delivery Location
TLI London, TLJ South East (England)
Local Authority
Reading
Electoral Ward
Thames
Westminster Constituency
Reading Central

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

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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