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White Horse Reservoir (WHR) Independent Technical Advisor (ITA)

THAMES WATER UTILITIES LIMITED

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

18 Sep 2026 at 12:30

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Thames Water Utilities Limited is planning to appoint an Independent Technical Advisor for the White Horse Reservoir project. The service is intended to provide independent technical, commercial, programme, risk and regulatory assurance supporting the project’s governance and delivery. It is expected to cover both the Early Contractor Involvement stage and the later Delivery stage. The requirement combines engineering advice, construction project management, technical analysis and consultancy, project management consultancy, and general management consultancy. The work will support a major UK water-utility infrastructure project and is intended to help assure delivery arrangements, programme decisions, risks, regulatory matters and commercial considerations. This is a services requirement for organisations able to provide independent, multi-disciplinary technical and programme assurance to a utility-sector capital project.

The process is at the planning stage and the buyer is conducting Preliminary Market Engagement, not inviting tenders. Feedback will help shape the final service requirement, procurement strategy, commercial approach, market assessment and procurement documents. Thames Water expects to use this engagement to test the proposed scope, delivery considerations, and available supplier capability. Interested organisations must first complete a Mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement: the stated submission time is 12:00 noon on 25 September 2026. The engagement milestone is scheduled to run to 10 October 2026. The planned contract period is 1 August 2027 to 1 March 2050. The estimated value is £40,000,000 excluding VAT, or £48,000,000 including VAT. There is one planned lot, marked as suitable for SMEs.

This engagement should suit engineering consultancies, technical advisers, project management consultancies and assurance specialists with experience supporting major infrastructure delivery. Relevant capability is likely to include independent technical review, commercial assurance, programme controls, risk management, regulatory assurance and construction project management. Suppliers with experience of water, reservoirs, utilities or other complex capital projects may be well placed to contribute useful market feedback and prepare for a later procurement. The requirement spans both Early Contractor Involvement and Delivery, so businesses should consider how they would provide continuity of advice across project stages, maintain independence from delivery contractors and support governance decisions. Organisations intending to participate should be ready to handle commercially sensitive material under a Mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement and provide informed feedback on scope, procurement strategy and market capacity.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

White Horse Reservoir (WHR) Independent Technical Advisor (ITA)

Notice Description

Thames Water Utilities Limited is undertaking Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) in relation to the proposed procurement of an Independent Technical Advisor (ITA) for the White Horse Reservoir (WHR) project. The purpose of this market engagement is to obtain feedback from the market to help inform the development of the requirement, including the proposed scope of services, commercial approach, procurement strategy, market capacity and capability, and key delivery considerations. The ITA is anticipated to provide independent technical, commercial, programme, risk and regulatory assurance services in support of the project's governance and delivery arrangements. The services are expected to cover both the Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) stage and the subsequent Delivery stage of the project. Feedback received through this engagement will be used to help shape the final procurement approach and supporting documentation for the proposed ITA appointment.For more information about this opportunity, please visit the Delta eSourcing portal at: https://www.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-Reading:-Advisory-and-consultative-engineering-services./47W66BK2KD To respond to this opportunity, please click here: https://www.delta-esourcing.com/respond/47W66BK2KD

Planning Information

Access to Market Engagement Documentation Due to the commercially sensitive nature of the information to be shared, interested organisations will be required to enter into a Mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) before participating in this market engagement exercise. Suppliers wishing to participate should register their interest via Delta eSourcing and access the Tenderbox using the following code: Tenderbox Access Code: 47W66BK2KD Within the Tenderbox, suppliers will be able to download the NDA and associated instructions. A fully executed NDA must be submitted via the Tenderbox no later than 12:00 noon on 25 September 2026. Only organisations that have submitted a fully executed NDA by the stated deadline will be provided with access to the detailed Market Briefing Pack and Market Sounding Questionnaire. A countersigned copy of the NDA will be issued alongside the Market Briefing Pack and Market Sounding Questionnaire. Participating organisations will be invited to review the information provided and submit feedback as part of this Preliminary Market Engagement exercise. Feedback received will be used to inform the development of the requirement, procurement strategy, commercial approach and procurement documentation. Participation in this market engagement exercise will not influence any future procurement process and does not constitute any commitment by Thames Water to commence a procurement or award a contract. For more information about this opportunity, please visit the Delta eSourcing portal at: https://www.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-Reading:-Advisory-and-consultative-engineering services./47W66BK2KD To respond to this opportunity, please click here: https://www.delta-esourcing.com/respond/47W66BK2KD

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-07755f
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/088653-2026
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

71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

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

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

CPV Codes

71318000 - Advisory and consultative engineering services

71541000 - Construction project management services

71621000 - Technical analysis or consultancy services

72224000 - Project management consultancy services

79411000 - General management consultancy services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£40,000,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
18 Sep 20263 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Aug 2027 - 1 Mar 2050 Over 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
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)

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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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