--- title: "Cheshire and Warrington Outline Water Plan" ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-5788b135-4389-47f7-a4a6-3cf2a958e2b3" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-5788b135-4389-47f7-a4a6-3cf2a958e2b3" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-5788b135-4389-47f7-a4a6-3cf2a958e2b3.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-5788b135-4389-47f7-a4a6-3cf2a958e2b3.json" source: "Contracts Finder" current_stage: "Tender" buyer: "CHESHIRE & WARRINGTON LOCAL ENTERPRISE PARTNERSHIP" published: "2026-09-03" --- # Cheshire and Warrington Outline Water Plan Buyer: CHESHIRE & WARRINGTON LOCAL ENTERPRISE PARTNERSHIP Current stage: Tender OCID: ocds-b5fd17-5788b135-4389-47f7-a4a6-3cf2a958e2b3 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-5788b135-4389-47f7-a4a6-3cf2a958e2b3) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-5788b135-4389-47f7-a4a6-3cf2a958e2b3.json) ## Summary Enterprise Cheshire and Warrington is seeking consultancy services to develop the Cheshire and Warrington Outline Water Plan. The work will create a strategic, place-based evidence base linking national and regional water planning with local spatial, economic and infrastructure planning. It will support the area’s Independent Economic Review and engagement with the emerging North West Regional Systems Planner. The plan should identify where water infrastructure may need upgrading to support local growth, address the risks that flooding and drought pose to development, and help align water planning with ecosystem services, environmental objectives and farming resilience. This is a research and research consultancy requirement, delivered for Cheshire and Warrington, with the buyer based in Winsford. The process reached tender: the buyer invited offers through an open procedure below the threshold. The tender was published on 3 September 2026, and the deadline for submitting offers was 24 September 2026 at 5pm. The contract is scheduled to run from 5 October 2026 to 31 March 2027. Its stated value is £80,000 including the published currency of GBP. The requirement is presented as a single procurement rather than separate lots. It concerns consultancy research and strategic planning for the Cheshire and Warrington water system, including evidence to inform local growth and engagement with regional planning arrangements. The tender information does not state a separate evaluation weighting or award formula. Small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community and social enterprises are identified as suitable organisation types. This opportunity suits consultancies experienced in strategic water planning, economic and infrastructure research, and place-based evidence development. Relevant suppliers will need to understand how water infrastructure, investment planning and local growth interact, including the effects of flooding and drought on development. Experience of working across environmental planning, ecosystem services, agricultural resilience and wider sustainability objectives would be useful to the requirement. The work also calls for the ability to connect national and regional water policy with local spatial, economic and infrastructure priorities, and to support engagement with a newly forming regional planning body. It is suitable for SMEs and voluntary, community and social enterprises, making it potentially relevant to smaller specialist research, environmental, economic development or infrastructure planning teams with the necessary analytical and stakeholder-engagement capability. ## Notice The newly established Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority (CWCA) has recently stated its intention to commission an Independent Economic Review (IER) for the subregion - setting out the evidence for the opportunities for and constraints on local growth. In support of this, it is vital to better understand where water infrastructure may require upgrades to support local ambition, and how we can better work together to ensure that flooding and drought are not impediments to growth whilst ensuring that wider ecosystem services and farming resilience are better supported. Simultaneously, the Water White Paper published in January 2026 committed Government to act on the Independent Water Commission recommendation, setting up Regional Systems Planning in England. DEFRA have set out an intention to pilot this through Regional System Planners (RSPs), established across each region of England with the aim of influencing both PR29 and other water system investment plans. Defra are keen for partnerships to pilot RSP governance and structures during this set-up year. and have set out that they only intend to provide high level direction on form. Within this context there is a significant opportunity to influence water planning, and ensure alignment with local growth and wider environmental ambitions. To support the IER along with engagement with the establishing North West RSP, ECW is seeking to appoint consultants to develop a strategic, place based evidence base and outline water plan that sits between national/regional water planning processes and local spatial, economic, and infrastructure planning. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Contracts Finder | | Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/07738365-eeb7-4f36-a933-8e339655840d | | Notice type | Tender Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Open | | Procurement method details | Open procedure (below threshold) | | Tender suitability | SME, VCSE | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Tender | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 3 Sep 2026 | | Submission deadline | 24 Sep 2026 | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 5 Oct 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £80,000 | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Active | | Lots status | Not specified | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | CHESHIRE & WARRINGTON LOCAL ENTERPRISE PARTNERSHIP | | Locality | WINSFORD | | Postcode area | Crewe | | Postcode | CW9 7TN | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLD North West (England) | | ITL 2 | TLD6 Cheshire | | ITL 3 | TLD63 Cheshire West and Chester | | Local authority | Cheshire West and Chester | | Electoral ward | Rudheath | | Westminster constituency | Mid Cheshire | | Delivery location | Not specified | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services ### Codes - 73110000 - Research services - 73210000 - Research consultancy services ## Release History - 3 Sep 2026 at 10:49 - TenderAmendment - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/07738365-eeb7-4f36-a933-8e339655840d - 3 Sep 2026 at 10:47 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/07738365-eeb7-4f36-a933-8e339655840d ## Documents - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/07738365-eeb7-4f36-a933-8e339655840d 3rd September 2026 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/d67dc4c1-b391-45ea-815d-37ed752b6377 - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/3863c80d-a18d-47de-9e0d-e9f20a62ba7e - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/a3484332-0925-4bb5-96ce-66fde90f6242 ## Provenance This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. 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