Scope
Reference
714602450
Description
The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) on behalf of the Ministry of Defence (MOD), is looking to secure the provision of end-to-end WWW services for the MOD's specified estate in England and Wales, through a single Managed Service Provider (MSP).
MOD has a significant and geographically dispersed WWW estate in England and Wales with a combination of public supply and its own private water network. The Contract will go-live in 2 main stages with Wales and South-West England going first on 01 Dec 2028, with the rest of England on 30 Mar 2030, with the other smaller requirements going live as the Authority's other contracts and agreements expire or earlier with the agreement of the MSP.
The Defence Water Services Programme (DWSP) will deliver a single contract to effectively support, manage and assure supply chain WWW service provision, delivering a common user experience across the England and Wales estate. Due to the extent and dispersed nature of MOD WWW assets, the MSP will need to demonstrate all technical competencies required to deliver the full spectrum of WWW services which may include but may not be limited to:
Operational Water and Wastewater Services
Water Abstraction & Treatment Water Abstraction & Treatment
Abstraction licensing management
Water resource management
Operation and maintenance of raw water reservoirs and water treatment works
Provision of emergency water supplies and alternative supplies for security and resilience
Long-term asset management planning
Potable Water Distribution & Measurement Maintenance of water mains and service pipes
Lead pipe replacement
Operation and maintenance of service reservoirs, booster pumps and Pressure Reducing Valves (PRVs)
Additional dosing
Metering and measurement
Pre-planned maintenance and reactive repairs
Proactive investment planning
Long-term asset management planning
Non-Potable Water Systems (e.g. Fire Mains) Operation and maintenance of emergency water storage, dedicated fire mains, valves and hydrants, softened water systems and saltwater systems
Pre-planned maintenance and reactive repairs
Proactive investment planning
Wastewater Collection (Sewerage & Pumping) Sewage collection and sewerage systems
Operation and maintenance of sewage pumping stations, rising mains, combined sewer overflows
Resolve sewer blockages and flooding
Long-term asset management planning
Wastewater Treatment & Discharge Sewage treatment
Management of discharge consents/permits
MCERTS calibration and reporting
Sludge treatment and disposal
Pre-planned maintenance and reactive repairs
Proactive investment
Long-term asset management planning
Surface Water Systems Operation and maintenance of oil water interceptors, surface water sewers and surface water discharges
Flood defences and surface water flooding management
Reactive repairs
Proactive investment
Long-term asset management planning
Helpdesk & Stakeholder Management 24/7 omnichannel helpdesk
Incident management and emergency Water and Wastewater services
Job triage, scheduling, and feedback
Complaints resolution
Performance management
Water and Wastewater Sampling & Analysis Water and Wastewater quality sampling
Specialist laboratory and testing
Reporting
Specific sampling and analysis services
Water and Wastewater Management Services
Statutory Undertaker (SU) & Retailer Charges SU relationship management
Cost forecasting
SU annual negotiations
Maximum Daily Demand (MDD) tariffs management
Management of trade effluent discharge consents
Retailer contract negotiation
Issue resolution
Estate Development & Change Liaison with estate development teams and developers
Approvals for WWW connections
Acceptance and management of third-party assets
Management of MOD Third-Party agreements Easements and access rights
MOD customer management and charging
Third party agreements and base separations
Supplier Management Appointment and management of suppliers
Small to medium sized enterprise (SME) analysis
Other Services
Energy management Implementation of an energy management strategy
Network optimisation Advise MOD on asset optimisation
Identify over/under capacity
Recommend removal of surplus or redundant assets
Security and Resilience of Supply Collaborate with MOD to mitigate security and supply resilience issues
Demand Supply Balancing Ensure a sustainable water supply that meets actual and forecasted demand
Meter Calibration Verify and adjust water meter accuracy
Anomaly Investigation
Detection of unusual behaviours in water systems
Analysis of deviations from normal operations
Response to anomalies across the water cycle
Licensing and Permit Management Management of licenses and permits
Innovation Support MOD in driving and implementing innovation
Further information regarding the scope of the contract and the key features of the future arrangements can be found in the DWSP Concept Paper. During the life of the contract there may be growth or reduction in estate driven by changes in defence outputs and requirements.
Total value (estimated)
- £2,300,000,000 excluding VAT
- £2,760,000,000 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 1 February 2028 to 31 January 2035
- Possible extension to 31 January 2038
- 10 years
Description of possible extension:
There is an option to extend for up to three years (3) which may be taken at the Authority's discretion.
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 65110000 - Water distribution
- 50413200 - Repair and maintenance services of firefighting equipment
- 50411100 - Repair and maintenance services of water meters
- 45232450 - Drainage construction works
- 71900000 - Laboratory services
- 44482200 - Fire hydrants
- 48444100 - Billing system
- 44163100 - Pipes
- 79993000 - Building and facilities management services
- 38421100 - Water meters
- 45232410 - Sewerage work
- 45246400 - Flood-prevention works
- 45246410 - Flood-defences maintenance works
- 72253000 - Helpdesk and support services
- 79112100 - Stakeholders representation services
- 71314200 - Energy-management services
Contract locations
- UKL - Wales
- UKC - North East (England)
- UKD - North West (England)
- UKF - East Midlands (England)
- UKG - West Midlands (England)
- UKJ - South East (England)
- UKK - South West (England)
- UKH - East of England
Justification for not using lots
The Authority is looking to deliver all its WWW Services across the England and Wales estate, this will be through a single supplier holistic approach to enable consistency and the ability to react to the changes in the MOD demand, therefore lots do not support this approach.
Submission
Enquiry deadline
11 March 2026, 12:00pm
Submission type
Requests to participate
Deadline for requests to participate
18 March 2026, 12:00pm
Submission address and any special instructions
Tenders may be submitted electronically
Yes
Languages that may be used for submission
English
Suppliers to be invited to tender
Maximum 6 suppliers
Selection criteria:
As described in the PSQ Guidance document on the Defence Sourcing Portal.
Award decision date (estimated)
17 August 2027
Award criteria
| Name | Description | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Cost - The Authority intend to use a Willingness to Pay (WtP) Most Advantageous Tender (MAT) methodology. WtP does not use traditional weightings, instead, the Authority will determine a single... |
Cost |
| Quality | The Authority intend to use a number of scored weighted quality questions. The headings of the scored weighted quality questions may include Resourcing to manage, deliver and assure services;... |
Quality |
Weighting description
The Authority intend to use a Willingness to Pay (WtP) Most Advantageous Tender (MAT) methodology. WtP does not use traditional weightings, instead, the Authority will determine a single variable that reflects its willingness to pay (or not pay) for incremental delivery improvments (i.e. each point increase in the quality score). This WtP gradient is known as the Cost of One Point Increase in Score (COPIS). The COPIS will be provided as part of the Tender documentation.
The Authority intend to...
Other information
Payment terms
All payments will be made through the Authority's Contracting, Purchasing & Finance
(CP&F) system and will be in accordance with future contractual arrangements.
Description of risks to contract performance
The following are known risks which, if they were to materialise, could prevent the satisfactory performance of the Contract for the Authority and require a subsequent modification to the contract under paragraph 5 of Schedule 8 of the Procurement Act 2023.
The Authority reserves the right to amend the scope, timeline and contract value accordingly without a further procurement procedure, under the grounds permitted for materialisation of a known risk within the Procurement Act 2023.
External Standards and Policy Changes
Changes to external standards, regulations, or policies, beyond the Authority's control including changes in allowable funding may necessitate contract amendments. These could result in unforeseen impacts on delivery timelines and associated costs.
Geopolitical and Defence Landscape Shifts
Evolving geopolitical conditions, shifting Defence priorities, or changes in the nature of conflict may alter the demand profile. The supplier must remain adaptable to accommodate fluctuations in service requirements.
Water Supply Disruption or Contamination Events
Any discovery of contamination or limited access to potable water which could disrupt operations and affect the usability of buildings or sites. This may lead to unanticipated costs and potential contract modifications.
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Competitive flexible procedure
Competitive flexible procedure description
This tender notice is for the award of a public contract through a competitive flexible procedure in accordance with section 20(1) and (2)(b) of the Procurement Act 2023.
Potential Providers must complete the Conflict-of-Interest declaration that will be made available as part of the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) supporting documents and to inform the Authority whether they have identified from this review any actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest arising from the Potential Provider or any other identified party's participation in the procurement. Please note that any incumbent supplier providing Water and Wastewater (WWW) Services and or supporting the DWSP or Aquatrine that is shortlisted to participate in the Tender Process will be required to sign the Ethical Walls Agreement made available as part of the PSQ supporting documents. Failure to do so may result in the Potential Provider being excluded from further participation in the procurement process.
The PSQ (including Conditions of Participation) is available within the Defence Sourcing Portal (DSP) and will be used to down select to no more than 6 suppliers, who will be invited to the next stage of the Tender process. This will also include the assessment of whether a supplier, its connected persons, associated persons or any intended subcontractors are excluded or excludable persons and whether the suppliers are UK suppliers under the Procurement Act 2023.
A clarification process will be used during the PSQ period to allow suppliers to seek clarification from the Authority. All clarification questions must go through the DSP, further information regarding this process can be found in the DWSP PSQ guidance document.
Within the PSQ there are a mix of questions: Pass/Fail and scored questions. A Fail in a Pass/Fail question will result in exclusion and further evaluation will not take place.
For those suppliers who Pass all the Pass/Fail questions, their overall technical score will determine their ranking. Those suppliers ranking in the top 6 will be Invited to Tender.
Where there is a tie at Positions 6 and 7 (or more), the decision on which supplier(s) will be Invited to the next stage will be based on the 4 scored questions at 3.9 (Technical Ability and Project Experience) of the PSQ, the process will be as followed:
1. Initially on the highest score on question 3.9.1 of the Technical Conditions of Participation.
2. Where this still results in a tie, the decision will be based on the highest score for question 3.9.2.
3. Where this still results in a tie, the decision will be based on the highest score for question 3.9.3.
4. Where this still results in a tie, the decision will be based on the highest score for question 3.9.4.
If this sequential process does not result in a clear 6th place, then the Authority reserves the right to proceed to tender with additional suppliers who share equal 6th position.
Following the down selection, the down selected Bidders will be given access to the AWARD system. Tender documentation will be available on AWARD at the appropriate stages. A clarification process will be used during the tendering period to allow Bidder the opportunity to seek clarification from the Authority. A summary of the award criteria will be explained further in the Tender documentation. The Authority reserves the right to refine the award criteria before and during the Tender period in accordance with section 24 of the Procurement Act 2023. This may include revision to the scored quality questions including revision to the weightings.
The following supplementary processes may be used by the Authority (further details are set out in the additional tender documentation):
- Co-create workshops - where bidders have an opportunity to comment on key Tender documentation prior to the invitation to submit outline solutions.
- Invitation to Submit Outline Solutions (ISOS) - this may include a down select to 3 tenderers, details of the criteria for down-select will be included in the Tender documentation.
- Dialogue sessions will be held with each tenderer - this is for the Authority to understand the proposed outline solution and where necessary request further explanation.
- Supplier presentations / site visits / other collaborative behavioural assessments - may take place during the Tender, and Tender Evaluation.
- Invitation to Submit Detailed Solution (ISDS).
- Clarifications - The Authority to confirm understanding during the tender evaluation period
- Best and Final Offer
- Preferred Supplier Stage
The Authority reserves the right to amend the procurement, where such amendment would not be substantial, as follows, including and not limited to;
- amendments to the tender documents which may provide clarification
- refining the specification as the competitive flexible procedure progresses
- reduce and or increase timescales.
If any amendments are made, the Authority will consider whether any applicable tender deadlines should be revised, and whether any tender documents or notices need to be re-issued.
Under Section 43 of the Procurement Act 2023, the Authority reserves the right to Direct Award should there be no suitable tenders or requests to participate be received.
Documents
Documents to be provided after the tender notice
All PSQ and Tender documentation will be shared via DSP. Tender documentation will only be available to downselected bidders.
The Authority will additionally provide access to a Virtual Data Room in which to share additional data to support Tender preparation to the downselected bidders at the Tender stage.
Contracting authority
Defence Infrastructure Organisation
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PPWG-8368-RJMG
St George's House, DMS Whittington
Lichfield
WS149PY
United Kingdom
Region: UKG24 - Staffordshire CC
Organisation type: Public authority - central government