Scope
Reference
FA2241
Description
Thames Water is seeking to develop the mapped sewer network throughout Greater London and the Thames Valley area, in order to reduce blockages, internal and external floods and pollution.
Unmapped sewers lead to a delay in Thames Water locating and attending blockages, floods and pollution, affecting local communities and the environment.
The objective of FA2241 is to map any unmapped sewer networks at scale, speed and accuracy, directly supporting the Pollution Incident Reduction Plan (PIRP) that Thames Water is working towards during AMP8.
Lot 1 - Aerial Mapping: Capture of 2,484 km² across 71 Sewer Drainage Area Catchments (SDACs) using manned aircraft, delivering georeferenced 2D, oblique 2D, and 3D imagery.
Lot 2 - Asset Detection: Detection of manholes, gullies, rainwater downpipes, soil stacks, misconnections, and outfalls with confidence grading.
Lot 3 - Sewer Inferencing: Semi-/automated inferencing of unmapped sewers, laterals, drains, rising mains, and selected SPSs, achieving ≥80% accuracy.
Commercial tool
Establishes a framework
Total value (estimated)
- £5,996,000 excluding VAT
- £7,195,200 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 2 March 2026 to 28 February 2030
- Possible extension to 27 February 2032
- 5 years, 11 months, 26 days
Description of possible extension:
Thames Water envisages that the contract will be awarded for an initial term of 4 years with options to extend by 2 years, up to a maximum overall term of 6 years. Additional purchases of aerial survey services may be considered during the contract term, subject to ITN specification.
Options
The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid.
The full scope of the services to be provided and any options that may be considered throughout the term of the agreement, is set out in the Specification issued within the Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) document.
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 90491000 - Sewer survey services
Lot constraints
Description of how multiple lots may be awarded:
With competition (mini-competitions not envisaged, Lots awarded via ITN).
Lot 1. Aerial Mapping
Description
Capture of 2D, oblique 2D, and 3D georeferenced imagery for 2,484 km² across 71 Sewer Drainage Area Catchments (SDACs), phased delivery by 2028, conducted by manned aircraft.
Lot value (estimated)
- £3,511,323 excluding VAT
- £4,213,588 including VAT
Framework lot values may be shared with other lots
Same for all lots
CPV classifications, contract dates and options are shown in the Scope section, because they are the same for all lots.
Lot 2. Asset Detection
Description
Detection of manholes, rainwater downpipes, surface water outfalls, gullies, soil stacks, and misconnections, with confidence grading.
£5m Product Liability will also be required,
Lot value (estimated)
- £1,357,161 excluding VAT
- £1,628,593 including VAT
Framework lot values may be shared with other lots
Same for all lots
CPV classifications, contract dates and options are shown in the Scope section, because they are the same for all lots.
Lot 3. Sewer Inferencing
Description
Lot 3 - Sewer Inferencing: Semi-/automated inferencing of unmapped sewers, laterals, drains, rising mains, and selected SPSs, achieving ≥80% accuracy.
£5m Product Liability will also be required,
Lot value (estimated)
- £1,127,516 excluding VAT
- £1,353,019 including VAT
Framework lot values may be shared with other lots
Same for all lots
CPV classifications, contract dates and options are shown in the Scope section, because they are the same for all lots.
Framework
Maximum number of suppliers
3
Maximum percentage fee charged to suppliers
0%
Framework operation description
Thames Water is seeking to develop the mapped sewer network throughout Greater London and the Thames Valley area, in order to reduce blockages, internal and external floods and pollution.
Unmapped sewers lead to a delay in Thames Water locating and attending blockages, floods and pollution, affecting local communities and the environment.
The objective of FA2241 is to map any unmapped sewer networks at scale, speed and accuracy, directly supporting the Pollution Incident Reduction Plan (PIRP) that Thames Water is working towards during AMP8.
Lot 1 - Aerial Mapping: Capture of 2,484 km² across 71 Sewer Drainage Area Catchments (SDACs) using manned aircraft, delivering georeferenced 2D, oblique 2D, and 3D imagery.
Lot 2 - Asset Detection: Detection of manholes, gullies, rainwater downpipes, soil stacks, misconnections, and outfalls with confidence grading.
Lot 3 - Sewer Inferencing: Semi-/automated inferencing of unmapped sewers, laterals, drains, rising mains, and selected SPSs, achieving ≥80% accuracy.
Award method when using the framework
With competition
Contracting authorities that may use the framework
Establishing party only
Participation
Legal and financial capacity conditions of participation
Lot 1. Aerial Mapping
Lot 2. Asset Detection
Lot 3. Sewer Inferencing
Conditions of participation
o Legal & financial: D&B check required; Parent Company Guarantee may be requested.
o Insurance: £10m PI and £10m PLI required.
o Technical: Demonstrated experience of aerial mapping, asset detection, and/or inferencing at required scale; ability to meet minimum accuracy thresholds.
Particular suitability
Lot 1. Aerial Mapping
Lot 2. Asset Detection
Lot 3. Sewer Inferencing
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
Submission
Submission type
Requests to participate
Deadline for requests to participate
3 October 2025, 10:00am
Submission address and any special instructions
Please fill out the details in this link to gain access to the PSQ;
Tenders may be submitted electronically
Yes
Languages that may be used for submission
English
Award decision date (estimated)
16 February 2026
Award criteria
| Name | Description | Type | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technical | Methodology, accuracy, delivery programme, innovation, sustainability, risk management. |
Quality | 60% |
| Commercial | Fixed-price, milestone-based pricing, efficiency proposals. |
Price | 40% |
Other information
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Competitive flexible procedure
Special regime
Utilities
Competitive flexible procedure description
• Procedure: Competitive Flexible Procedure (above-threshold)
• Award model: One supplier will be appointed for each Lot. Bidders may apply for multiple Lots, but Thames Water reserves the right to limit awards so that each bidder receives only one Lot, to ensure resilience and spread of risk.
• Call-offs: Once the framework is established, direct awards only will be made to the sole Lot holder.
Stages:
PSQ Evaluation and Shortlisting
ITN Stage 1 - desktop evaluation, shortlisting, negotiations
ITN Stage 2 - supplier presentations, potential negotiations
Evaluation weighting:
• Technical (Quality): 60%
• Commercial (Price): 40%
Timeline:
• Sept 2025 - Contract Notice & PSQ release
• Oct 2025 - ITN issue
• Nov 2025 - ITN return
• Jan 2026 - Supplier presentations & evaluation
• Feb 2026 - Award & contract signature
Contracting authority
THAMES WATER UTILITIES LIMITED
- Companies House: 02366661
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PNQQ-4647-DTCV
Clearwater Court
Reading
RG1 8DB
United Kingdom
Region: UKJ11 - Berkshire
Organisation type: Private utility