Scope
Description
YW seek an integrated platform as managing separate, disconnected systems for each functionality creates operational inefficiencies, increases the risk of data gaps, and complicates timely decision-making. Having all required capabilities within a single, unified solution ensures a holistic view of the network, seamless data flow between modules, and faster, more effective operational responses.
The integrated platform must deliver all of the following functionalities within a single, unified solution (not as separate modules across different, disconnected systems):
- Blockage Prediction: Identifies early signs of potential blockages within the wastewater network, based on abnormal patterns detected through flow or level data. This enables proactive maintenance to prevent incidents before customer impact or pollution occurs.
- Network Spill Forecasting: Estimates the likelihood of network spills based on rainfall, capacity, and system behaviour. The goal is to trigger early operational interventions to avoid environmental non-compliance and reduce pollution events.
- Pumping Station: Tracks pump activity across the network, identifying underperformance, abnormal operation, or potential failures. This helps improve operational visibility, reduce downtime, and support asset efficiency.
- Customer Sewer Alarm (CSA): Provides alerting mechanisms in customer-facing parts of the network where issues such as blockages or overflows could lead to property flooding. It allows for early warnings before customers are affected using both digital and analog pressure data.
- Burst Rising Main Detection: Assure accurate burst detection to prevent and reduce the impact of pollution from pressurised sewage mains;
- Excess Water Detection: Detects excess water entering the wastewater network from sea, river, ground or misconnected rainwater, causing spills, damage and inefficiencies.
The platform must be fully developed and commercially available. For clarity this means the product is not in early-stage development, not unproven, and not awaiting first deployment or first operational results.
The solution must have already demonstrated successful outcomes with other water companies, preferably within the UK and particularly with other WASCs.
The platform must be capable of integrating with core utility systems (e.g., SCADA, telemetry, SAP, GIS) and must meet minimum interoperability requirements to interpret data from devices and sensors currently deployed in our network.
Contract 1
Supplier
Contract value
- £8,000,000 excluding VAT
- £9,600,000 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Earliest date the contract will be signed
1 December 2025
Contract dates (estimated)
- 1 December 2025 to 30 November 2028
- Possible extension to 30 November 2030
- 5 years
Description of possible extension:
The initial contract term is three years (36 months), with the possibility of extension up to a maximum duration of five years.
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 48150000 - Industrial control software package
- 72222300 - Information technology services
- 90400000 - Sewage services
Contract locations
- UKE - Yorkshire and the Humber
Other information
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Direct award
Special regime
Utilities
Direct award justification
Single supplier - technical reasons
Yorkshire Water conducted a market engagement exercise, for which a Market Engagement Notice (2025/S 000-055964) dated 11 September 2025 was published, to which 10 companies submitted responses.
This market engagement exercise was carried out to understand whether there were suppliers capable of delivering a single, fully-integrated platform covering the six required functionalities/modules (blockage prediction, network spill forecasting, pumping station, customer sewer alarm, burst rising main detection and excess water detection). The solution needed to be commercially available, already deployed with proven outcomes in other water companies (particularly UK WASCs) and ready for immediate use rather than still in development or awaiting first implementation. This is as Yorkshire Water are prioritising mitigation of the risks in implementation and risks of poor outcomes.
The engagement demonstrated that no supplier, other than the proposed contractor, was able to provide all required capabilities within one integrated platform with proven operational benefits. Other suppliers could only offer partial coverage, standalone modules, solutions still under development, or platforms without sufficient evidence of successful implementation in comparable UK networks. As a result, a competitive tendering process would not generate genuine competition.
For these reasons, a direct award is justified a feasible route to securing the required integrated solution with proven performance, interoperability with our systems, and readiness for deployment.
Supplier
STORMHARVESTER LIMITED
- Companies House: NI649408
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PTTN-2563-DMWG
Suite 4, Floor 3, Meadow House,
Belfast
BT1 3NR
United Kingdom
Email: info@stormharvester.com
Website: http://stormharvester.com
Region: UKN06 - Belfast
Small or medium-sized enterprise (SME): Yes
Voluntary, community or social enterprise (VCSE): No
Contract 1
Contracting authority
YORKSHIRE WATER SERVICES LIMITED
- Companies House: 02366682
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PXGT-3622-WXBQ
Western House
Bradford
BD6 2SZ
United Kingdom
Region: UKE41 - Bradford
Organisation type: Private utility