Procurement

Winter Gritting

• Southern Water Services Limited

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-054851

Description

Scope of Works -

Southern Water is seeking a supplier for winter gritting services across the whole of its region - Sussex, Kent, Hampshire and Isle of Wight. The supplier must be able to deliver a flexible service across operational sites whilst also having the ability to cover reactive requests for leaks in public areas.

The service must operate 7 days a week during the winter period, from October to April, and be temperature-triggered in response to pre-agreed thresholds (e.g. surface temperatures forecast below 0°C or as defined by Met Office data).

All vehicles used must be roadworthy, clean, and regularly maintained, fully licensed and MOT certified.

All drivers and personnel must hold a valid driving licence (appropriate categories) and be trained in winter maintenance procedures.

Vehicles must not move between fresh water and wastewater sites without a full decontamination to avoid cross-contamination.

The service delivery must be supported by a comprehensive digital Platform accessible to SW:

· Site-specific gritting maps and access details.

· Site and contact information.

· Live and historical job tracking with vehicle GPS.

· Job history and audit trail.

· Picture evidence of service delivery

· Automated time stamps for job start/finish.

· Communication logs for instruction and completion confirmation.

Routine Service -

· The Supplier shall provide a planned, temperature-triggered gritting service for: Access roads, Car parks, Footpaths, Other designated areas as per site-specific requirements.

· Snow clearance when required.

· Monitor weather forecasts (via Met Office or equivalent) and respond in line with pre-agreed gritting criteria.

· Perform gritting during off-peak hours (typically overnight or early morning) to reduce disruption.

· Ensure areas are treated.

Reactive Service -

· The Supplier shall provide a flexible, on-demand gritting service based on daily instructions issued by the SW.

· List of sites to be issued no earlier than 16:00 daily, requiring response that same evening/night.

· Provide precision hand gritting, particularly in high-risk areas (e.g. leak sites, uneven terrain, pedestrian walkways).

· Be capable of handling emergency and short notice gritting requests, including potential 24/7 availability during adverse weather events.

· Allow for site additions after initial list issue (e.g. newly reported leaks).

Jobs to be fully document via a communication portal, supplier to provided Gritting evidence, Leak location identification, photographic evidence, map marking or GPS location of affected area

Notices

UK4: Tender notice

• Notice identifier: 2026/S 000-031499
• Published: 7 April 2026, 2:05pm

UK2: Preliminary market engagement notice

• Notice identifier: 2025/S 000-032197
• Published: 13 June 2025, 11:12am