Wessex Water appoints over 40 contractors to civils framework

Wessex Water has appointed more than 40 contractors to its new Civils Support Framework, aimed at bolstering its in-house delivery of water and wastewater infrastructure projects across the South West of England.

The utility has earmarked £65m for Lot 1 – covering general site works – with the total framework value expected to exceed this figure once all five lots are accounted for. The full agreement spans a five-year term with the option of a three-year extension.

The framework was procured using the negotiated procedure with a prior call for competition. It is divided into five lots, each targeting specific areas of civil engineering and divided geographically across north, south, and west subregions of the Wessex Water operational area.

The lots cover the following activities:

• Lot 1: Site Works – General groundworks and civil engineering support under Wessex Water’s management teams. This lot accounts for the known £65m allocation and attracted 41 bids.
• Lot 2: Mainlaying – Installation and replacement of water mains using trenchless methods including pipebursting and sliplining.
• Lot 3: Potable Water Infrastructure – Leak repair, meter installation, boundary boxes and valve upgrades.
• Lot 4: Wastewater Infrastructure – Repairs to sewers and manholes, rising main fixes, and deep excavations over three metres.
• Lot 5: Reservoirs – Civil works on reservoir assets including structural refurbishment, roof repairs, drainage and access upgrades.

Wessex Water awarded places on the framework to a mix of local SMEs and larger regional contractors.

Firms winning places across multiple lots include AT Group (SW), Bartlett Contractors, and Hercules Site Services.

Wessex Water is headquartered in Bath and operates across the South West. The new framework supports its capital investment programme for 2025–30, valued at £3.65bn – more than double the £1.5bn allocated for the previous five-year period.

Source: Gov.uk Find a Tender