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Prior Information Notice

South East Strategic Reservoir Option (SESRO) Preliminary Market Engagement 2025​

  • First published: 26 February 2025
  • Last modified: 26 February 2025
  • Version: N/A
  • Record interest

     

  • This file may not be fully accessible.

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The buyer is not using this website to administer the notice.

To record your interest or obtain additional information or documents please find instructions within the Full Notice Text. (NOTE: Contract Award Notices and Prior Information Notices do not normally require a response)

Contents

Summary

OCID:
ocds-h6vhtk-04cdb7
Published by:
Thames Water Utilities Limited
Authority ID:
AA20727
Publication date:
26 February 2025
Deadline date:
-
Notice type:
Prior Information Notice
Has documents:
No
Has SPD:
No
Has Carbon Reduction Plan:
N/A

Abstract

As part of Thames Water's ongoing programme of preliminary market engagement for the South East Strategic Reservoir Option (SESRO) project, this notice is intended to inform interested parties about upcoming engagement opportunities and to encourage them to register their interest to participate. Please note that this is not a call for competition.

Contractors and investors are invited to express their interest in participating in a series of engagement activities including a spring market engagement event scheduled for 17th March 2025, to be held at a central London venue.

The engagement will help develop a wider understanding of the delivery of the project from both a construction and investment perspective by showcasing two large scale future opportunities:

Infrastructure Provider (IP): The IP will be responsible for taking forward the design, building, and financing the majority of assets within the SESRO project.

Main Works Contractor (MWC): To construct and commission the assets under a target price contract, working initially with TW and then the IP once the IP contract is awarded.

This engagement presents an opportunity for Thames Water to collaborate with the market in refining its procurement approach and contracting terms. Additionally, it aims to encourage cross-party discussions that align the project's development with market trends, taking into account the perspectives of both MWCs and investors.

To access the link to register your interest in market engagement for SESRO, please refer to Section VI.3 Additional Information.

Full notice text

Periodic indicative notice – utilities

This notice is a periodic indicative notice only

Section I: Contracting entity

I.1) Name and addresses

THAMES WATER UTILITIES LIMITED

0236666

Reading

RG1 8DB

UK

Contact person: Thames Water

E-mail: marketengagement.sesro@thameswater.co.uk

NUTS: UKJ11

Internet address(es)

Main address: www.thameswater.co.uk

I.3) Communication

Additional information can be obtained from the abovementioned address


I.6) Main activity

Water

Section II: Object

II.1) Scope of the procurement

II.1.1) Title

South East Strategic Reservoir Option (SESRO) Preliminary Market Engagement 2025​

II.1.2) Main CPV code

45000000

 

II.1.3) Type of contract

Works

II.1.4) Short description

As part of Thames Water's ongoing programme of preliminary market engagement for the South East Strategic Reservoir Option (SESRO) project, this notice is intended to inform interested parties about upcoming engagement opportunities and to encourage them to register their interest to participate. Please note that this is not a call for competition.

Contractors and investors are invited to express their interest in participating in a series of engagement activities including a spring market engagement event scheduled for 17th March 2025, to be held at a central London venue.

The engagement will help develop a wider understanding of the delivery of the project from both a construction and investment perspective by showcasing two large scale future opportunities:

Infrastructure Provider (IP): The IP will be responsible for taking forward the design, building, and financing the majority of assets within the SESRO project.

Main Works Contractor (MWC): To construct and commission the assets under a target price contract, working initially with TW and then the IP once the IP contract is awarded.

This engagement presents an opportunity for Thames Water to collaborate with the market in refining its procurement approach and contracting terms. Additionally, it aims to encourage cross-party discussions that align the project's development with market trends, taking into account the perspectives of both MWCs and investors.

To access the link to register your interest in market engagement for SESRO, please refer to Section VI.3 Additional Information.

II.1.6) Information about lots

This contract is divided into lots: No

II.2) Description

II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

43123000

43320000

45112000

50000000

63712320

65100000

65320000

66000000

71000000

II.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS code:

UK

II.2.4) Description of the procurement

Meeting the water resource supply-demand balance to ensure resilient supplies during droughts is becoming ever more challenging with increasing pressures from climate change, population growth, societal expectations and increasing environmental aspirations.

In response, OFWAT has established RAPID comprising the three water industry regulators: Ofwat, the Environment Agency and Drinking Water Inspectorate - to support and oversee the development of SROs in order to secure long-term drought resilience on behalf of customers while protecting the environment and benefiting wider society.

The South East Strategic Reservoir Option (SESRO) is a new storage reservoir which would be sited in the Upper Thames catchment, south-west of Abingdon in Oxfordshire. SESRO is envisaged as a regional asset and is being developed by Thames Water on behalf of three water companies - Thames Water, Affinity Water and Southern Water. The reservoir would be filled with water pumped from the River Thames during periods of high river flow. When river levels drop, or demand for water increases, water would be released under gravity back into the River Thames, for re-abstraction downstream. The reservoir would help to protect supplies and manage future water quality issues created by a changing climate as well as offering regional and local benefits, including environmental and biodiversity improvements and public access and recreation.

The project involves construction of the new bunded reservoir with a capacity of up to 150Mm3 and a surface area of approximately 7km2.

The reservoir is needed to be operational by 2040.

To read more about the SESRO project, please visit the following link:

https://thames-wrmp.co.uk/projects/sesro/

II.2.14) Additional information

The CPV codes set out in this PIN are included to give an indication of the likely scope of works and services. TWUL does not guarantee that all the activities referenced by the CPV codes will form part of any future tender notice(s), nor is the list exhaustive of all activities which may be included in any procurement process under this project.

II.3) Estimated date of publication of contract notice:

01/10/2025

Section IV: Procedure

IV.1) Description

IV.1.8) Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: No

IV.2) Administrative information

IV.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted

EN

Section VI: Complementary information

VI.3) Additional information

All organisations who wish to register for market engagement 2025 for the SESRO project should complete the registration of interest by using the web link - https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/SESRO-Registration-of-interest/

If you have any further questions, please email marketengagement.sesro@thameswater.co.uk

By completing and submitting the registration form you confirm that you consent to Thames Water processing and sharing your data for the purposes of this market engagement event and all subsequent correspondence and engagement specifically related to market engagement activity associated with the development of the SESRO Project. We will always treat your personal details with the utmost respect and never sell them to or share them with other third-party organisations for marketing or sales purposes.

VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice

07/01/2025

Coding

Commodity categories

ID Title Parent category
71000000 Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services Construction and Real Estate
43320000 Construction equipment Construction machinery and equipment
45000000 Construction work Construction and Real Estate
45112000 Excavating and earthmoving work Building demolition and wrecking work and earthmoving work
66000000 Financial and insurance services Finance and Related Services
65320000 Operation of electrical installations Electricity distribution and related services
50000000 Repair and maintenance services Other Services
63712320 Tunnel operation services Support services for road transport
43123000 Tunnelling machinery Coal or rock cutters and tunnelling machinery, and boring or sinking machinery
65100000 Water distribution and related services Public utilities

Delivery locations

ID Description
100 UK - All

Alert region restrictions

The buyer has restricted the alert for this notice to suppliers based in the following regions.

ID Description
There are no alert restrictions for this notice.

About the buyer

Main contact:
marketengagement.sesro@thameswater.co.uk
Admin contact:
N/a
Technical contact:
N/a
Other contact:
N/a

Further information

Date Details
No further information has been uploaded.

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