Five multi disciplinary companies and consortia have been shortlisted by Thames Water to carry out around £900M of AMP6 works over the next five years.
Amey Cappagh JV, KCD (a joint venture between Kier and Clancy Docwra), the Lanes Group Alliance, Murphy Morrison JV and Skanska could all now win delivery contracts from the water supplier under its new ‘infrastructure alliance’.
The ‘infrastructure alliance’ will deliver Thames Water’s clean water network and developer service contracts for AMP6, with an option to extend by a further 10 years into the AMP7 and AMP8 periods.
This could see firms carry out everything from network repair and maintenance, leak detection and construction of new mains to planning, logistics, scheduling and programme management.
The alliance also has the ability to include optional scope for waste networks and metering.
Representatives from each shortlisted contractor were recently invited to an ITN (Invitation to Negotiate) launch event to explore this new delivery approach.
Thames Water head of capital procurement Tim Coles said: “We have often heard from our contractors that projects and programmes could be delivered more efficiently and cost effectively with the customer more in mind if they had been involved earlier.
“Our approach to this alliance means that the successful bidders can join us right at the start of our thinking and planning.
“We want to work with organisations that can join with us in a collaborative approach to working in new ways, to deal with the challenges we face in the future.”
Thames Water said the next step in the process involves a number of business plan returns from bidders and various behavioural assessments including leadership team interviews, site and office visits, delivery team workshops and, finally, executive forums.
Thames Water aims to complete procurement in November so the alliance can mobilise as soon as possible before delivery commences in April 2015.