The Environment Agency and Surrey County Council have issued a Prior Information Notice inviting interested suppliers to register their interest in taking part in a final round of market engagement prior to commencing the procurement process for the Construction Partner.for the £300 million River Thames Scheme.

River Thames Scheme route map

The final round of market engagement will provide an update on the procurement programme and the proposed commercial model. It will also be seeking feedback on specific aspects – including tender timescales, contract clauses, incentivisation mechanism and risk allocation in order to finalise the procurement strategy.

In December 2020, the Secretary of State approved a request for the River Thames Scheme to be designated as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP). This means that the project team will apply for permission to build it through a Development Consent Order (DCO).

The River Thames between Egham and Teddington is the largest area of undefended, developed floodplain in England. In the past, the area has suffered serious floods - most recently in the winter of 2013/2014.

The scope of the works includes the detailed design and construction of a new flood channel built in 2 channel sections:

• First section (Runnymede channel) – Egham Hythe to Chertsey
• Second section (Shepperton channel) – Laleham to Shepperton

Organisations must register their interest to participate in the market engagement exercise by e-mailing the RTS Commercial team at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by no later than Wednesday 16 August 2023, and confirming an e-mail address to which the briefing documents will be sent.

The EA and the Council are expecting to go out to tender with the formal contract notice at the end of September. Click here to access the PIN documentation.