Thames Water is kickstarting the procurement process for its £400 million Water Supply System Resilience Programme at Coppermills Advanced Water Treatment Works with a launch event for interested suppliers on Monday 16^th January.

Photo: Russss, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The water company has issued a Periodic Indicative Notice setting out an extensive range of requirements and inviting interested suppliers to register for an online meeting via Microsoft Teams. 

The Coppermills AWTW project is a key part of the Ofwat Conditional Allowance 'Water Supply System Resilience Programme' (WS-SRP), which aims to address TWUL's highest resilience risks on its water treatment and transmission systems. The multi million pound project includes the following packages of work:

• A new circa 700 Ml/d High Lift Pumping Station (HLPS).
• A new circa 260 Ml/d Slow Sand Filter (SSF) Recirculation and Run-to-Waste system.

Future works may also include the following:

• A new ultraviolet irradiation system to treat SSF filtrate for Cryptosporidium inactivation.
• A new circa 50 Ml/d contact tank draindown pumping station and dechlorination system.

The High Lift Pumping Station package entails the design, construction, and commissioning of a new High Lift Pumping Station (HLPS) and decommissioning of the existing HLPS for Coppermills Advanced Water Treatment Works (AWTW).

The existing HLPS is the primary means of distributing water to customers in Northeast London and is being replaced to enhance supply resilience and future proof London's water supply system and will be funded via Ofwat’s conditional allowance programme.

At a high level, the package will involve the construction of a modern, energy efficient, and resilient pumping station in the footprint of an existing slow sand filter in the centre of a busy operational site. The new HLPS building will feature a basement and superstructure to house the new VSD controlled high lift pumps, surge suppression equipment, electrical systems, and Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) plant.

Thames Water said the package will also include “logistically and technically complicated” connections and modifications to the existing contact tank(s) and the existing HLPS outlet and inlet manifolds, as well as connection to the Thames Water Ring Main.

In addition, the works will include the development and implementation of a comprehensive Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) upgrade along with a new instrumentation and control system to optimise the overall operational efficiency of the new HLPS and to protect customers.

Many of the ancillary works associated with this package are significant and will include a HV power upgrade, additional standby generator capacity, a new uninterrupted power supply system, asset protection and monitoring, and decommissioning of the existing HLPS and associated assets.

The package for the Slow Sand Filter (SSF) Recirculation and Run-to-Waste System entails the design, construction, and commissioning of a new recirculation and run-to-waste system for 32 existing SSFs at Coppermills AWTW to enhance supply resilience and overall efficiency, resilience, and adaptability of Coppermills AWTW.

This package will include:

• construction of 16 below ground SSF recirculation/run-towaste pumping stations with submersible pumps, associated pipework, valves, instruments, and fittings.
• construction of new connections and a discharge pipework to the head of the works and Walthamstow Reservoir No. 3 via Tunnel C culvert

A separate package will involve the design, construction and commission of a new ultraviolet irradiation (UV) system to treat SSF filtrate at Coppermills AWTW. The successful contractor will need to work collaboratively with Thames Water to help develop the requirements for the package which is currently being developed by the utility. Thames Water said the key driver for including this package in the contract is to ensure an integrated and systematic approach to delivery of all works at Coppermills AWTW and to support early benefit realisation and cost savings where possible.

Thames Water is holding a Launch Event via MS Teams, on Tuesday 16 January 2024 at 2pm to provide further information on the project, procurement process and contract model to familiarise the market with the opportunity and timelines.

Attendance at the Launch Event is not essential for participation in the procurement - all information provided at the launch event will be made available later in the procurement documents. The Launch Event will also be recorded.

Interested suppliers should email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for joining instructions and to confirm attendance by 10:00am at the latest on 16 January 2024.

Click here to access the Periodic Indicative Notice documentation.