Southern Water is giving the water sector supply chain an early heads up on its upcoming £84 million Andover Link Main procurement for the construction of 25km of below-ground pipeline connecting critical infrastructure between Winchester and Andover, alongside upgrades to existing and new booster stations.
The Andover Link Main (ALM) scheme is being delivered by the water company under the Major Projects Directorate – the project is part of the Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP) programme.
The project is associated with Southern Water’s agreement with the Environment Agency to reduce its abstraction licenses for public water supply. Its purpose is to provide environmental protection for the rivers Test and Itchen - the rivers are rare chalk streams.
The WRMP Programme aims to create greater resilience to water shortages, especially during dry weather and droughts. Existing abstraction licences for the River Test and River Itchen have been substantially reduced through changes required by the Environment Agency to protect the rivers,
The proposed scheme will support environmental improvement by increasing the protection of these rivers while addressing the need for secure water supply.
The ALM scheme involves approximately 25km of below-ground pipeline connecting critical infrastructure between Winchester and Andover, alongside upgrades to existing and new booster stations. It aims to deliver a bi-directional transfer capacity of 15Ml/d by March 2030, ensuring both strategic drought resilience and operational reliability for the isolated Andover Water Resource Zone (WRZ).
Southern Water’s delivery strategy is to appoint a single Principal Contractor to design and build the Andover Link Main – delivery will include a detailed design and construction package with enabling work to be completed prior to construction. This will also include support to discharge planning conditions and submission of certain environmental consent and permits.
The Principal Contractor will act as a Tier 1 provider and sub-contract specialist elements. Southern Water have developed the scheme proposal to early outline design and are planning to complete this phase of work to enable the design to be released with the Invitation to Tender (ITT) post participation stage, comprising a detailed design and construction package, with enabling work to be completed prior to construction. This will also include support to discharge planning conditions and submission of certain environmental consent and permits.
The procurement process has yet to be finalised but is anticpated as:
- Participation Stage and shorlisting to ITT
- ITT stage 1 to include Interim assesment and shortlisting to ITT stage 2
- ITT stage 2 Final Tenders (BAFO) and negotiations
- Preferred Supplier Stage
Current estimated total value is £84 million (inc VAT) and current estimated start and end contract dates are 30 June 2026 to 31 January 2030.
Qualification criteria at Participation Stage will be shared when the tender is issued
The water company currently expects to issue a formal tender notice in the last week of September 2025, with a deadline of 11:59pm on 10 October 2025 for enquiries about the tender and deadline to submit requests to participate on 11:59pm 27 October 2025.
Southern Water is advising suppliers who are interested in bidding for the tender that will need to be registered on the central digital platform before they are able to bid and also need to be registered on Southern Water’s own Jaggaer Sourcing Portal
The water company currently expects to make an award decision date in April 2026.
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