Anglian Water has awarded an AMP8 framework contract for Desalination Technical Partners (DTP) with an estimated value of £34.8 million (inc VAT).
The water company has identified significant challenges for the East of England, primarily due to a forecasted reduction in available supply of potable water and an increase in the demand forecast. Without intervention, a daily shortfall of 593 megalitres (Ml) of water is estimated by 2050, which equates to approximately half of the current volume of water entering the network.
As a result, two desalination plants have been identified as part of the Adaptive Plan to address the shortfall in Norfolk and Lincolnshire. Both desalination plants will abstract and desalinate seawater from the North Sea.
Initial design assumptions are that the desalination plant will include pre-treatment, reverse osmosis, and remineralisation, before the treated water is blended and pumped into supply and the brine waste is discharged via a long outfall to sea.
Desalination is a new technology for Anglian Water – the company does not have sufficient experience within the business and expertise is also limited within its usual supply chain. The tender exercise was to procure up to two Desalination Technical Partners to support the utility in the development stages for both sites.
Contracts have now been awarded to two partners - a Primary Partner and a Secondary Partner.
The Primary Partner will be awarded the minimum scope of work for both sites - any additional work over and above this is to be awarded at Anglian Water’s discretion. As a result, even though the tender notice value is £29 million (ex VAT), the Primary Partner is only guaranteed the minimum scope spend, estimated to be £4.7 million.
The Secondary partner will play a vital role in strengthening the overall framework by providing resilience and continuity.
The Primary and Secondary Partners are both joint ventures, as follows:
Primary -Tyspa Ltd & Stantec UK Ltd
Bid submitted by Typsa, through Anglian Water’s online portal, on behalf of the joint venture
Secondary -RSK Environment Ltd & Gutteridge, Haskins & Davey Ltd
Bid submitted by Binnies, through Anglian Water’s online portal, on behalf of the joint venture. Binnies is a subsidiary of RSK Environment Ltd
Earliest date the contract will be signed is 5 December 2025 - the standstill period runs from 19 November to 28 November 2025 .
Current estimated start and end contract dates are 8 December 2025 to 7 December 2030 with a possible further extension option to 31 March 2035.
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