Yorkshire Water has gone out to tender with an AMP8 framework contract for contingent labour services with an estimated value of £50 million.

The water company is procuring contingent labour services through a single-lot framework - scope includes the supply and management of temporary workers across a range of business and IT functions.

Suppliers will be expected to support compliant delivery, fulfilment, and workforce governance in line with Yorkshire Water's internal processes. The utility said the framework will enable greater visibility, control and flexibility to meet evolving resource needs.

The contract establishes an open framework for a series of frameworks with substantially the same terms. Awarded suppliers are carried over and new suppliers can bid.

The contract is being tendered via the following Lot:

Lot 1. Primary MSP

This lot covers the provision and management of temporary workers across IT and business functions through a Managed Service Provider (MSP) model. The supplier will be responsible for sourcing, screening, onboarding, and managing contingent workers in line with Yorkshire Water's internal policies and regulatory obligations.

Services may include roles in development, infrastructure, data, security, transformation, HR, finance, and administrative support. Suppliers must provide transparent rate structures, ensure compliance with IR35 and other employment regulations, and integrate with internal workforce planning processes.

Current estimated start and end contract dates are 1 March 2026 to 28 February 2031 - the open framework scheme will end on 28 February 2031.

A separate L:ot - Lot 2 which covered General Business Temps - has been cancelled and no contracts will be awarded related to this Lot.

Yorkshire Water is currently looking to appoint an unlimited number of suppliers to the framework.

The procurement will explore alternative framework models for the management of contingent labour services, covering both IT and Business functions. The intention is to assess whether a single-supplier arrangement or a multi-supplier model (with a primary supplier supported by niche providers) would deliver the most effective balance of capability, coverage, governance, and value for money.

Yorkshire Water said the final framework structure will be confirmed following the evaluation of bids and consideration of which model best meets the company’s operational needs.

Deadline for submission of enquiries and requests to participate is 5:00pm on 8 December 2025. Suppliers will be evaluated based on their responses to the Capability Questionnaire provided as part of the tender documentation. All responses will be assessed in accordance with the scoring and weighting criteria specified within the Capability Questionnaire spreadsheet.

Suppliers will be invited to submit participation responses, with shortlisting and tender evaluation carried out the same procedure. Evaluation will consider pricing transparency, fulfilment capability, compliance with employment regulations, and value-for-money.

Award decision date is currently expected in February 2026.

All tender submissions must be completed and submitted via Yorkshire Water's SAP Ariba platform, accessible at the following link:

https://s1-eu.ariba.com/Sourcing/Main/aw?awh=r&awssk=kOdjZo_J_IqcUj3B&realm=YorkshireWater&awrdt=1#b0.

Click here to access more information about Yorkshire Water’s Supplier Information Portal