Thames Water is inviting suppliers to register their interest in the upcoming procurement of an Independent Technical Advisor (ITA) for the White Horse Reservoir (WHR) project with an estimated value of £48 million including VAT.

The water company is undertaking Preliminary Market Engagement with the aim is of obtaining feedback from the market to help inform the development of the requirement, including:

• the proposed scope of services
• commercial approach
• procurement strategy
• market capacity and capability
• key delivery considerations

The ITA is anticipated to provide independent technical, commercial, programme, risk and regulatory assurance services in support of the project's governance and delivery arrangements. The services are expected to cover both the Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) stage and the subsequent Delivery stage of the project.

Feedback received through the engagement will be used to help shape the final procurement approach and supporting documentation for the proposed ITA appointment. Current estimated start and end contract dates are 1 August 2027 to 1 March 2050.

Due to the commercially sensitive nature of the information to be shared, interested organisations will be required to enter into a Mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) before participating in the market engagement exercise.

Suppliers wishing to participate should register their interest via the Delta eSourcing portal and access the Tenderbox using the following code: Access Code: 47W66BK2KD:

Within the Tenderbox, suppliers will be able to download the NDA and associated instructions. A fully executed NDA must be submitted via the Tenderbox no later than 12:00 noon on 25 September 2026.

Only organisations that have submitted a fully executed NDA by the stated deadline will be provided with access to the detailed Market Briefing Pack and Market Sounding Questionnaire. A countersigned copy of the NDA will be issued alongside the Market Briefing Pack and Market Sounding Questionnaire.

Participating organisations will be invited to review the information provided and submit feedback as part of this Preliminary Market Engagement exercise. Feedback received will be used to inform the development of the requirement, procurement strategy, commercial approach and procurement documentation.

Participation in this market engagement exercise will not influence any future procurement process and does not constitute any commitment by Thames Water to commence a procurement or award a contract.

Click here to access the Delta eSourcing portal