Scottish Water has gone out to tender with an AMP8 contract for the provision of Motor Control Centres, Systems Integration and ICA Services with a total estimated value of £140 million excluding VAT.

The water company is seeking to establish a multi-supplier Framework Agreement for the provision of Motor Control Centres (MCCs), Instrumentation, Control and Automation (ICA), Systems Integration (SI) and ICA maintenance and support services.

The Framework is intended to provide a flexible, scalable and resilient route to market for electrical, control, automation and Operational Technology (OT) requirements across Scottish Water's water and wastewater assets, supporting capital delivery, asset renewal and operational requirements.

The Framework is being tendered in three Lots, with multiple suppliers appointed to each Lot.

Lot 1 – Integrated MCC, ICA and Systems Integration (£94.5 million excluding VAT)

Provision of integrated Motor Control Centre (MCC), Instrumentation, Control and Automation (ICA) and Systems Integration solutions, including survey, design, manufacture, supply, delivery, installation, testing and commissioning of MCCs, control panels, PLCs, SCADA systems, instrumentation and associated operational technology infrastructure. Requirements may be called off as straight supply, supply and installation, or fully integrated delivery as required.

Covers the provision of Motor Control Centre (MCC), Instrumentation, Control and Automation (ICA) and Systems Integration (SI) solutions, including associated surveys, design, manufacture, installation, testing and commissioning. It is intended to be the primary route for medium and large-scale capital projects where a single supplier is required to take responsibility for the complete solution.

Where the integration role is retained by Scottish Water or its delivery partners, Lot 1 suppliers will be required to co-operate fully with the integrator, including providing interface information, design data, protocols, testing support and documentation.

Lot 2 – Systems Integration and Automation Services (£94.5 million excluding VAT)

Provision of specialist systems integration, automation and process control services, including PLC programming, SCADA development, HMI development, industrial networking, OT cyber security, migration, testing, commissioning and engineering support. Services may be called off as packaged commissions or as discrete, task-based services forming part of a wider solution.

Covers the provision of specialist systems integration, automation and process control services where MCC manufacture or panel supply is not the primary requirement. It may be used for standalone SI commissions or to upgrade, modify or supplement existing infrastructure and assets.

Lot 2 is not limited to full or end-to-end systems integration commissions. Requirements may be called off as packaged commissions or as discrete, task-based services or additional engineering resource (for example PLC configuration, SCADA point building, HMI screen development, network configuration, software modification or testing support) forming part of a wider solution led by Scottish Water or its delivery partners. In such cases the supplier will be responsible for the element called off only, and not for system-wide integration.

The scope may include: PLC programming and configuration; SCADA development and modification; HMI development; industrial network configuration; OT cyber security improvements; control system upgrades; migration planning and implementation; testing and commissioning support; remote and on-site engineering support; specialist technical support; automation strategy development; digital and optimisation solutions; secure-by-design engineering; security hardening of OT assets; security testing and cyber assurance; and compliance with Scottish Water OT reference architectures and NIS controls.

Lot 3 – ICA Maintenance, Minor Works and Support (£22 million excluding VAT)

Provision of planned and reactive maintenance, repair, refurbishment, replacement, installation and technical support services for existing instrumentation, control, automation, MCC and associated electrical assets, including minor capital works and large-scale refurbishment and life extension of existing assets.

Lot 3 covers the provision of maintenance, repair, refurbishment, replacement, installation and support services for existing Instrumentation, Control and Automation (ICA) assets and infrastructure. It is intended to support operational teams, asset maintenance programmes, lower-value capital works and the refurbishment and life extension of existing assets.

The scope may include: planned preventative maintenance; reactive maintenance; emergency call-out services; fault finding and rectification; refurbishment of MCCs and control systems; modification of existing control panels and LCPs; instrument replacement and calibration; PLC hardware replacement; SCADA workstation and server replacement; network equipment replacement and modification; obsolescence management; asset renewals; small-scale ICA installations; minor capital works; operational improvements; supply and installation of associated ICA equipment and components; and technical support services.

Minor works under Lot 3 comprise maintenance, modification, renewal and improvement activities associated with operational MCC, control, automation and associated electrical infrastructure. Where maintenance activities identify opportunities for wider asset improvement, suppliers may also undertake associated minor capital works where it is economically advantageous to Scottish Water to do so.

Lot 3 also includes large-scale refurbishment and life extension of existing MCC, ICA and control assets. This may include multi-panel MCC refurbishment, section replacement, retrofitting of switchgear and protection devices, control system re-wiring, and phased refurbishment across multiple sites or as part of an asset renewal programme. Suppliers will be assessed on their capability and capacity to deliver refurbishment at scale, including working in live operational environments, outage planning, temporary supply arrangements and the relevant CDM duty holder responsibilities.

The initial Framework Agreement term will be 6 years, with up to three further potential options of 2 years each, up to a maximum total duration of 12 years.

The initial term aligns with Scottish Water's SR27 investment period, while the extension options provide continuity into subsequent regulatory periods, avoiding disruption and re-procurement during the delivery of long-term capital investment programmes.

Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate is 12:00pm on 9 November 2026.

The Motor Control Centre (MCC) and Systems Integration market is characterised by supplier consolidation, skills shortages and limited specialist capacity. A longer-term framework provides suppliers with the certainty required to invest in manufacturing capability, specialist engineering resources, apprenticeships and skills development necessary to meet future demand.

MCC and Systems Integration services frequently sit on the critical path of capital delivery programmes. A long-term framework supports forward workload visibility, early supplier involvement and access to manufacturing capacity, helping to manage programme, resource and supply chain risks.

The framework is intended to support a long-term collaborative delivery model focused on standardisation, innovation, continuous improvement and the delivery of whole-life value. These benefits require sustained engagement and investment over an extended period and would be less likely to be realised through a shorter-term arrangement.

The services support operational technology associated with critical national infrastructure. Longer-term supplier relationships support continuity of technical knowledge, secure-by-design delivery practices and ongoing cyber resilience.

The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at https://atamis-scottishwater.my.salesforce-sites.com/ProSpend__CS_PublicLandingPage?SearchType=Projects

Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address, and tenders or requests to participate must be submitted electronically via the same asddress.