The Environment Agency has named the five potential bidders now taking part in competitive dialogue for its ten year Thames Estuary Phase 1 Programme major flood defence project.

Firms in the running for the contract, which could be worth up to £485 million, are as follows:

• CH2M HILL
• Costain/Capita/URS
• Jacobs
• Morgan Sindal/Grontmij
• Volker Stevin/Mace with Atkins as a strategic sub consultant

A successful contractor will be named in October.

Known as TEP1, the programme will cover the Tidal Thames from Teddington in West London, through to Sheerness and Shoeburyness in Kent and Essex.

The Thames Estuary Plan (TE2100) published in November 2012 followed six years of study and sets out the strategic direction for managing flood across the Thames estuary. It contains recommendations on what actions the Environment Agency and others will need to take to manage tidal flood risk through to the end of the century.

The Environment Agency is looking for a long-term Delivery Partner for TEP1 to provide or arrange for the provision (either itself or through its supply chain) of partnering services.

 The contract will cover the provision and delivery (or the management of the provision or delivery through its supply chain) of a programme of capital investment and improvement works for flood defence assets (both fixed and active) across the Thames estuary over a period of up to 10 years.

Fixed assets include flood protection walls and embankments and active assets includes flood barriers and other structures with moveable gates, outfalls and pumping stations.

Working with the Environment Agency as part of an Integrated Delivery Team, the Delivery Partner's role is likely to include:

• Management, design and delivery of capital works for fixed and active assets - including asset replacement, refurbishment, and capital maintenance works;
• Asset structural condition inspections and structural intrusive surveys;
• Identification and prioritisation of capital works identified from the delivery partner's inspection and survey of fixed and active assets to be incorporated within the TEP1baseline works programme;
• Construction engineering works;
• Design and consultancy services;
• Project appraisal services;
• Engineering surveys and other investigations;
• Environmental and engineering design of works;
• Environmental assessment;
• Design, construction and management of compensatory habitat creation schemes (at the Environment Agency's option);
• Document and data management; and
• Development of the forward programme beyond the 10 year programme.

The Delivery Partner may also be required to provide and deliver operation and maintenance services for the fixed and active capital assets falling within TEP1which services are currently delivered by the Environment Agency in-house.

The initial term of the contract will be 7 years with an option to extend for a further 3 years, making a total maximum contract term of 10 years. There is also a possibility that individual task orders issued under the contract which have not been completed at the end of the 10 year term may extend beyond the period.

The initial contract notice said the Environment Agency is particularly keen to encourage the involvement of SMEs and supplier diversity in TEP1 and is willing to consider options and approaches which provide opportunities for supplier diversity within bidders' supply chains.

If you want to win work in the £multi-million flood defence market, find out about contracts up to 2018 and key named contacts, order your copy of our report Selling into the Flood Risk Management Sector in England 2013/14 here