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PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

South East Strategic Resource Options (SESRO) Preliminary Market Engagement 2025​

THAMES WATER UTILITIES LIMITED · compiled

Tender information last checkedLast checked 29 Sept 2026, 20:35.

Opportunity overview

As part of Thames Water's ongoing programme of preliminary market engagement for the South East Strategic Reservoir Option (SESRO) project, this notice is intended to inform interested parties about upcoming engagement opportunities and to encourage them to register their interest to participate. Please note that this is not a call for competition. Contractors and investors are invited to express their interest in participating in a series of engagement activities including a spring market engagement event scheduled for 17th March 2025, to be held at a central London venue. The engagement will help develop a wider understanding of the delivery of the project from both a construction and investment perspective by showcasing two large scale future opportunities: Infrastructure Provider (IP): The IP will be responsible for taking forward the design, building, and financing the majority of assets within the SESRO project. Main Works Contractor (MWC): To construct and commission the assets under a target price contract, working initially with TW and then the IP once the IP contract is awarded. This engagement presents an opportunity for Thames Water to collaborate with the market in refining its procurement approach and contracting terms. Additionally, it aims to encourage cross-party discussions that align the project's development with market trends, taking into account the perspectives of both MWCs and investors. To access the link to register your interest in market engagement for SESRO, please refer to Section VI.3 Additional Information.

Classification

  • CPV45000000 — Construction work
  • CPV43123000 — Tunnelling machinery
  • CPV43320000 — Construction equipment
  • CPV45112000 — Excavating and earthmoving work
  • CPV50000000 — Repair and maintenance services
  • CPV63712320 — Tunnel operation services
  • CPV65100000 — Water distribution and related services
  • CPV65320000 — Operation of electrical installations
  • CPV66000000 — Financial and insurance services
  • CPV71000000 — Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

Lots

  • Meeting the water resource supply-demand balance to ensure resilient supplies during droughts is becoming ever more challenging with increasing pressures from climate change, population growth, societal expectations and increasing environmental aspirations. In response, OFWAT has established RAPID comprising the three water industry regulators: Ofwat, the Environment Agency and Drinking Water Inspectorate - to support and oversee the development of SROs in order to secure long-term drought resilience on behalf of customers while protecting the environment and benefiting wider society. The South East Strategic Reservoir Option (SESRO) is a new storage reservoir which would be sited in the Upper Thames catchment, south-west of Abingdon in Oxfordshire. SESRO is envisaged as a regional asset and is being developed by Thames Water on behalf of three water companies - Thames Water, Affinity Water and Southern Water. The reservoir would be filled with water pumped from the River Thames during periods of high river flow. When river levels drop, or demand for water increases, water would be released under gravity back into the River Thames, for re-abstraction downstream. The reservoir would help to protect supplies and manage future water quality issues created by a changing climate as well as offering regional and local benefits, including environmental and biodiversity improvements and public access and recreation. The project involves construction of the new bunded reservoir with a capacity of up to 150Mm3 and a surface area of approximately 7km2. The reservoir is needed to be operational by 2040. To read more about the SESRO project, please visit the following link: https://thames-wrmp.co.uk/projects/sesro/ Additional information: The CPV codes set out in this PIN are included to give an indication of the likely scope of works and services. TWUL does not guarantee that all the activities referenced by the CPV codes will form part of any future tender notice(s), nor is the list exhaustive of all activities which may be included in any procurement process under this project.Value not stated

Published notice details

Additional information from the published procurement release. Fields appear only when supplied by the source; check the original notice and tender documents before acting.

Scope, procedure and submissions

Id
ocds-h6vhtk-04cdb5
Status
planned
Main Procurement Category
works

Amendments

Entry 1
Id
2
Description
This PIN has been superseded by https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/000261-2025?

Legal basis

Id
32014L0025
Scheme
CELEX

Communication

Future Notice Date
1 Oct 2025, 00:00

Classification

Id
45000000
Scheme
CPV
Description
Construction work

Submission terms

Languages

en

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Status
planned
Description
Meeting the water resource supply-demand balance to ensure resilient supplies during droughts is becoming ever more challenging with increasing pressures from climate change, population growth, societal expectations and increasing environmental aspirations. In response, OFWAT has established RAPID comprising the three water industry regulators: Ofwat, the Environment Agency and Drinking Water Inspectorate - to support and oversee the development of SROs in order to secure long-term drought resilience on behalf of customers while protecting the environment and benefiting wider society. The South East Strategic Reservoir Option (SESRO) is a new storage reservoir which would be sited in the Upper Thames catchment, south-west of Abingdon in Oxfordshire. SESRO is envisaged as a regional asset and is being developed by Thames Water on behalf of three water companies - Thames Water, Affinity Water and Southern Water. The reservoir would be filled with water pumped from the River Thames during periods of high river flow. When river levels drop, or demand for water increases, water would be released under gravity back into the River Thames, for re-abstraction downstream. The reservoir would help to protect supplies and manage future water quality issues created by a changing climate as well as offering regional and local benefits, including environmental and biodiversity improvements and public access and recreation. The project involves construction of the new bunded reservoir with a capacity of up to 150Mm3 and a surface area of approximately 7km2. The reservoir is needed to be operational by 2040. To read more about the SESRO project, please visit the following link: https://thames-wrmp.co.uk/projects/sesro/ Additional information: The CPV codes set out in this PIN are included to give an indication of the likely scope of works and services. TWUL does not guarantee that all the activities referenced by the CPV codes will form part of any future tender notice(s), nor is the list exhaustive of all activities which may be included in any procurement process under this project.

Items and delivery

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Delivery locations

Entry 1
Region
UK

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Id
43123000
Scheme
CPV
Description
Tunnelling machinery
Entry 2
Id
43320000
Scheme
CPV
Description
Construction equipment
Entry 3
Id
45112000
Scheme
CPV
Description
Excavating and earthmoving work
Entry 4
Id
50000000
Scheme
CPV
Description
Repair and maintenance services
Entry 5
Id
63712320
Scheme
CPV
Description
Tunnel operation services
Entry 6
Id
65100000
Scheme
CPV
Description
Water distribution and related services
Entry 7
Id
65320000
Scheme
CPV
Description
Operation of electrical installations
Entry 8
Id
66000000
Scheme
CPV
Description
Financial and insurance services
Entry 9
Id
71000000
Scheme
CPV
Description
Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Id
GB-COH-0236666
Name
THAMES WATER UTILITIES LIMITED

Roles

buyer

Address

Region
UKJ11
Locality
Reading
Postal Code
RG1 8DB
Country Name
United Kingdom

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Id
WATER
Scheme
TED_CE_ACTIVITY
Description
Water

Identifier

Id
0236666
Scheme
GB-COH
Legal Name
THAMES WATER UTILITIES LIMITED

Contact

Name
Thames Water

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · Reading · UKJ11 · RG1 8DB · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · UK

Notice and amendment history

1 published notice version reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

1 VERSION
  1. ocds-h6vhtk-04cdb5-2025-01-07T09:01:08Zcompiled ·