How to Get on a Water Company Framework in the UK: Complete Guide 2026

AMP8FrameworksUVDBPQQProcurementBid Writing

Understanding How Water Company Frameworks Work

A framework agreement is not a contract — it is a pre-qualification mechanism that places your company on a list of approved suppliers for a defined category of work over a defined period. Once on a framework, you are invited to tender for individual call-off contracts or mini-competitions without having to go through a full PQQ process each time.

AMP8 frameworks typically run for five to fifteen years, covering the 2025–2030 regulatory period and in some cases extending into AMP9 (2030–2035). The frameworks being established now will define the water sector supply chain for a decade. Getting on them is worth significant effort.

Step 1: Get Registered on Achilles UVDB

Achilles UVDB (Utilities Vendor Database) is the primary supplier qualification system for the UK utilities sector. Registration is a prerequisite for the supply chains of most major water companies. Without it, you will not be considered for framework positions.

UVDB has three levels — Verified, Silver and Silver Plus — based on the depth of the audit assessment. Most water company frameworks require at minimum UVDB Verified, and many require Silver or Silver Plus for higher-risk categories including civil engineering, MEICA and safety-critical services.

What UVDB Assesses

• Health, safety and environment management systems
• Quality management (ISO 9001)
• Environmental management (ISO 14001)
• Financial standing and business viability
• Equality, diversity and inclusion
• Modern slavery statement
• Business continuity

The UVDB audit is not a tick-box exercise. Auditors verify that your documented management systems are actually in operation — not just written down. A 100% audit score is achievable with proper preparation and is genuinely noticed by water company procurement teams.

Step 2: Register on the Right Procurement Portals

Each water company uses a different e-procurement portal. Tender notices and framework invitations are issued through these portals — if you are not registered, you will not be notified. Registration is free.

Water Company	Portal
Severn Trent Water	SAP Ariba
United Utilities	EU-Supply (Visma)
Yorkshire Water	SAP Ariba
Anglian Water	Scanmarket
Thames Water	IASTA / SharePoint
Southern Water	Bravo (JAGGAER)
Wessex Water	Bravo (JAGGAER)
Scottish Water	Atamis
All (threshold contracts)	Find a Tender

In addition, set up a free email alert on Find a Tender (find-tender.service.gov.uk) for your relevant categories. All contracts above the utilities threshold (currently £431,000 for services and supplies) must be published there by law.

Step 3: Understand the PQQ / Selection Questionnaire

The Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (now more commonly called a Selection Questionnaire or SQ) is the formal gateway to a framework. Water companies use it to assess whether suppliers meet the minimum standards required before evaluating their commercial proposal.

Common PQQ Sections for Water Sector Frameworks

• Company information — legal status, key personnel, financial accounts
• Financial standing — usually assessed against minimum turnover thresholds and financial ratios
• Insurance — public liability (typically £5m–£10m minimum), employer's liability, professional indemnity where relevant
• Technical capability — relevant experience, case studies, CVs of key personnel
• Health and safety — RIDDOR statistics, safety management system, method statements
• Quality management — ISO 9001 certification or equivalent
• Environmental management — ISO 14001 or documented EMS
• Social value — an increasingly heavily weighted section (see below)
• Financial references and contract history — demonstrating delivery at similar scale

Step 4: Social Value — The Section That Wins Frameworks

Social value has grown from a minor consideration to a significant evaluation criterion in water sector frameworks. Under the Social Value Act 2012 and subsequent guidance, public bodies and regulated utilities are required to consider social value in procurement. In practice, this means frameworks now routinely allocate 10–20% of the evaluation score to social value responses.

Northumbrian Water's AMP8 33-firm framework explicitly required applicants to demonstrate how they would support the company's target of spending 60 pence in every pound within the North East region. Eleven of the thirty-three appointed firms were new entrants to the water sector, brought in specifically through a mentorship programme designed to grow regional supply chain capacity. This is the direction the entire sector is moving.

Step 5: SHEQ — What Water Companies Actually Check

Health, safety, environment and quality (SHEQ) performance is scrutinised closely in water sector framework evaluations. Water companies carry reputational and regulatory risk for the performance of their supply chain — a serious accident or environmental incident involving a contractor reflects directly on the water company.

What Strong SHEQ Evidence Looks Like

• Three-year RIDDOR incident rate below industry average — with a clear trend of improvement
• ISO 45001 (occupational health and safety) certification or credible roadmap to certification
• ISO 14001 (environmental management) or equivalent
• Documented near-miss reporting culture — high near-miss reporting is seen as a positive indicator, not a negative one
• Evidence of SHEQ leadership at senior level — not just a system, but a culture
• Water-sector specific certifications — EUSR Water Hygiene Cards for all site staff, Streetworks qualifications where relevant

Step 6: Writing Winning Tender Responses

The PQQ gets you to the invitation to tender. The tender response is where frameworks are won or lost. Water company evaluators are experienced procurement professionals — they read hundreds of submissions and recognise generic responses immediately.

The Principles That Separate Winning Bids

• Answer the question that is asked — not the question you wish had been asked. Evaluators mark against specific criteria. Irrelevant information scores zero.
• Use evidence not assertions — "we deliver high quality work" scores nothing. "We achieved 97.3% defect-free handover on our last three contracts with [water company]" scores well.
• Be specific about how — evaluators want to understand your delivery methodology, not just your outcomes.
• Demonstrate sector knowledge — show that you understand the water company's specific drivers, their regulatory position and their AMP8 priorities. Generic responses that could apply to any client score poorly.
• Quantify your commitments — social value and environmental commitments must be specific and measurable, with named delivery owners.

The Route If You Can't Win Tier 1

Most water sector suppliers are not large enough to win Tier 1 framework positions directly. The realistic route for the majority of the 7,400+ companies in the Water Industry Hub directory is Tier 2 or Tier 3 — subcontracting through an established framework holder.

The most effective strategy is to identify which Tier 1 contractors have won frameworks in your region and category, and to build relationships with their supply chain managers before the work starts. Framework holders actively need to build their sub-contractor base — they are often looking for new specialist suppliers as much as specialist suppliers are looking for them.