Yorkshire Water is seeking providers across its entire property estate for planned and reactive grounds maintenance, winter gritting and snow clearance, and pest control services. A rare FM opportunity from one of the UK's largest water utilities — and one of the few notices actively suited to SMEs.
Engagement closes 10 August 2026. Yorkshire Water requires interested providers to contact FMandEnergyCommercialTeam@yorkshirewater.co.uk with the subject line 'Grounds and Winter Maintenance response' to register interest before the deadline.
Yorkshire Water Services is conducting preliminary market engagement for a Grounds and Winter Maintenance Contract covering its diverse property estate — treatment works, pumping stations, reservoirs, offices and access roads across Yorkshire and the North West. The contract will be split between multiple regional providers, structured to give both specialist and general FM contractors a viable route to appointment.
The scope is predominantly planned maintenance with an element of reactive works. Pest control currently sits within the Grounds Maintenance Contract; Yorkshire Water has indicated in the notice that they welcome market feedback on whether this would be better placed as a standalone agreement.
The contract is divided into two service categories — Grounds Maintenance and Winter Maintenance — each with its own regional split. Yorkshire Water confirmed it will appoint multiple providers across both categories.
Planned and reactive grounds maintenance across YW's northern estate.
Planned and reactive grounds maintenance across YW's eastern estate.
Planned and reactive grounds maintenance across YW's southern estate.
Planned and reactive grounds maintenance across YW's western estate.
Fifth provider for critical operational sites requiring specialist maintenance.
Winter gritting, snow clearance and ice management — N&E regions.
Winter gritting, snow clearance and ice management — S&W regions.
Two additional providers appointed as backup/overflow capacity across both regions.
Pest control note: Pest control services are currently included within the Grounds Maintenance Contract scope. Yorkshire Water has explicitly invited market feedback on whether this warrants a standalone agreement — making this engagement stage an opportunity for specialist pest control providers to shape the procurement structure.
| Notice Reference | 2026/S 000-073206 |
| Notice Type | UK2 — Preliminary Market Engagement (Procurement Act 2023) |
| Published | 3 August 2026 |
| Engagement Deadline | 10 August 2026 |
| Estimated Contract Start | 1 April 2027 |
| Initial Contract End | 31 March 2031 |
| Possible Extension To | 31 March 2035 (maximum 8-year term) |
| Contract Value | Not stated — market engagement phase |
| Procurement Category | Services |
| Regime | Utilities |
| SME Suitability | Expressly noted as suitable for SMEs |
| Geographic Scope | UKD North West (England) · UKE Yorkshire and the Humber |
| CPV Codes | 77312000 Weed clearance · 77314000 Grounds maintenance · 77340000 Tree pruning/hedges · 90511300 Litter collection · 90620000 Snow clearing · 90630000 Ice clearing · 90922000 Pest control |
| Contracting Authority | Yorkshire Water Services Limited (Companies House: 02366682) |
| Contact | FMandEnergyCommercialTeam@yorkshirewater.co.uk |
The vast majority of water sector procurement notices target civil, mechanical, electrical, instrumentation and control (MEICA), or consultancy firms. This notice is different. Grounds maintenance, winter maintenance, and pest control are recurring FM services that water utilities procure consistently throughout each AMP cycle — and Yorkshire Water's estate spans hundreds of operational sites, reservoirs, and access routes across Yorkshire and the North West.
The multi-provider regional structure means smaller, specialist contractors have a genuine route in. A northern grounds maintenance business doesn't need to compete against national FM firms for the whole contract — they can bid for their region. The same applies for specialist critical site providers and winter maintenance operators.
Yorkshire Water is also currently in the early stages of its AMP8 capital delivery programme, which means its operational estate is expanding and new construction sites will require groundskeeping and site maintenance services alongside the main civils and MEICA packages.
This is a preliminary market engagement notice — no formal ITT has been issued yet. Yorkshire Water has invited interested suppliers to make contact before the engagement deadline. To register interest:
Yorkshire Water will use the engagement responses to shape the tender documentation and procurement structure. Companies that engage at this stage are better positioned to understand the specification and provide relevant feedback before the formal tender is published.
Note on contract value: As this is a market engagement notice, no contract value has been stated by Yorkshire Water. The value will become clearer when the formal tender notice is published — likely later in 2026 ahead of a 1 April 2027 start date. WIH members will receive the full tender alert when published.
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