South Staffordshire WaterCambridge WaterAMP8TendersFrameworksWest MidlandsWater Only Company
PR24 Status: Accepted FD (Dec 2024)
Recent Updates
- New Managing Director Appointed for AMP8 (2025) — South Staffordshire Water appointed a new Managing Director ahead of the AMP8 regulatory period, signalling a leadership transition focused on delivering the company's largest-ever investment programme across both operating areas.
- £926m AMP8 Programme Launched (Apr 2025) — South Staffordshire Plc confirmed its £926m combined investment programme covering South Staffs Water and Cambridge Water for the 2025–2030 period — the largest investment programme in the company's history. Bill increases are among the lowest in the sector.
- NEC4 Framework Procurement Commenced (2023–2024) — A process to appoint delivery partners under NEC4 framework agreements for the AMP8/PR24 programme was commenced in early 2023. The core programme will be delivered through three main framework contracts with standalone contracts for higher-value and more complex schemes.
- DWI Lead Strategy — Water Quality Improvement (ongoing) — South Staffordshire Water has an active DWI-mandated improvement programme, including enhanced nitrate and manganese treatment works schemes across the supply area.
Key Facts
- Parent company: South Staffordshire Plc — owns both South Staffs Water and Cambridge Water as separate licensed entities
- South Staffs Water supply area: South Staffordshire, Cannock, Walsall, Wolverhampton and surrounding West Midlands area
- Cambridge Water supply area: Cambridge city and surrounding Cambridgeshire area
- Combined customer base: approximately 1.6 million people across both operating areas
- Water-only companies — no sewerage or wastewater responsibility
- Accepted Ofwat PR24 Final Determination, December 2024 — did not appeal to CMA; kept bill increases among lowest in sector
- South Staffs Water headquarters: Walsall, West Midlands
- Cambridge Water headquarters: Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
- Capital investment programmes use NEC4 suite of contracts (Professional Services Contract and ECC with various options)
AMP8 Investment Programme — Key Priorities
The £926m AMP8 programme is structured across both South Staffs Water and Cambridge Water operating areas. Both companies face distinct challenges — South Staffs Water operates across the urban and semi-rural West Midlands area while Cambridge Water operates in a high-growth area with significant water resource pressure.
- Nitrate and manganese treatment — Major enhancement schemes to address DWI-driven water quality requirements; nitrate removal at groundwater sources and manganese filtration upgrades
- Fens Reservoir scheme — Active consideration and investigation of a new strategic reservoir to serve the Cambridge Water area and address long-term water resource requirements in the East of England
- Network renewals — Asset condition-based mains replacement and infrastructure renewal across both supply areas using the appointed framework contractors
- Water resource resilience — Abstraction and resource diversification; Cambridge Water's chalk groundwater sources face increasing pressure from climate variability
- Cyber security (NIS) — Regulatory compliance requirements under Network and Information Systems (NIS) regulations; OT/IT security improvements across operational assets
- Renewables and carbon reduction — Renewables investment strategy developed for South Staffordshire Water; solar PV and energy efficiency across operational sites
- Smart metering — Demand management through metering rollout; particularly relevant in Cambridge Water's area given population growth and climate risk
- Customer service improvement — Digital services and operational improvements to meet Ofwat C-MeX and D-MeX performance targets
Two Operating Areas — Different Procurement Contexts
South Staffordshire Plc operates two separately licensed water companies. South Staffs Water (West Midlands) and Cambridge Water (East of England) have distinct supply area characteristics, distinct resource challenges and may run separate or coordinated procurement processes. Suppliers should clarify which operating area they are targeting when approaching framework holders or submitting pre-qualification responses.
Confirmed Framework Appointments
South Staffordshire Water's AMP8 capital programme is delivered through three main NEC4 framework agreements covering the core programme, plus standalone contracts for higher-capital and more complex individual schemes. Framework agreements also cover AMP7 extension work that carries into early AMP8.
🔒 Named framework contractors, lot breakdowns, NEC4 contract structures and active opportunities for both South Staffs and Cambridge Water — available with Silver Package
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How to Find South Staffordshire Water Tenders
South Staffordshire Water publishes procurement opportunities through Find a Tender (find-tender.service.gov.uk) for above-threshold contracts, and via its own supplier portal for pre-qualification and framework notices. Both South Staffs Water and Cambridge Water procurement may be published separately depending on the scope of the scheme. Suppliers should monitor both company names on Find a Tender.
For the three main NEC4 framework agreements, framework positions have been competed and appointed. The primary access route for new suppliers is through the appointed Tier 1 framework holders as specialist Tier 2 subcontractors — particularly for water treatment, specialist civils, M&E, environmental services and monitoring.
🔒 Procurement portal registration guide, NEC4 framework details and tender alert setup for South Staffordshire Water and Cambridge Water — included in Water Industry Hub membership
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Water Industry Hub monitors all South Staffordshire Water and Cambridge Water procurement channels and delivers relevant notices directly to your inbox.
Supply Chain Route Map
South Staffordshire Water's programme operates through three main NEC4 framework contracts supplemented by standalone contracts for complex schemes. Tier 1 framework holders carry the main delivery responsibility and are actively building Tier 2 specialist supply chains for both operating areas. Water treatment specialists, nitrate removal technology suppliers, environmental consultants and OT/IT cyber security specialists are all relevant to the AMP8 programme.
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Water Industry Hub monitors Find a Tender and the wider sector for every South Staffordshire Water and Cambridge Water contract award, live tender and pipeline notice — with named supplier details, supply chain analysis and framework watch list.
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