The procurement contact named on the official notice.

The Andover Link Main (ALM) scheme is being delivered by Southern Water Services (SWS) under the Major Projects Directorate.

The ALM project is part of the WRMP programme and is associated with SWS’s agreement with the EA under Section 20 of the Water Resources Act 1991 put in place following Public Inquiry to reduce our abstraction licenses for public water supply.

Its purpose is to provide environmental protection for the rivers Test and Itchen.

The WRMP Programme aims to create greater resilience to water shortages, especially during dry weather and droughts.

Existing abstraction licences for the River Test and River Itchen have been substantially reduced through changes required by the Environment Agency to protect the rivers, both designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and the River Itchen as Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

Additional licence changes will bring further reductions.

These rivers are key examples of rare chalk stream habitat which support a wide variety of species.

The Proposed Scheme will support environmental improvement by increasing the protection of these rivers while addressing the need for secure water supply.

The ALM scheme involves approximately 25km of below-ground pipeline connecting critical infrastructure between Winchester and Andover, alongside upgrades to existing and new booster stations.

It aims to deliver a bi-directional transfer capacity of 15Ml/d by March 2030, ensuring both strategic drought resilience and operational reliability for the isolated Andover Water Resource Zone (WRZ).

SWS delivery strategy is to appoint a single Principal Contractor to design and build Andover Link Main, delivery to inclue detailed design and construction package with enabling work to be completed prior to construction.

The Principal Contractor will act as a Tier 1 provider and sub-contract specialist elements such as Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD), this strategy is to reduce risk of interdependency issues in construction, testing and commissioning.

We understand the current market status of the Tier 2 requirements including Civils Groundworks Temporary site works PE Pipe Pipe fittings Plant tools and equipment (welding, excavation etc) Specialist HDD Equipment and Pipe-Jacking Machines MCCs Pumps is stretched as we enter this significant investment period for water and other infrastructure.

To support the success of our ALM scheme we are conducting a market engagement exercise that invites the Tier 2 supply chain to register their interest in supporting our Tier 1’s in delivering the scheme https://southernwater.ukp.app.jaggaer.com/esop/guest/go/opportunity/detail?opportunityId=59781