£1bn Tender Timeframe Announced

United Utilities have announced their tender timeframe for the delivery of major upgrade and replacement tunnels from the Haweswater Aqueduct Resilience Programme (HARP) in the North West.

The plans include an overhaul of the 109km pipeline which brings water from the Lake District to customers in Cumbria, Lancashire and Greater Manchester. The aqueduct supplies one third of the region’s drinking water every day, however its condition is deteriorating.

There are six tunnel sections which run from Cumbria to Manchester which run along the length of the aqueduct, which was completed n 1955, however these now need to be replace, and it is estimated to cost between £800 million and £1 billion.

United Utilities are planning a single procurement exercise with bidding consortia bringing together all the relevant technical, construction and financing expertise to deliver this latest project.

The preparations for HARP have now begun, with Costain onboard for early assessment and survey work of the aqueduct network.  United Utilities are planning a round of industry consultations, with construction work now planned to start in 2023, the project should take around 10 years to complete.

HAPR Bid Timetable:

• March 2021 – publish contract notice
• April 2021 – PQQ Submission deadline
• May 2021 – invite successfully shortlisted bidders to tender
• November 2021- tender submission
• February 2022 – Best And Final Offer
• March 2022 – Award.

Should interested parties have any further questions, or require more details about future industry engagement plan, this information can be obtained by emailing United Utilities at amy.foxall@uuplc.co.uk .

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