Utility provider Yorkshire Water is preparing to establish a £50M framework to secure specialist professional resources for its expanding capital investment programme.

The company has issued a preliminary market engagement notice ahead of procuring a panel of suppliers capable of providing project management, commercial management, quantity surveying and project controls professionals on a flexible call-off basis.

The proposed framework, which is expected to run from October 2026 until September 2034, is intended to support delivery of Yorkshire Water’s significantly enlarged capital programme across construction, civil engineering and water infrastructure assets.

According to the notice, which was published today (4 June), the scale and complexity of the company’s investment programme has created “ongoing and fluctuating demand” for specialist project delivery expertise.

Yorkshire Water cited shortages of experienced permanent staff, increased reliance on contingent labour and the need for rapid mobilisation of skilled professionals as key drivers behind the procurement.

The framework will provide access to resources for individual capital projects, multi-project portfolios, programme delivery activities and business-as-usual capital delivery support. Assignments are expected to range from short-term interventions to longer-term programme roles.

Roles covered by the framework will include project managers and senior project managers responsible for end-to-end project delivery, governance, risk management and stakeholder engagement.

Commercial and quantity surveying positions will include quantity surveyors, senior quantity surveyors, commercial managers and senior commercial managers, with responsibilities covering cost forecasting, NEC contract administration, change control, commercial risk management and supply chain performance.

Yorkshire Water is also seeking planning and project controls specialists, including Project Management Office (PMO) managers, planning managers, schedulers and project controls managers. These roles will support programme planning, integrated controls, performance reporting and portfolio governance.

The utility said suppliers must demonstrate experience in construction, civil engineering or water and utilities sectors, alongside familiarity with regulated infrastructure environments, NEC contracts and collaborative delivery models.

Under the proposed delivery model, Yorkshire Water will be able to define role requirements, assignment durations and locations at call-off stage, selecting suppliers either through direct award or mini-competition processes. The framework is intended to support scalable deployment of resources and blended teams sourced from multiple suppliers.

Supplier performance will be monitored against measures including quality of resource provision, mobilisation times, delivery outcomes, stakeholder feedback and value for money.

The utility expects suppliers to submit role-based day rates by category and seniority.

The preliminary market engagement exercise will remain open until 26 June. Yorkshire Water has invited interested suppliers to submit details of their service offerings, with further engagement activities such as requests for information and supplier discussions potentially following.

The procurement falls under the utilities regime and is open to participation from small and medium-sized enterprises.

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