Southern Water seeks suppliers for £160m emergency water supply network

Water company launches market engagement on alternative supplies to keep customers served during outages across South East England.

Written with data automation, reviewed by the editor · Published 2026-07-15

Southern Water is gathering supplier information on a £160m procurement for emergency water services across Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The request for information covers bulk tankering, bottled water supply, delivery to vulnerable customers, bottled water stations and incident management. The deadline for responses is 30 July 2026.

Key facts
buyer	Southern Water Services Limited
value	£160m (estimated)
supplier	Open to market
published	1 July 2026
procedure or type	Request for Information (RFI)

buyer

Southern Water Services Limited

value

£160m (estimated)

supplier

Open to market

published

1 July 2026

procedure or type

Request for Information (RFI)

For bidders

Who should care: Water and waste logistics companies, bulk water suppliers, bottled water distributors, haulage and driver resource providers, security and site management firms, and incident management system vendors serving utilities and emergency services. Suppliers operating or willing to serve Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Getting involved: Suppliers should access the detailed scope documentation on the jaggaer sourcing platform using instructions in the notice published on Find a Tender. Responses are due by 30 July 2026. This is a market engagement stage; a formal tender is expected to follow, likely structured as separate contracts across the five lots. Suppliers responding now can shape contract terms and procurement structure before the main competitive exercise.

Southern Water Services Limited is inviting suppliers to inform its sourcing strategy for alternative water supply and incident management, a service the company must provide by law when clean water distribution is interrupted.

The procurement covers five lots: a managed service provider contract worth an estimated £56m; bulk water tankering at £48m; bottled water supply at £16m; delivery to customers at £24m; and bottled water stations with traffic management at £16m. Services must operate 24/7/365 across Southern Water's operational region.

This is a request for information stage, meaning supplier input now will shape the final contract specification, procurement structure and terms. Southern Water is using the jaggaer sourcing platform for detailed scope documentation and responses. The exercise allows the company to test market technical capabilities and understand commercial structures available for rapid response to planned and emergency outages.

Suppliers can access documents and submit responses via jaggaer by the deadline. The notice indicates Southern Water plans a formal procurement to follow, likely structured around the five published lots.