Utility Contracts and Tenders

Utility tenders cover water and wastewater supply and retail contracts, multi-utility connection works that combine gas, electricity and water for new housing or infrastructure sites, and the metering, monitoring and maintenance contracts that support them. Standalone gas and electricity supply is a much larger, separate market.

Stotles brings together utility tenders and contracts from 100+ portals into one search, so you do not have to check each portal separately, and you can set alerts for new opportunities across the UK and Ireland.

If you want to search the government portals directly, Find a Tender carries higher-value contracts across the UK and Contracts Finder carries lower-value contracts in England. Public Contracts Scotland, Sell2Wales and eTendersNI cover Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, Ireland's eTenders covers Irish public bodies, and many councils, NHS bodies and housing associations publish on their own e-tendering portals such as ProContract. Water and multi-utility supply for public estates is often bought through purchasing organisation frameworks, so many opportunities reach only suppliers already on them.

Utility tenders are scored on price, billing accuracy, account management, metering and data, and support for water efficiency. Many public bodies buy through frameworks, so a framework place is usually needed to be considered.

Water retailers serving business and public customers in England must hold a licence from Ofwat. Tenders usually set minimum insurance cover, check financial standing and ask for evidence of similar contracts at selection stage. Under the Procurement Act 2023, suppliers can be excluded for certain criminal convictions, insolvency or failure to pay tax.

Water retail supply is often bought through multi-site frameworks and aggregated procurements, while multi-utility work is let in lots or through a dynamic purchasing system. Councils, NHS trusts, academy trusts and universities are regular buyers of water supply, and developers, housing associations and development corporations buy multi-utility connections.

Read water and estates strategies, development and infrastructure plans, framework renewals and expiry dates for existing supply contracts, which show utility work coming due ahead of a notice. On Stotles you can track those signals and the buyers behind them, then follow a notice from pre-tender through to award.

Utility notices carry 65100000 (Water distribution and related services) and 65300000 (Electricity distribution and related services).