Official UK procurement notice
Digital Contractor Control of Work Platform
Authority: SEVERN TRENT WATER LIMITED (Public body)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionPreliminary Market Engagement
Digital Contractor Control of Work Platform
Background
Severn Trent Water is seeking information from the market regarding SaaS solutions capable of digitising and governing the lifecycle of contractor management and work authorisation activities.
Current processes are fragmented across email, spreadsheets, SharePoint, paper records and localised working practices. There are opportunities to improve visibility, consistency, auditability and operational efficiency.
The organisation wishes to understand the maturity of the market and identify potential SaaS solutions that could support a future procurement exercise.
This market engagement is not a call for competition, invitation to tender or commitment to procure.
Business Problem
Severn Trent requires a solution that provides consistent governance and visibility over contractor activities occurring across operational sites and facilities.
The organisation seeks to:
- Improve contractor governance and compliance
- Digitise contractor work authorisation processes
- Reduce administrative effort
- Improve management visibility
- Strengthen auditability
- Improve consistency across business units
- Improve efficiency by digitising manual processes
- Maintain a clear record of contractor competence, approvals and activities
Scope
The scope may include:
- Wastewater operations
- Water operations
- Bio Resources
- Property
- Other operational business functions
Suppliers should identify whether their platform can support deployment across multiple business units using common workflows whilst maintaining local operational flexibility.
Existing Business Processes
The organisation currently operates contractor governance and work authorisation processes which include:
- Contractor approvals
- Site attendance acceptance
- Work authorisation
- RAMS review
- Permit controls
Desired Outcomes
The solution should provide:
- Contractor Governance
The ability to maintain a central contractor repository containing:
- Contractor information
- Competency records
- Insurance information
- Accreditation records
- Authorisations
- Expiry management
- Supporting documentation
- Work Authorisation
The ability to:
- Receive contractor work requests
- Review and approve requests
- Apply site-specific controls
- Communicate site hazards
- Authorise work
- Track work status
- Close activities
- RAMS Management
The ability to:
- Receive RAMS submissions
- Review and approve RAMS
- Reject and request amendments
- Version control submissions
- Maintain an audit trail
- Permit Management
The ability to:
- Create permits
- Approve permits
- Track permits
- Close permits
- View current and historical permits
- Support a variety of permit types
Examples may include:
- Hot works
- Confined space
- Excavations
- Electrical work
- Contractor work authorisations
- Visibility and Control
The ability to:
- View current activities
- View future planned activities
- View historical activities
- Report on contractor performance
- Report on compliance activity
- Identify conflicting activities
- Auditing and Assurance
The ability to:
- Record audits
- Record inspections
- Record assurance activities
- Track actions
- Maintain full audit trails
- Mobility
The solution should support:
- Mobile devices
- Operational users
- Contractors
- Remote working
- Field-based approvals
Non-Functional Requirements
Suppliers should comment on:
- SaaS deployment model
- UK hosting options
- Cyber security accreditations
- Identity management
- Single Sign-On
- Zero Trust Architecture
- API capability
- Data export capability
- Business continuity
- Disaster recovery
- Mobile capability
- Offline working
- Accessibility
Suppliers are not expected to understand current process names or terminology.
Instead, suppliers should explain:
How their product would support:
- Repeat contractor authorisations
- Site-specific approval processes
- Work authorisation workflows
- Contractor governance
- Permit-to-work processes
without requiring bespoke development.
Solution Architecture
Suppliers should describe their proposed solution architecture and indicate whether the capabilities described in this PME are delivered through:
- A single SaaS platform
- Multiple integrated modules within a common platform
- Multiple products requiring integration
- Custom-developed functionality
- Third-party partner products
Severn Trent recognises that these capabilities may not necessarily be delivered through a single product.
Suppliers should clearly identify:
- Which capabilities are native
- Which capabilities require configuration
- Which capabilities require integration
- Which capabilities require custom development
Responses should explain any implementation, support, licensing or operational implications arising from the proposed architecture.
Suppliers should describe the largest customer environments currently supported by their platform, including:
- Number of sites
- Number of contractor organisations
- Number of users
- Geographic coverage
Supplier Response Instructions
Supplier responses must be submitted through SAP Business Network.
Responses should be concise and focused on the requirements described in this PME.
Responses should comprise:
- Supplier Overview (maximum 2 pages)
Please provide:
- Company name
- Product name(s)
- Headquarters location
- Approximate number of employees
- Relevant industry sectors served
- Utility sector experience
- Water sector experience
•
- 2. Solution Overview (maximum 5 pages)
Describe:
- How your solution addresses the business problem described in this PME
- Key differentiators
- Typical deployment model
- Typical implementation approach
- Mobile capabilities
- Reporting and analytics capabilities
Please avoid generic marketing material where possible.
- Architecture Statement (maximum 2 pages)
Describe:
- Whether the solution is provided as:
o A single SaaS platform
o Multiple modules within a common platform
o Multiple integrated products
o A partially bespoke solution
- Any third-party products required
- Any custom development required
- Any significant implementation dependencies
- Capability Response
For each requirement identify whether the capability is:
- Native
- Configurable
- Integration required
- Custom development required
- Roadmap
- Not available
Suppliers should provide explanatory comments where appropriate.
- Customer Scale (maximum 2 pages)
Provide examples of the largest customer environments currently supported, including:
- Number of sites
- Number of contractor organisations
- Number of users
- Geographic footprint
- Commercial Model (maximum 2 pages)
Provide high-level indicative pricing information including:
- Licence model
- Charging basis
- Typical implementation costs
- Typical support costs
- Typical integration costs
Detailed pricing is not required at this stage.
CPV: Software package and information systems
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1PlannedRenewal
Pipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published
How SEVERN TRENT WATER LIMITED buys Software package and information systems (CPV 48), and who usually turns up
SEVERN TRENT WATER LIMITED’s published record next to the market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are left out: they draw different bid counts. Whole-market view: Software package and information systems (CPV 48) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
i
How often small and medium firms win.
Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.
The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.
Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
Local means the winner is registered in the region where that award was delivered.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners were registered in the region where that award was delivered.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the bid deadline to the award date, on competitions that published both.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards have an award date within 60 days of the bid deadline.
i
How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
Both shares are minimums: some awards have no bid count.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Direct awards or one recorded bid are common here. Check the route before spending time on a bid.
How many bids did past lots attract?
i
How many bids past lots received.
Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.
Past bids do not predict this tender.
1 bid17% / 16%
2–30% / 31%
4–650% / 32%
7+33% / 22%
How did awards compare with estimates?
i
Where winning prices landed against estimates.
Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Below estimate55%
Within ±2%25%
Above estimate20%
Assess each lot i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list
Lot #1CPV 48Estimate not published
This lot lists more than one class in CPV 48. The comparison uses that group.
i
How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative. The bar shows 377 past lots.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid16%
2–331%
4–632%
7+22%
i
Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
Candidate suppliers for this notice have not been worked out yet, so this is not a verdict that nobody fits.
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
- Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Goods
- Notice status
- Planned procurement
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Utilities
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 21 Jul 2026, 14:20 BST
- Last source update
- 21 Jul 2026, 14:20 BST
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-068738- Latest notice
- Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06cff2Find a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
21 Jul 2026 → 1 Jul 2027 · 3 dates- Planning notice published97 days ago21 Jul 2026, 14:20 BST
- Market engagement55 days ago1 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
Preliminary Market Engagement
Digital Contractor Control of Work Platform
Background
Severn Trent Water is seeking information from the market regarding SaaS solutions capable of digitising and governing the lifecycle of contractor management and work authorisation activities.
Current processes are fragmented across email, spreadsheets, SharePoint, paper records and localised working practices. There are opportunities to improve visibility, consistency, auditability and operational efficiency.
The organisation wishes to understand the maturity of the market and identify potential SaaS solutions that could support a future procurement exercise.
This market engagement is not a call for competition, invitation to tender or commitment to procure.
Business Problem
Severn Trent requires a solution that provides consistent governance and visibility over contractor activities occurring across operational sites and facilities.
The organisation seeks to:
- Improve contractor governance and compliance
- Digitise contractor work authorisation processes
- Reduce administrative effort
- Improve management visibility
- Strengthen auditability
- Improve consistency across business units
- Improve efficiency by digitising manual processes
- Maintain a clear record of contractor competence, approvals and activities
Scope
The scope may include:
- Wastewater operations
- Water operations
- Bio Resources
- Property
- Other operational business functions
Suppliers should identify whether their platform can support deployment across multiple business units using common workflows whilst maintaining local operational flexibility.
Existing Business Processes
The organisation currently operates contractor governance and work authorisation processes which include:
- Contractor approvals
- Site attendance acceptance
- Work authorisation
- RAMS review
- Permit controls
Desired Outcomes
The solution should provide:
- Contractor Governance
The ability to maintain a central contractor repository containing:
- Contractor information
- Competency records
- Insurance information
- Accreditation records
- Authorisations
- Expiry management
- Supporting documentation
- Work Authorisation
The ability to:
- Receive contractor work requests
- Review and approve requests
- Apply site-specific controls
- Communicate site hazards
- Authorise work
- Track work status
- Close activities
- RAMS Management
The ability to:
- Receive RAMS submissions
- Review and approve RAMS
- Reject and request amendments
- Version control submissions
- Maintain an audit trail
- Permit Management
The ability to:
- Create permits
- Approve permits
- Track permits
- Close permits
- View current and historical permits
- Support a variety of permit types
Examples may include:
- Hot works
- Confined space
- Excavations
- Electrical work
- Contractor work authorisations
- Visibility and Control
The ability to:
- View current activities
- View future planned activities
- View historical activities
- Report on contractor performance
- Report on compliance activity
- Identify conflicting activities
- Auditing and Assurance
The ability to:
- Record audits
- Record inspections
- Record assurance activities
- Track actions
- Maintain full audit trails
- Mobility
The solution should support:
- Mobile devices
- Operational users
- Contractors
- Remote working
- Field-based approvals
Non-Functional Requirements
Suppliers should comment on:
- SaaS deployment model
- UK hosting options
- Cyber security accreditations
- Identity management
- Single Sign-On
- Zero Trust Architecture
- API capability
- Data export capability
- Business continuity
- Disaster recovery
- Mobile capability
- Offline working
- Accessibility
Suppliers are not expected to understand current process names or terminology.
Instead, suppliers should explain:
How their product would support:
- Repeat contractor authorisations
- Site-specific approval processes
- Work authorisation workflows
- Contractor governance
- Permit-to-work processes
without requiring bespoke development.
Solution Architecture
Suppliers should describe their proposed solution architecture and indicate whether the capabilities described in this PME are delivered through:
- A single SaaS platform
- Multiple integrated modules within a common platform
- Multiple products requiring integration
- Custom-developed functionality
- Third-party partner products
Severn Trent recognises that these capabilities may not necessarily be delivered through a single product.
Suppliers should clearly identify:
- Which capabilities are native
- Which capabilities require configuration
- Which capabilities require integration
- Which capabilities require custom development
Responses should explain any implementation, support, licensing or operational implications arising from the proposed architecture.
Suppliers should describe the largest customer environments currently supported by their platform, including:
- Number of sites
- Number of contractor organisations
- Number of users
- Geographic coverage
Supplier Response Instructions
Supplier responses must be submitted through SAP Business Network only at portal.us.bn.cloud.ariba.com/dashboard/public/app… ↗
Or navigate directly to SAP Business Network and search
"Digital Contractor Control of Work Platform", "ID - 1110019370" or "Doc3232950799". If you experience an issue with SAP Business Network contact SAP in the first instance.
Responses should be concise and focused on the requirements described in this PME.
Responses should comprise:
- Supplier Overview (maximum 2 pages)
Please provide:
- Company name
- Product name(s)
- Headquarters location
- Approximate number of employees
- Relevant industry sectors served
- Utility sector experience
- Water sector experience
•
- 2. Solution Overview (maximum 5 pages)
Describe:
- How your solution addresses the business problem described in this PME
- Key differentiators
- Typical deployment model
- Typical implementation approach
- Mobile capabilities
- Reporting and analytics capabilities
Please avoid generic marketing material where possible.
- Architecture Statement (maximum 2 pages)
Describe:
- Whether the solution is provided as:
o A single SaaS platform
o Multiple modules within a common platform
o Multiple integrated products
o A partially bespoke solution
- Any third-party products required
- Any custom development required
- Any significant implementation dependencies
- Capability Response
For each requirement identify whether the capability is:
- Native
- Configurable
- Integration required
- Custom development required
- Roadmap
- Not available
Suppliers should provide explanatory comments where appropriate.
- Customer Scale (maximum 2 pages)
Provide examples of the largest customer environments currently supported, including:
- Number of sites
- Number of contractor organisations
- Number of users
- Geographic footprint
- Commercial Model (maximum 2 pages)
Provide high-level indicative pricing information including:
- Licence model
- Charging basis
- Typical implementation costs
- Typical support costs
- Typical integration costs
Detailed pricing is not required at this stage.
- Today27 Oct 2026
- Contract startsin 246 days1 Jul 2027, 00:00 BST
Notice history
1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender- Preliminary market engagement notice published21 Jul 2026, 14:20 BSTUK2
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Pipeline notice- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (1)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender