Drainage and Wastewater Management Plan (DWMP)

We are looking for proposals for alternative options in either demand or capacity management for evaluation alongside those developed internally that deliver:

1. Improve efficiency and delivery benefits for a lower cost for customers;
2. Identify innovative market led solutions to managing long term resilience pressures for drainage and wastewater management;
3. Enhance the natural capital of the north west, providing wider benefits for customers;
4. Sustainable solutions to water quality and sewer flooding risk.

Through the DWMP we want to deliver a plan which demonstrate best value for customers by investigating innovative routes for delivery. We also want to hear from organisations that can offer innovation to improve our management of drainage and wastewater in catchments, aligned with our Catchment Systems Thinking approach1. We would like to consider options across the range of risks we manage, a number of examples for third party options are included below:

• Measures related to demand reduction from surface water inputs to the sewer network. Examples: surface water attenuation, SuDS, natural flood management.
• Measures which involve working with partners to manage risk to water quality through interventions on catchment land. Examples: diffuse nutrient management to contribute to offsetting.
• Measures which involve managing demand from domestic or business customers.
• Measures involving engineered solutions to improve drainage and/or water quality.

Suppliers of the measures could be one or more of the following:

Land owners / land users - Land owners or land users located within the geographical area supplied by United Utilities whose activities have an impact on environmental water quality e.g. industrial and agricultural users who could provide catchment offsetting.

Design partners - Organisations who can offer a design of services which would provide a benefit to demand or capacity in the drainage and wastewater system. This could be through services or technologies which could be adopted by United Utilities.

Delivery partners - Organisations who can offer delivery of services which would provide a benefit to demand or capacity in the drainage and wastewater system. This could be through services or technologies which could be adopted by United Utilities.

Operational partners - Organisations who can offer ongoing operation solutions outlined above.

Timescales for implementation

The Drainage and Wastewater Management Plan is planning for long term resilience of drainage and wastewater in the UK. Through the plan we are considering risks which could impact on the resilience of the drainage and wastewater system between 2025 and 2050. As such this PIN notice is looking to identify opportunities which could be built upon and developed through the price review process for implementation in the period 2025 to 2030 and beyond. In addition we will consider options which are not available now, but which could be developed over time.

Impact on United Utilities existing network management and maintenance activities

United Utilities Water has a significant number of operational staff and partner organisation that daily manage a wastewater network consisting of over 72,000 km of sewers and more than 3.2m connected properties. Any options highlighted through this process need to be considered in the context of that ongoing management and maintenance activity. We will need to work with bidders to develop delivery strategies to ensure that any benefits can be realised without disrupting critical operational activities of impacting on the level of service to customers.

Cost of the bid that is offered

United Utilities will carefully consider the costs of the proposals that are offered. We will compare the cost of the option being offered, to the costs of us developing a similar solution. In cost assessments, wider benefits (e.g. carbon, natural capital) will be taken into account.