The shortlist is: FR JV and Partners comprising Fluor Ltd and Ramboll UK; Jacobs; and Turner & Townsend Infrastructure Ltd.
HARP involves the replacement of six tunnel sections – approximately 50km – of the 110km pipeline that carries drinking water from Haweswater in Cumbria to Greater Manchester. It also includes connections to existing multiline siphons between the tunnel sections and associated facilities. It will be the largest infrastructure project undertaken by United Utilities since privatisation.
The original aqueduct was completed in the 1950s to increase supplies of water into Manchester and the Pennines from the Lake District. The project will ensure the resilience of the asset for decades to come.
United Utilities is seeking to appoint a competitively appointed provider (CAP) to design, build, finance and maintain the replacement of the six tunnels sections.
The ITA will have a crucial role in ensuring that management of the CAP is assured and/or verified by independent parties. The next stage of the tender process will identify the preferred bidder that will then be appointed as the ITA.
Neil Gillespie, United Utilities’ transformation and strategic programmes director, said: “The ITA role is key for HARP as the successful applicant will provide objective, independent oversight of the CAP’s management of project costs and delivery.”
