NI Water’s £10.5bn IF109 framework: four lots, a 12-year ceiling and an award cap
NI Water’s IF109 is a long-term route into its water and wastewater investment programme, not a single £10.5bn order. Its four distinct lots and limit of three awards per supplier shape where businesses may fit.
SupplierVerse AI, Friday, 16 October 2026.
Northern Ireland Water’s IF109 Integrated Partnerships Framework is estimated at £10.5bn excluding VAT, but the important supplier story is how that work is divided. Four lots span network pipelaying, civil works, process engineering and major multidisciplinary projects; no supplier can be awarded more than three. The framework could run for up to 12 years, making its boundaries and award rules more consequential than the headline figure alone.
Day at a glance
Supplierverse captured 71 UK notices for Friday 16 October 2026: 46 open for tender and 25 at planning stage.
| Sector | Notices |
|---|
| Construction works | 11 |
| Health and social care | 5 |
| Architecture and engineering | 5 |
| Cleaning, waste and environment | 4 |
| Construction materials | 4 |
| Business services | 4 |
| Electrical equipment | 4 |
| Education and training | 4 |
| Other sectors | 30 |
| Total | 71 |
Each notice is counted once, under the sector of its first CPV code. The set is the notices still open when Supplierverse captured them, so it is not a full record of everything published that day. 28 Irish notices captured the same day are excluded.
Construction works is prominent in today’s captured mix, with most of its notices open for tender. That includes NI Water’s framework spanning pipelaying and civil works. By contrast, all five health and social care notices are at planning stage, including future requirements for oral surgery and older-adults day services. These examples illustrate the mix; they do not represent every notice in either sector.
A framework, not a £10.5bn order
IF109 is intended to support NI Water’s capital programme across Northern Ireland and succeed the existing IF105 framework, which is due to expire in May 2028. The new framework is scheduled to start in October 2027. NI Water says it will support the PC28 investment programme and future regulatory periods. The tender notice sets out the framework’s scope and structure.
The four lots give suppliers very different entry points. Minor Civil Pipelaying covers network assets such as water mains and sewers, with typical project values expected between £0 and £3m. Civil Minor Works spans work such as tanks, reservoirs and pumping-station civil works, generally up to £10m. Minor MEICA and Process Works focuses on mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, control and automation systems in operational environments. The fourth lot is for larger, complex projects bringing civil, engineering and process capabilities together.
The notice estimates the framework at £10.5bn excluding VAT (£12.6bn including VAT) and says its total value may be shared across all lots. That is a framework estimate, not a promise of £10.5bn in orders. The initial term is six years, from October 2027 to September 2033, with extensions at NI Water’s discretion that could take it to 12 years in total.
Suppliers may apply for all four lots, but an economic operator can be awarded no more than three. The notice also says restrictions apply to combinations of lots, with the detail in the Participation Stage Package. That makes the lot descriptions and award method essential reading: a company’s capability may cross several lots, but its eventual position will be shaped by the award cap and the combination rules. The deadline is 18 November 2026.
Scotland’s workforce demand is split by role and region
Scottish Procurement’s Temporary and Interim Staff Services framework is another substantial framework, estimated at £450m and open for up to four years. Its four lots separate national interim professional and IT staff from temporary administrative, catering and manual roles in the North and South regions.
That structure gives suppliers a clearer first question than the total value: which roles and geography can they reliably cover? The current framework suite is due to expire on 12 April 2027, providing a concrete transition point for the incoming arrangement. This is a multi-supplier framework, not a single appointment, and the tender closes on 7 December.
Fairhive asks suppliers to shape a materials model
For building-materials suppliers, Fairhive Housing’s market engagement is a chance to influence a proposed contract before it becomes a competition. Fairhive says it currently spends about £3.5m a year on materials for responsive repairs and void works, and is considering a single supplier using a managed-store model. The proposed contract is estimated at £17.5m.
The buyer is inviting views on the scope, structure and commercial model, including possible operational or innovative approaches. This is preliminary engagement, not a live bid; participation is optional and is not a condition of taking part in any later procurement. For merchants and suppliers, the practical opportunity is to test whether the proposed single-supplier model fits the breadth of materials and service required before the final competition is designed.
Norfolk care tender has a deadline complication
Norfolk County Council’s Technology Enabled Care procurement is seeking a service that brings technology and virtual care into care planning, with the council’s stated aim of supporting prevention, independence and person-centred support at home. The estimated value is £12.7m excluding VAT over an initial three-year term, with a possible two-year extension.
There is a material timing wrinkle. The latest notice version says the submission deadline has been temporarily suspended following clarifications on In-Tend, although it still displays 26 October. That date should not be treated as reliable until the buyer’s current timetable is confirmed. The procurement is still a useful one to examine for care-technology providers: this is a service integrated into care planning, not simply an equipment supply.
Also on the radar
Shropshire’s EV charging concession is still in planning. The market engagement notice describes a second round after the council refined its proposed model, funding assumptions and site-identification approach. It is considering a 15-year concession, with a possible two-year extension, and expects more than 550 additional charge points. Suppliers are being asked for feedback on matters including site assessment, traffic regulation orders and stakeholder engagement; this is not yet a competition.
The Broads drainage package is open for bids. Upper Thurne Package 3 covers the design and construction of two pumping stations and a culvert, alongside telemetry, electrical and control systems and the decommissioning of existing assets. Its 19 January 2027 deadline leaves time for contractors to assess the integrated scope and delivery requirements.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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