Northumbrian Water are looking to appoint Specialist Advisory Services to support the development, procurement and mobilisation of major strategic infrastructure programmes, including activities related to the Direct Procurement for Customers (DPC) / Specified Infrastructure Project Regulations (SIPR) pathways, including the North Suffolk Reservoir Project. The framework will provide access to specialist financial/commercial and legal advisors who will support the delivery of strategic infrastructure programmes through the provision of advisory services covering procurement strategy, commercial structuring, financial modelling and assurance, legal strategy, procurement law support, contract drafting, regulatory compliance and mobilisation support. This Notice is published in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023 to forewarn the market of a future tender opportunity, and does not require any action from potential bidders at this time. When the tender goes live a further notice will be published giving details. The tender will be published on our e-tendering platform which can be found at https//:ariba.com. Procurement timetable: PQQ: Oct - Dec 2026 ITT: Jan - Feb 2027 Tender Evaluation: Mar - Apr 2027 Interviews: Apr 2027 Contract Award: Jul 2027 Contract Implementation/Mobilisation: Jul 2027 Please note that these dates are indicative and may be subject to change.

Provision of financial and commercial advisory services to support the development, procurement, contract award, and mobilisation of major infrastructure programmes. Services include financial strategy and modelling, commercial and delivery model development, procurement strategy and documentation, payment mechanism design, market engagement, bidder evaluation and negotiations, contract close activities, and associated assurance support. The appointed adviser will provide strategic support throughout the programme lifecycle and will work closely with the programme team, technical advisors and legal advisors. The scope is agnostic to delivery model, including SIPR and DPC models. The intention is to appoint one supplier per lot, with the addition of one reserve supplier per lot to provide additional resilience, capacity and flexibility to support future programme requirements. If there is any change to this strategy, this will be advised in the Tender Notice. Renewal: Framework duration: 5 + 3 + 2 + 2 In the case of framework agreements, provide justification for any duration exceeding 8 years: Applicable to all lots: It is the intention to award twelve (12) year framework agreements for the provision of these services. This duration is in recognition of the significant investment required from both the client and consultants to establish a long term framework that will provide NWL with a stable, compliant and scalable mechanism to access specialist advisory services throughout the development, procurement and mobilisation phases of major strategic infrastructure programmes. Options: The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid.

Provision of legal advisory services to support major infrastructure procurement programmes, including legal strategy, procurement law, contract drafting and negotiation, regulatory compliance, land and planning matters, contract close and mobilisation activities, and corporate finance legal support. The appointed adviser will provide strategic legal support throughout the programme lifecycle and will work closely with the programme team, technical advisors and financial/commercial advisors. The scope is agnostic to delivery model, including SIPR and DPC models. The intention is to appoint one supplier per lot, with the addition of one reserve supplier per lot to provide additional resilience, capacity and flexibility to support future programme requirements. If there is any change to this strategy, this will be advised in the Tender Notice. Renewal: Framework duration: 5 + 3 + 2 + 2 In the case of framework agreements, provide justification for any duration exceeding 8 years: Applicable to all lots: It is the intention to award twelve (12) year framework agreements for the provision of these services. This duration is in recognition of the significant investment required from both the client and consultants to establish a long term framework that will provide NWL with a stable, compliant and scalable mechanism to access specialist advisory services throughout the development, procurement and mobilisation phases of major strategic infrastructure programmes. Options: The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid.

Estimated value: 100,000,000 GBP including VAT Lot 1 estimated value: 50,000,000 GBP including VAT Lot 2 estimated value: 50,000,000 GBP including VAT

Procurement Act 2023

Competitive flexible procedure

Utilities

The notice has only been amended to include details of the number of suppliers that will be appointed to each lot. This information is set out in the Lot 1 and Lot 2 sections.