Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many bids have been received for the infrastructure provider utility to receive a licence from the Water Services Regulation Authority to build and operate the Thames Tideway Tunnel; and what assessment they have made of whether this number is sufficient to achieve competitive tension and to comply with the Utilities Contract Regulations 2006 Schedule 1 and HM Treasury's Guide on Procurement for Complex Investments in Infrastructure Assets.
Procurement of the Thames Tideway Tunnel Infrastructure Provider is being carried out by Thames Water Utilities Limited. As this is a live procurement, the Government is unable to comment on commercially-sensitive aspects, including the number of bidders. Once complete, further information on the procurement will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union as a contract award notice. Having been consulted on the terms that the project was put out to tender, the Government is satisfied it complies with all relevant procurement law and is capable of delivering value for money.