Three heavyweight contracting teams have been shortlisted to compete for the £5.7 billion contract to deliver Thames Water’s proposed White Horse Reservoir in Oxfordshire, one of the largest infrastructure construction opportunities currently progressing in the UK.
The three competing joint ventures bring together some of the world’s biggest civil engineering and infrastructure contractors, with teams led by Webuild, Bouygues and Balfour Beatty now moving into the next stage of procurement.
The shortlisted consortia are WFH JV, comprising Webuild, Hyundai Engineering & Construction and FCC Construcción; BMV+, bringing together Bouygues Travaux Publics, J Murphy & Sons and VolkerFitzpatrick; and BBV, comprising Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering and Vinci Construction Grands Projets.
Thames Water has invited all three teams to prepare detailed tenders, which are expected to be submitted next spring. The main works contract is then scheduled to be awarded in autumn 2027.
Located south west of Abingdon, the proposed White Horse Reservoir will require a vast programme of civil engineering and construction work covering design, construction, testing and commissioning.
At the heart of the project will be major earthmoving operations to create the reservoir and its surrounding embankments. The programme will also require extensive tunnelling and pipeline construction, river structures, new roads and associated infrastructure.
With a proposed capacity of around 150 billion litres, White Horse Reservoir would become the second-largest reservoir in the UK. Its scale means construction is expected to take approximately a decade, followed by two winters to fill the reservoir, with water currently planned to become available from 2040.
The construction programme alone is expected to support more than 1,000 jobs, creating significant opportunities across the civil engineering, utilities and infrastructure supply chain.
Previously known as the South East Strategic Reservoir Option, the scheme is being developed to strengthen the resilience of water supplies serving around 15 million customers across the Thames Water, Affinity Water and Southern Water regions.
Simon Adams, White Horse Reservoir programme director, said: “Few projects offer the chance to help secure the country’s water future for decades to come, which is why we’ve selected world-class companies who will bid to build White Horse Reservoir.
“As we move into the next stage of the procurement process, we look forward to seeing bids that match our ambitions for this once in a generation project.”
The financing and delivery structure will also make the scheme particularly significant for the UK infrastructure market.
Thames Water intends to use the regulated infrastructure provider funding model previously adopted for the Thames Tideway Tunnel. Under the proposed approach, a separate infrastructure provider will be competitively selected to finance the project and work alongside the successful main works contractor.
Selection of that infrastructure provider is currently scheduled for 2029.
With three major international contracting teams now preparing to compete for the main construction package, White Horse Reservoir is moving towards a critical procurement stage. Beyond its sheer construction value, the project represents a major long-term investment in UK water resilience and a substantial pipeline of work for contractors, consultants, engineers and specialist infrastructure suppliers.
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