Open91 days left · closes 4pm, Tuesday 29 December 2026

Debt Collection

United Utilities Water Limited · Private utility

In brief

United Utilities Water Limited is looking for suppliers for this contract (North West).

It is a framework worth up to £43,554,267 excluding VAT: the most the buyer expects to spend across all suppliers, not one contract.

The contract runs for 3 years, up to 8 years with extensions, starting 1 October 2027.

It is split into 5 lots, so a supplier can bid for part of the work.

The buyer says it is suitable for small and medium-sized businesses.

Bids close at 4pm, Tuesday 29 December 2026.

Built from the notice's own fields. Always check the official notice before you bid.

Can I win this?

Key dates

Questions by: midnight, Friday 2 October 2026
Bids by: 4pm, Tuesday 29 December 2026

How bids are scored

Technical 50% · Commercial 50%

A balance of quality and price.

Competition

Usually high: a median of 6 bids per contract for similar contracts in this region (from 1286 awards in the last 12 months).

Framework

Winning puts you on a list of suppliers the buyer can call on; it does not guarantee work. The £43,554,267 is the most the buyer expects to spend across all suppliers over the framework's life, not one contract.

What the notice says

The Scope of this proposed service will be for supply of Specialist Debt Collection Agency and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) providers to deliver standard Live 1st and 2nd, Doorstep visits, specialist vulnerable customer, Final accounts, Trace & Collect, low value placement & Probate/Deceased. DCAs play a key part in reducing the debt currently held by United Utilities. The scope of this tender covers household (Domestic) debt only. The objective for all Suppliers to undertake Debt Collection activities and secure payment of money owed by debtors, in-line with Fair Pay Guidelines. United Utilities will provide Customer Data containing the details of the Debts to the Supplier who will work through the agreed processes to collect the Debts and remit the collected funds back to United Utilities including any additional information obtained whilst securing payment. All Suppliers must adhere to all applicable industry standards and Good Industry Practice and be able to ensure compliance and how failures are managed and resolved.

Should I bid?

Tick what applies to you. Nothing is saved.

Can you prepare a good bid in 91 days?Leave time for clarification questions and sign-off.
Is a contract of about £43,554,267 a size you can deliver?Buyers often check that your turnover is comfortably larger than the yearly contract value.
Can you deliver in North West?Check the delivery locations in the tender documents.
Is one of the 5 lots a good fit?You can usually bid for one lot without bidding for the others.
Are you registered on the Central Digital Platform?You need to be registered to take part under the Procurement Act 2023.
The buyer says this suits small businesses.A good sign if you are an SME, but check the requirements.

How to bid

Read the full notice on Find a Tender, including any tender documents it links to.
Register your organisation on the Central Digital Platform (through Find a Tender) if you have not already. Suppliers need to be registered to take part in procurements under the Procurement Act 2023.
Submit your bid through the buyer's e-tendering portal: uk.eu-supply.com.
Send clarification questions before midnight, Friday 2 October 2026.
Make sure your bid arrives before 4pm, Tuesday 29 December 2026. Late bids are usually rejected.

Lots

Lot	Trade	Value
Lot 1 - Live, vulnerable & leaver FA 1 October 2027 to 30 September 2030 What this lot covers Live, vulnerable & leaver FA The scope of this service will be for the supply of live, vulnerable and leaver FA services Activities: - Live debt 1st placement -Live debt 2nd placement -Leaver FA debt 1st placement -Leaver FA debt 2nd placement -Live debt early collection -Vulnerable Customer	—	£14,160,648
Lot 2 - BPO Outbound service (1) 1 October 2027 to 30 September 2030 What this lot covers BPO Outbound service The scope of this service will be to Provide a White Label service to UU. The supplier should provide UU with expert outbound dialling collection activities.	—	£5,481,359
Lot 3 - Trace & collection final debt (1) 1 October 2027 to 30 September 2030 What this lot covers Trace & collection final debt The scope of this service will be for the supply of Trace and collection final debt services Activities: -Leaver debt NFA 1st placement -Leaver debt NFA 2nd placement -Leaver debt NFA 3rd placement -Low value leaver	—	£2,959,324
Lot 4 - Tertiary & Reconnect (1) 1 October 2027 to 30 September 2030 What this lot covers Tertiary & Reconnect The scope of this service will be for the supply of Tertiary and reconnect services -Live debt 3rd placement (Tertiary doorstep visits) -Live debt for affordability reconnect visits	—	£20,553,617
Lot 5 – Probate services/deceased (1) 1 October 2027 to 30 September 2030 What this lot covers Probate services/Deceased The scope of this service will be for the supply of probate services/deceased -Specialist probate recovery services	—	£399,316

Timeline

9 September 2026Tender notice · UK4, notice 085336-2026
11 September 2026Tender notice · UK4, notice 086252-2026

About the buyer

United Utilities Water LimitedLast 12 months

Procurements

119

Awards

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All tenders and awards from United Utilities Water Limited

From notice 085336-2026 on Find a Tender, first published 9 September 2026, last updated 11 September 2026. We last checked for changes on 28 September 2026.