Information for investors and supply chain

At PR24, Ofwat allocated funding for a £50 billion pipeline of 30 major water infrastructure projects for delivery over the next 10-25 years. This presents a significant opportunity for investors and supply chain partners to engage in financing, designing, building, and operating infrastructure.

The opportunity: investors

Ofwat Major Projects are expected to be taken forward through SIPR (Specified Infrastructure Project Regulations) or Direct Procurement for Customers (DPC), whereby water companies put major projects out to competitive tender for delivery by third parties. The majority of the upcoming pipeline of schemes are considered to be suitable for delivery via DPC.

The projects provide investors with high-impact opportunities to be involved in delivering essential water infrastructure in England and Wales. Further projects are expected to join the Major Projects and RAPID programmes in the coming years.

What do we want to achieve from investment?

  • Deliver robust water infrastructure for England and Wales, as well as broader infrastructure development across the sector.
  • Ensure best value design, construction, financing and operations of major new infrastructure.
  • Incorporate expertise and best practice from other countries and sectors through partnerships with experienced investors.

Find out more about how investors can get involved in Ofwat Major Projects

Download our investor pack (updated June 2025)

The opportunity: supply chain

We aim to build strong and collaborative relationships with the water industry supply chain early on in the process of developing Major Projects.

We encourage early supply chain engagement to share ideas and expertise that can improve design, reduce risks, and drive innovation. This encourages open communication, trust, and long-term thinking—supporting skills development, capacity building, and alignment with key outcomes like environmental sustainability and resilience. By working closely with the supply chain, we hope to ensure projects are delivered efficiently, on time, and that they provide long-term value for customers and the environment.

What are we looking to achieve from supply chain engagement?

  • Ensure that the supply chain is confident in and informed about the Ofwat Major Project pipeline in order to plan ahead – including building the right teams and skills
  • Involve supply chain in planning from early on in the process to maximise efficiency and optimise outcomes for customers and the environment
  • Promote collaborative, cross-sector working between the water sector, regulators, government, investors and supply chain

Find out more about how supply chain businesses can get involved in the Major Projects programme

Download our supply chain pack (updated June 2025)

Market engagement

Ofwat Major Projects is working with the water companies to support planning and delivery of market engagement activities, to update investors and supply chain partners on the opportunities involved in delivering the pipeline of major water infrastructure projects in the coming years.

Ofwat recently partnered with RAPID and Jefferies and SMBC investment banks to deliver a market engagement event on Friday 9 May. The slides which were presented at the event can be viewed here. We received numerous questions from stakeholders at the event and have answered these in the following Q&A document here, which also includes the responses to Slido questions which attendees were asked during the event. We will continue to publish relevant information about market engagement activities on this section of the website.

Ofwat Major Projects and RAPID

Ofwat Major Projects works closely with the Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development, which formed in 2019 as a partnership between the three water regulators – Ofwat, the Environment Agency and the Drinking Water Inspectorate – to provide seamless oversight of the early stages of development for new water supply infrastructure. These projects are essential in tackling the forecast water supply deficit in England and Wales over the coming decades, and represent the largest infrastructure investment in the sector in recent decades.

Find out more about RAPID.

If you have any questions or would like to talk to the team, please get in touch via [email protected], or [email protected].