The £139m Lot 5 deal covers high value proactive and reactive emergency repairs on both the gravity and pressurised wastewater network across the Thames Water Utilities operations area.

The six winners are Barhale, Cappagh Contractors, Clancy Docwra, J Browne, McAllister Bros and Morrison Water Services.

The deal runs for a minimum of five years with an option to extend for a further three years.

Thames Water’s Network Operations Engineering Lead Jason Moran said: “Waste Network Services Lot 5 offers an important opportunity within Network Operations not just to strengthen our supply chain but also to harness industry experience from suppliers.

“It’s an exciting time within operations, as we focus on innovation and delivery efficiency for the benefit of our customers.”

Barhale Director Phil Cull said: “We work closely with Thames across a number of frameworks and sites and have built up a fantastic operational understanding.

“Through collaboration we have been able to deliver faster, more effectively and with less disruption to customers and these efficiency gains are key drivers of the how the Waste Network Services framework will be delivered.

“There is also an important emphasis on innovation – finding new, better value ways to deliver solutions and building long-term resilience into the network.”