The company predicts that across London and the Thames Valley, it will need an additional billion litres of water every day for its customers in the next 50 years.

Technical Partner Framework winners:

• Arup/Binnies
• AtkinsRéalis/Stantec
• Jacobs/Mott MacDonald

The Technical Partner framework will give the water company access to professional support services worth up to £300m as it works to address future water supply challenges.

Projects include a potential new reservoir in Oxfordshire and new river abstraction point on the River Thames supported by water recycling.

Mohit Farmah, head of Procurement and Supply Chain for Thames Water’s Strategic Resource Options Directorate, said: “This agreement marks a significant step forward with our Strategic Resource Options Programme.

“We will now look to work with our technical partners to drive the development of innovative solutions, which will protect the environment, benefit our customers and secure future water supply to enhance drought resilience.”

Mike McNicholas, managing director for Infrastructure at AtkinsRéalis, and Mark Tindale, Water Strategy Director at Stantec, said: “The plan from Thames Water is the largest strategic water resources programme in the country and will secure resilient water supply for millions of customers and stakeholders in the south and southeast of England, for generations to come.

“Over the next decade, the sector’s ability to get water to the right place at the right time, will be a defining issue for the UK’s resilience.

“Delivering SRO projects efficiently is the most crucial challenge. It requires cross-sector working, meaningful knowledge-sharing, and impact-led collaboration.”