The water company has chosen 20 local, civils-based firms and 10 mechanical and electrical specialists to work on its £500m+ minor works framework.

Partners will work on smaller, county-based schemes – including building solutions in support of the company’s Better Rivers programme, improving process treatment facilities, supporting plans for standardisation across the network and installing storm overflow solutions.

Following a competitive tender process, the 20 awarded civils construction partners are: Askam Civil Engineering, BDB Special Projects, Cheetham Hill Construction, Cubby Construction, GDB Civils & Utilities Ltd, Kaberry Construction, Mackenzie Construction, Morrison Water Services, MPH Construction, Onsite Central, P Casey (Land Reclamation), Pioneer Civil Engineering, R H Irving Construction, Sapphire Utility Solutions, SGC Civil Engineering, Story Contracting, Terra Solutions, Trenchless Solutions, VJ Donegan, and Westshield.

The 10 mechanical and electrical installation partners are: AFECO, Bethell Construction, Bridges Electrical, CHG Electrical, Eric Wright Water, Haywood & Jackson, RSE Ross-Shire, Water Engineering Services Ltd., WH Good, and Z-Tech Control Systems.

Jane Simpson, Capital Delivery Director at United Utilities, said: “Our plan to leave a legacy in the North West goes beyond developing infrastructure – we also want to grow businesses, harness the skills and knowledge of local people, and provide career opportunities to make the region stronger, greener and healthier.

“Our latest partnership is a huge step towards making this happen, and I’m incredibly pleased to have companies with local bases on board; bringing with them a wealth of regional experience to help us deliver quickly for customers in each of our five counties.

“We’ll work collaboratively with these partners with a shared vision for the North West, which includes setting up apprenticeships and skills academies as part of our long-term growth plans.”