AI Services Framework

{
  "buyer": {
    "id": "GB-COH-02366682",
    "name": "YORKSHIRE WATER SERVICES LIMITED"
  },
  "date": "2025-08-04T18:22:08+01:00",
  "id": "045845-2025",
  "initiationType": "tender",
  "language": "en",
  "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-0524ba",
  "parties": [
    {
      "additionalIdentifiers": [
        {
          "id": "PXGT-3622-WXBQ",
          "scheme": "GB-PPON"
        }
      ],
      "address": {
        "country": "GB",
        "countryName": "United Kingdom",
        "locality": "Bradford",
        "postalCode": "BD6 2SZ",
        "region": "UKE41",
        "streetAddress": "Western House"
      },
      "contactPoint": {
        "email": "matt.bamforth@yorkshirewater.co.uk",
        "name": "Matt Bamforth"
      },
      "details": {
        "classifications": [
          {
            "description": "Private utility",
            "id": "privateUtility",
            "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE"
          }
        ],
        "url": "https://www.yorkshirewater.com/"
      },
      "id": "GB-COH-02366682",
      "identifier": {
        "id": "02366682",
        "scheme": "GB-COH"
      },
      "name": "YORKSHIRE WATER SERVICES LIMITED",
      "roles": [
        "buyer"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "tag": [
    "tender"
  ],
  "tender": {
    "aboveThreshold": true,
    "awardPeriod": {
      "endDate": "2025-11-25T23:59:59Z"
    },
    "description": "Yorkshire Water has made significant investments in its cloud data platform and has established an internal data science team. The organisation is now moving into a new phase of strategic maturity, aiming to apply AI in ways that deliver measurable value across the business.\nAI is recognised at the executive level as a priority capability to support efficiency, resilience, and improved customer service. YW operates in a heavily regulated environment, and any use of AI must align with regulatory requirements around transparency, ethics, security, and operational reliability.\nThere are currently two priority domains for AI (although the scope of the framework will be for any AI/ML services required at Yorkshire Water):\n1. Central Control Operations\n\u2022 Yorkshire Water operates a real-time control room that monitors extensive telemetry across clean and wastewater networks.\n\u2022 Operators are overwhelmed by alarms, many of which are false positives due to manually-set thresholds (e.g. \"trigger at 80% tank level\" without data context).\n\u2022 Decision-making often relies on decades of tacit knowledge, e.g. knowing which alarms to ignore or act on.\n\u2022 There is a strong opportunity to apply AI in:\no Alarm triaging and rationalisation\no Digital twins for simulation and scenario testing\no Predictive maintenance and network optimisation\no Performance is heavily regulated; service outages or pollution events result in significant financial penalties - hence the need for trusted, explainable automation.\n2. Customer Service Operations\n\u2022 Yorkshire Water serves around 5 million customers, handling thousands of customer queries and calls, often with high manual effort.\n\u2022 Call centre volumes spike due to changes like pricing or hosepipe bans, and many interactions (e.g. moving house) are highly repetitive and ripe for automation.\n\u2022 Digital self-service is limited; the website is dated and lacks tools like live chat.\n\u2022 There is strong interest in deploying voice bots, LLM-powered agents, and NLP models to:\no Automate simple tasks\no Improve customer response time\no Prioritise vulnerable customers (while navigating GDPR/sentiment rules)\nTo accelerate delivery and unlock value across the organisation, YW is establishing a framework of specialist AI service providers. The focus is on working with partners who can bring genuine AI expertise and work collaboratively with internal teams to deliver real, operationally grounded solutions.\nYW is seeking to develop trusted partnerships with AI specialists who can support the delivery of practical, business-focused solutions. There is a strong emphasis on collaboration, with suppliers expected to work closely with internal teams and co-develop solutions in an agile, transparent way. The organisation aims to upskill internal staff as part of any delivery, ensuring that solutions can be owned, maintained, and adapted in-house over time. Suppliers must be able to work entirely within Yorkshire Water\u0027s environment, including existing cloud infrastructure (e.g. Azure), CRM (Dynamics), and other systems. No data is permitted to leave YW\u0027s infrastructure.\nThe framework will seek suppliers with a range of AI-related expertise, including:\n\u2022 AI consultancy and use case advisory\n\u2022 Design, integration and implementation of AI tools and systems\n\u2022 Data science and platform engineering\n\u2022 Responsible AI and compliance support\n\u2022 Upskilling and capability-building for internal teams\nSuppliers must be able to work within Yorkshire Water\u0027s existing infrastructure and data environment, and deliver in a collaborative, agile manner.",
    "documents": [
      {
        "description": "Not published",
        "documentType": "conflictOfInterest",
        "id": "conflictOfInterest"
      },
      {
        "accessDetails": "For access to the Ariba event and full information, including the Conditions of Participation and the ITT, please reach out to Matt Bamforth at matt.bamforth@yorkshirewater.co.uk by the specified deadline of this notice, using the below email subject line .\nEmail subject line: CM3224 AI Services Framework",
        "documentType": "biddingDocuments",
        "id": "future"
      },
      {
        "datePublished": "2025-08-04T18:22:08+01:00",
        "description": "Tender notice on Find a Tender",
        "documentType": "tenderNotice",
        "format": "text/html",
        "id": "045845-2025",
        "noticeType": "UK4",
        "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/045845-2025"
      }
    ],
    "enquiryPeriod": {
      "endDate": "2025-08-27T17:00:00+01:00"
    },
    "expressionOfInterestDeadline": "2025-09-03T17:00:00+01:00",
    "id": "CM3224",
    "items": [
      {
        "additionalClassifications": [
          {
            "description": "Software programming and consultancy services",
            "id": "72200000",
            "scheme": "CPV"
          },
          {
            "description": "Data services",
            "id": "72300000",
            "scheme": "CPV"
          }
        ],
        "deliveryAddresses": [
          {
            "country": "GB",
            "countryName": "United Kingdom",
            "region": "UKC"
          },
          {
            "country": "GB",
            "countryName": "United Kingdom",
            "region": "UKD"
          },
          {
            "country": "GB",
            "countryName": "United Kingdom",
            "region": "UKE"
          },
          {
            "country": "GB",
            "countryName": "United Kingdom",
            "region": "UKF"
          },
          {
            "country": "GB",
            "countryName": "United Kingdom",
            "region": "UKG"
          },
          {
            "country": "GB",
            "countryName": "United Kingdom",
            "region": "UKH"
          },
          {
            "country": "GB",
            "countryName": "United Kingdom",
            "region": "UKI"
          },
          {
            "country": "GB",
            "countryName": "United Kingdom",
            "region": "UKJ"
          },
          {
            "country": "GB",
            "countryName": "United Kingdom",
            "region": "UKK"
          }
        ],
        "id": "1",
        "relatedLot": "1"
      }
    ],
    "legalBasis": {
      "id": "2023/54",
      "scheme": "UKPGA",
      "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
    },
    "lots": [
      {
        "awardCriteria": {
          "criteria": [
            {
              "name": "Commercial",
              "numbers": [
                {
                  "number": 35,
                  "weight": "percentageExact"
                }
              ],
              "type": "price"
            },
            {
              "name": "Capability",
              "numbers": [
                {
                  "number": 65,
                  "weight": "percentageExact"
                }
              ],
              "type": "quality"
            }
          ]
        },
        "contractPeriod": {
          "endDate": "2030-12-01T23:59:59Z",
          "maxExtentDate": "2033-12-01T23:59:59Z",
          "startDate": "2025-12-01T00:00:00Z"
        },
        "hasRenewal": true,
        "id": "1",
        "renewal": {
          "description": "Extensions on a 1-year basis up to a maximum of 3-years, at the discretion of Yorkshire Water"
        },
        "status": "active",
        "suitability": {
          "sme": true
        },
        "value": {
          "amount": 32000000,
          "amountGross": 38400000,
          "currency": "GBP"
        }
      }
    ],
    "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
    "procedure": {
      "features": "This will be a multiple round process.\nThe Conditions of Participation phase will select the top 10 highest scoring suppliers who will then be invited to participate in at least one further tender round."
    },
    "procurementMethod": "selective",
    "procurementMethodDetails": "Competitive flexible procedure",
    "specialRegime": [
      "utilities"
    ],
    "status": "active",
    "submissionMethodDetails": "For access to the Ariba event and full information, including the Conditions of Participation and the ITT, please reach out to Matt Bamforth at matt.bamforth@yorkshirewater.co.uk by the specified deadline of this notice, using the below email subject line .\nEmail subject line: CM3224 AI Services Framework\nhttps://www.yorkshirewater.com/",
    "submissionTerms": {
      "electronicSubmissionPolicy": "allowed",
      "languages": [
        "en"
      ]
    },
    "techniques": {
      "frameworkAgreement": {
        "description": "The framework will be awarded based on a commercial and capability evaluation.",
        "isOpenFrameworkScheme": true,
        "method": "withAndWithoutReopeningCompetition",
        "openFrameworkSchemeEndDate": "2033-12-01T23:59:59Z",
        "type": "closed"
      },
      "hasFrameworkAgreement": true
    },
    "title": "AI Services Framework",
    "value": {
      "amount": 32000000,
      "amountGross": 38400000,
      "currency": "GBP"
    }
  }
}