Consultancy Advisory Support on the Ofwat-led strategic water resources unit ("RAPID")

Ofwat is looking for the support of a consultant to provide services to support the establishment of a new strategic water resources unit led by Ofwat (the "Regulators' Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development" or "RAPID"). The other regulators involved in the work of RAPID are the Environment Agency (EA) and the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI). We require these services to start as soon as possible. Indicative dates are commencement after 1 May 2019 for an expected contract period of 6 months, enabling recruitment of a managing director for RAPID by October 2019 (although the new managing director may not yet be in place by that point). There is the option to extend the contract but this will be at the Customer's discretion based on its budgetary settlement. Where this is the case the extension will be for no longer than 3 months.

We are targeting this procurement at the level of a senior consultant with strategic expertise applicable to the work that RAPID will undertake, in particular in identifying the challenges associated with bringing forward investment in the assets needed to achieve water resource resilience at an affordable price, while protecting the environment. This will enable Ofwat to properly scope the work required to be undertaken, including developing its terms of reference and broader governance arrangements, the scope of the principal workstreams, initiating the recruitment of some key members of the senior team and beginning to explore in more detail the principal regulatory and commercial barriers and gaps to successful projects.

A key element of the role will be to liaise with other external stakeholders, including to begin to establish how RAPID will work alongside the development of the National Framework for water resources led by the EA (see ITT).