Winter Gritting

Scope of Works -

Southern Water is seeking a supplier for winter gritting services across the whole of its region - Sussex, Kent, Hampshire and Isle of Wight. The supplier must be able to deliver a flexible service across operational sites whilst also having the ability to cover reactive requests for leaks in public areas.

The service must operate 7 days a week during the winter period, from October to April, and be temperature-triggered in response to pre-agreed thresholds (e.g. surface temperatures forecast below 0°C or as defined by Met Office data).

All vehicles used must be roadworthy, clean, and regularly maintained, fully licensed and MOT certified.

All drivers and personnel must hold a valid driving licence (appropriate categories) and be trained in winter maintenance procedures.

Vehicles must not move between fresh water and wastewater sites without a full decontamination to avoid cross-contamination.

The service delivery must be supported by a comprehensive digital Platform accessible to SW:

• Site-specific gritting maps and access details.
• Site and contact information.
• Live and historical job tracking with vehicle GPS.
• Job history and audit trail.
• Picture evidence of service delivery
• Automated time stamps for job start/finish.
• Communication logs for instruction and completion confirmation.

Routine Service -

• The Supplier shall provide a planned, temperature-triggered gritting service for: Access roads, Car parks, Footpaths, Other designated areas as per site-specific requirements.
• Snow clearance when required.
• Monitor weather forecasts (via Met Office or equivalent) and respond in line with pre-agreed gritting criteria.
• Perform gritting during off-peak hours (typically overnight or early morning) to reduce disruption.
• Ensure areas are treated.

Reactive Service –

• The Supplier shall provide a flexible, on-demand gritting service based on daily instructions issued by the SW.
• List of sites to be issued no earlier than 16:00 daily, requiring response that same evening/night.
• Provide precision hand gritting, particularly in high-risk areas (e.g. leak sites, uneven terrain, pedestrian walkways).
• Be capable of handling emergency and short notice gritting requests, including potential 24/7 availability during adverse weather events.
• Allow for site additions after initial list issue (e.g. newly reported leaks).

Jobs to be fully document via a communication portal, supplier to provided Gritting evidence, Leak location identification, photographic evidence, map marking or GPS location of affected area