United Utilities has confirmed 30 local construction firms based, or with operations in, the North West as winners of the region’s largest planned investment in water and wastewater infrastructure for more than a century.

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.”