United Utilities has appointed Costain to act as its Managed Service Provider (MSP) for an additional two years.

The contract will run from May 2024 to May 2026 with the option of a further three years. The offer builds on the five-year contract offered to Costain in 2019.

Since 2019, Costain has provided management and asset maintenance activities throughout the northwest at 96 water treatment sites, 575 wastewater treatment sites, pumping stations and service reservoirs which serve over seven million people.

The MSP Framework includes two types of projects. Core contract work includes maintenance services of very high-volume, short-duration activities to over 900 sites covering repair, replacement and refurbishment of equipment such as pumps. It also covers core projects which are of a greater scale and complexity.


Costain has worked on 132 Core Projects including the installation of a new mixer system within Wayoh Impounding Reservoir, Lancashire and an upgrade to existing gas holders at Manchester Bio-resource Centre (MBC) at Davyhulme Wastewater Treatment Works in Greater Manchester.

Non-core work includes the delivery of larger capital projects such as the design and construction of remedial improvements to the Clough Bottom Impounding Reservoir in Lancashire and upgrades to the Audlem Wastewater Treatment Works in Cheshire.

Commenting on the appointment, Sam White, managing director of the natural resources division at Costain said: "This is a strategically important contract for Costain. We've already delivered big improvements working together with United Utilities on the MSP Framework, leveraging increased automation of data processing and insights to enhance our service delivery. I'm delighted that we’ll be continuing this relationship to help United Utilities ensure a sustainable, resilient and efficient service for its customers."