News · Water

Where the water money goes, the hiring follows.

AMP8 awards, frameworks and the firms changing shape across the UK water sector, and what each one means for your career.

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September 2026

Water

NI Water opens a £10.5bn framework that could run to 2039

Northern Ireland Water has begun procurement for a new civils, pipelaying and M&E framework worth up to £10.5bn over 12 years. For engineers and QSs across the water sector, this is the clearest signal yet of where the next decade of work sits.

What it means If you are a civil engineer, QS or project manager based in Northern Ireland, or GB-based with NI water sector experience, this is the framework to have on your radar for the next 18 months.

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Water

Galliford Try's £110m Severn Trent deal opens environment sector jobs

Severn Trent has awarded Galliford Try a £110m contract to build a 23km pipeline protecting the River Mease, a sign of where the current wave of AMP8 environmental spending is actually landing.

What it means If you're a QS, project manager or site manager with water or environmental infrastructure experience, this is the kind of contract worth chasing directly with Galliford Try's Environment division rather than waiting for it to appear on a…

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August 2026

Water

Costain's £150m Thames Water deal shows where AMP8 jobs are landing

Costain has been appointed to a £150m wastewater upgrade programme for Thames Water, one of the clearest signs yet that the industry's five-year AMP8 investment cycle is converting into site-level contracts. It is worth tracking closely if you work in water or want to move into it.

What it means If you are a cost manager, site engineer or MEICA specialist with wastewater experience, this is a live signal rather than a forecast.

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Water

Anglian Water hands £1.5bn framework to two JVs, unlocking AMP8 work

Anglian Water has picked two contractor joint ventures for a £1.5bn major projects framework running to 2036, with the first tranche of work already defined. For anyone with water sector experience, this is where the next few years of AMP8 hiring will concentrate.

What it means If you're a civil engineer, project manager or commercial professional with water or wastewater experience, this is where hiring will concentrate over the next few years, particularly in the East of England and East Midlands.

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Water

Yorkshire Water's £80m framework hands work to Arup, AECOM and Jacobs

Yorkshire Water has awarded an £80 million multi-supplier technical services framework to 15 engineering and consultancy firms to deliver its AMP8 programme. It is a four-year pipeline of named work, and a clear steer on who is hiring designers now.

What it means If you work in water and wastewater design, this names your target list directly: Arup, AECOM, AtkinsRealis, Jacobs, Mott MacDonald and WSP all now have live, funded Yorkshire Water workload through to at least 2030.

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