Water, Wastewater and Ancillary Services 3
Framework Description
Water, Wastewater and Ancillary Services 3 (RM6306) is a PCR 2015 framework, closed to new applications, from the Government Commercial Agency (GCA, formerly Crown Commercial Service). It provides retail water supply and wastewater services, with managed billing and optional water efficiency services, to public bodies with non-residential premises in England and Wales. It renewed RM6178, has three lots, and runs for four years until 8 July 2028 with no extension.
Context & Use Case
Schools, NHS trusts, local authorities and other public bodies use RM6306 for water retail services. Organisations served by a Welsh water supplier can only switch retailer if they use more than 50 million litres a year. Buyers run their own further competition for lots 1 and 2, while lot 3 buyers can enter GCA's aggregated competitions, held each April and October, or run their own. Call-off contracts can last up to four years.
Scope of Services
Lot 1: Water and wastewater retail services, including managed billing and customer service Lot 2: Ancillary water efficiency services Lot 3: One stop shop combining retail and ancillary services Consumption and billing management information
Lots
Lot 1: Water and Wastewater; Lot 2: Ancillary Services; Lot 3: One Stop Shop
Who Can Apply
Membership of RM6306 is fixed until re-tender, so licensed water retailers and water efficiency providers not appointed cannot join before it ends on 8 July 2028. Water efficiency specialists should note that ancillary services have their own lot.
Buyer Benefits
Lot 3 buyers can enter aggregated competitions that GCA runs on their behalf, with a full evaluation of price and quality. Buyers also get a dedicated account manager, a choice of consolidated, electronic or paper billing, and suppliers monitored on KPIs including social value. Optional water efficiency programmes help cut consumption across large estates.
Next Steps
Follow the GCA page (https://www.gca.gov.uk/agreements/RM6306) and GCA's upcoming agreements for the successor ahead of 8 July 2028. Prepare evidence on billing accuracy, water savings delivered and public sector customer service. Appointed suppliers should expect buyer-run competitions on lots 1 and 2, usually with at least three weeks to respond, and the twice-yearly aggregated rounds on lot 3.
How Athena Can Help
Appointed retailers face buyer-run competitions on lots 1 and 2 and GCA's twice-yearly aggregated rounds on lot 3, where price and quality are both evaluated. Athena's utility pricing and bid support helps you price accurately and present billing and efficiency evidence well.
For the RM6306 successor, our utility framework preparation chooses between the retail, ancillary and one stop shop lots and builds the application early. Our bid/no-bid support helps you decide which buyer competitions to pursue. We also review KPI and social value commitments, which buyers monitor after award.
