Everything you need to know about AMP9

With AMp8 now in full swing, people are already starting to talk about AMP9. AMP9 covers 2030 to 2035 and will be set by Ofwat’s Price Review 2029, but early market engagement has already started for potential works. The teams who win will walk in with clean data, tight scopes and fewer surprises.

The scale we are working with

In Ofwat’s 2024 price review, the spending and service package for AMP8 were set between 2025 to 2030. Ofwat signed off record investment of up to £104 billion, including around £44 billion for new infrastructure, to tackle pollution, replace ageing assets and secure water supplies. AMP9 will build on this rather than start from zero. Key obligations run past 2030, such as storm overflow improvements with milestones in 2035 and 2050. Ofwat has also funded development work on a pipeline of about 30 strategic projects worth roughly £50 billion, many expected to move into construction in AMP9. The pace, scrutiny and need for strong evidence you felt in AMP8 are the baseline for AMP9.

What will shape AMP9 delivery

Storm overflow targets tighten the programme. By 2035 companies must improve all overflows near designated bathing waters and 75% of those at high priority nature sites. By 2050 the target applies to the rest. Expect heavy wastewater and river quality workloads to continue into AMP9.

Demand has to fall. Government has a legally binding target to reduce use of public water supply per person by 20% by 2037 to 2038. Current planning points to that scale of reduction. This affects assumptions in every design and business case.

Leakage keeps tightening. The sector’s Leakage Routemap commits to tripling the rate of leakage reduction by 2030 and halving leakage by 2050. Network investigations, smart metering and pressure management will now be a necessity rather than a luxury.

Major projects step up, with competition. Ofwat’s investor guide sets out a pipeline of more than £50 billion across 30 strategic major projects. Each is above £200 million whole-life expenditure. Most will be competitively delivered through Direct Procurement for Customers or Ofwat’s Strategic Infrastructure Provider Regime. Over half of that is planned to start construction in AMP9. Supply chains that can price risk off solid evidence will have the edge.

New sources move through RAPID. RAPID now oversees 28 strategic resource options in AMP8 with more coming through gates. These investigations are funded to be construction-ready for AMP9 and beyond. You will see reservoirs, transfers, recycling and desalination enter live delivery.

Carbon matters more in decisions. The industry is still working to the Net Zero 2030 Routemap for operational emissions. Ofwat has also introduced performance commitments on embodied carbon. That means material choices, construction methods and logistics will need quantifiable carbon evidence, not just a promise.

What this means for delivery teams

If you bid
Direct Procurement for Customers changes the game. Discrete, high value packages need clear scopes. Weak survey inputs will get punished later as risk premiums or programme slips. Bank reliable utility mapping and ground data early and package it so evaluators can follow the evidence.

If you design
Assumptions on demand, leakage and carbon will be challenged. You will need traceable baselines for asset health and overflows, with monitoring plans that survive audit. PAS 128 and consistent data are the floor, not the ceiling.

If you own assets or lead capital delivery
Storm overflow obligations and drought resilience targets cross AMP boundaries. You will need before and after proof for consents, WINEP drivers and performance commitments. That starts with how you capture topography, utilities, drainage and river channels, and how you maintain that dataset through construction.

Practical next steps for AMP9

1. Shortlist AMP9-relevant sites and programmes now.

2. Prioritise bathing water overflows, drought resilience assets and any scheme likely to go Direct Procurement for Customers.

3. Commission early surveys where planning or third-party interfaces can stall you.

4. Standardise deliverables and metadata so the same dataset supports bid, design and build.

Where Survey Solutions adds value

• Topographic and utilities surveys that de-risk civils, support permits and reduce strike risk, delivered to PAS 128 where required.
• CCTV drainage and condition surveys that give defensible evidence for storm overflow and infiltration schemes.
• Drone LiDAR, mobile mapping and laser scanning for rapid corridors, compounds and treatment sites, with clean BIM-ready outputs.
• Hydrographic and river channel surveys to support WINEP delivery and nature-based solutions.
• Monitoring and environmental instrumentation to keep build and operation compliant, with real-time data where needed.
• Data packaging so your evidence flows from pre-bid into detailed design and construction without rework.