How we procure and deliver infrastructure
National Grid is committed to building a resilient, future-ready electricity transmission network that supports the UK’s clean energy goals. Through a robust procurement strategy and building strategic partnerships, we're committed to safely, reliably and efficiently connecting our customers to the network.
As the sole electricity transmission operator for England and Wales, National Grid conducts procurement under the Procurement Act 2023 (PA23). This ensures we deliver value for money, maximise public benefit, and treat all suppliers equally.
For contracts over £100,000, we use our Strategic Sourcing Process – a seven-step sourcing process that delivers a market solution. It governs how the business outcome will be delivered by the supply chain and will include core business objectives on quality, value, and safe timely delivery.
Your journey with our supply chain begins in the optioneering phase, where we explore the best design solutions for your connection. To support this work, we draw from a framework of 26 trusted suppliers spanning 10 specialised technical disciplines. Depending on the nature of your connection, we may use:
- Front End Engineering Design (FEED)
- Early Contractor Involvement (ECI)
- A hybrid of both
Routes to market include mini-competitions and direct allocation based on criteria like resource availability and technical expertise.
Once your connection design has matured and the required materials are identified, procurement can be managed either by the customer or by National Grid. Our dedicated category teams have established frameworks and strong relationships with key original equipment manufacturer (OEM) suppliers. Category managers monitor market conditions and strive to programmatically procure equipment to ensure supply and mitigate market pressures.
The next step on the journey is to appoint a competent construction partner to build your connection. For substation work, we have recently established the Electricity Transmission Partnership (ETP) - a transformative approach to supporting the UK’s clean energy transition. This partnership accelerates delivery of £8 billion in substation infrastructure across England and Wales. The ETP remodels how National Grid engages with suppliers, moving to a longer-term collaborative approach that builds strong regional partnerships and rewards high-quality performance. Regional exclusivity is awarded to partners based on delivery and capacity growth, encouraging investment in local skills and strengthening the UK supply chain.
This approach supports our ambitious RIIO-T3 investment plan, which proposes up to £35 billion in transmission network upgrades by March 2031. Around £8 billion of this will be allocated to substation construction across 130 projects.
In July 2025, we named our substations regional delivery partners:
- Balfour Beatty – North East region
- Morgan Sindall Infrastructure – North West region
- Murphy – South West (region one) and London & South East region
- M Group Energy – South West (region two)
- Omexom / Taylor Woodrow (OTW) joint venture – Central West region
The ETP model has the potential to be expanded beyond substations in future to include other network infrastructure, ensuring a consistent and innovative approach to bolstering supply chain across National Grid’s entire transmission network.
We are currently undertaking the tender process for our overhead line (OHL) ETP and our Cables and Tunnelling Framework, which is scheduled to conclude by mid-2026. At that time, a group of partners will be appointed to support the delivery of critical infrastructure. In the meantime, we continue to use our existing routes to market to service these requirements.
