High Court Enforcement Services

Northumbrian Water Group (NWG), operating as Northumbrian Water Ltd (NWL) and Essex and Suffolk Water (ESW), invites established companies to submit proposals for the issuance of High Court Writs. We have an aspirational target to issue 3 to 4,000 writs annually, however this is influenced by the external economic climate and customers circumstances. Volumes over the last two years have been as follows;

• 2021/22 issued 4120
• 2022/23 issued 2500

These writs are generated from County Court Judgments through Civil national Business Centre The average writ value is £1,100 - £1,300, targeting domestic/household customers with water service charges debt, and a potential small number of non-household/commercial debts.

NWL mandates that all prospective bidders for this Contract must be members of the Enforcement Conduct board.

Northumbrian Water Group (NWG), operating as Northumbrian Water Ltd (NWL) and Essex and Suffolk Water (ESW), invites established companies to submit proposals for the issuance of High Court Writs. We have an aspirational target to issue 3 to 4,000 writs annually, however this is influenced by the external economic climate and customers circumstances. Volumes over the last two years have been as follows;

• 2021/22 issued 4120
• 2022/23 issued 2500

These writs are generated from County Court Judgments through Civil national Business Centre The average writ value is £1,100 - £1,300, targeting domestic/household customers with water service charges debt, and a potential small number of non-household/commercial debts.

Contract Details

NWL are looking to Contract with a maximum of three suppliers. We are offering a 3-year contract with the intended commencement in September 2024, subject to an initial trial period. The contract may be extended based on performance. The volume of batches will vary due to cyclical billing, with any

batch exceeding 500 agreed upon in advance with successful Processor(s)

Pre-Writ Activity and Customer Engagement

Interested bidders must demonstrate the ability to carry out pre-writ activity, including residency checks and customer communication, providing an

opportunity for engagement and payment without incurring fees. All debt has undergone a rigorous internal lettering process, with checks to exclude known vulnerable and absconded Judgment debtors by NWG prior to being issued for enforcement.

Compliance and Data Protection

Potential bidders must comply with our standard Service Level Agreement, Data Processing Agreement, and submit their Data Journey to ensure compliance with Data Protection Regulations. Flexibility in fees and interest forbearance, bespoke reporting (template can be provided), and adherence to

a vulnerability policy, including the Debt Respite Scheme, are mandatory.

NWL mandates that all prospective bidders for this Contract must be members of the Enforcement Conduct board.

Essential Attributes

Interested bidders must possess the following essential attributes:

• Efficient bulk transfer process to the High Court
• Background in handling utility debt on a bulk basis
• Knowledge of the Water Industry and its regulatory obligations
• Ability to provide two references with current success rates, one from a water or utility company.
• Back-office support for instalment payment facilities and maintenance of payment arrangements Wide-ranging opening hours and suitably trained agents
• Client visibility through real-time communication via an online portal
• Adherence to vulnerability policies, with emphasis on mental health issues
• Flexibility during the compliance period on offers from Judgment debtors.
• Variability and flexibility of High Court Officer visits
• Clear and timely invoicing strategy, including separation of writ, abortive, incoming payments, and VAT.
• Willingness to upskill on Client support schemes and actively promote them.
• Actively collate and record appropriate permissions where applicable to support the client's Priority Services Register