LPSC mayor Doug Hawkins said they were engaging with the two firms to renegotiate what they were after, as there was a "few anomalies we couldn't agree on".

"I think we will come to an agreement," he said.

"There's just a few grey areas we couldn't agree on, but I'm pretty confident the discussions will prove a positive."

The council was hoping to decide on a contractor back in September, with work to begin at the start of this year, but this didn't happen.

Read also:

The new treatment plant and pipeline from the dam will help with water security in the Liverpool Plains shire and solve continual water quality issues in Werris Creek.

Cr Hawkins said the council would be discussing "technical issues that don't sit right with our engineers".

"We needed a bit more protection on the overall project and I think what the discussions will throw up will reduce the risk across the board," he told the Leader.

"I'm hoping that we can get something in the order of this month so that we can come to some sort of arrangement."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: