The appointments, made following a competitive tender process, create frameworks for the next eight years. Stantec and Jacobs have been appointed strategic technical partners; Turner & Townsend is lead commercial consultant; Aqua Consultants and Long O’Donnell Associates are in support.
The plan is to analyse the life cycle of assets to ensure smarter spending and long-term planning across both Northumbrian Water and Essex & Suffolk Water that make up the Northumbrian Water Group (NWG).
With this so-called ‘total expenditure’ approach – or totex – the consultants will be expected to challenge existing methods and investment choices and consider alternative options, including the potential to reduce carbon through nature-based solutions to water and wastewater treatment.
NWG assets director Monisha Gower said: “We want to really challenge ourselves as we look to the future of our capital plan and processes, recognising the need to evolve how we do business to deliver the best possible value for our customers in these challenging times. We also see a huge opportunity for greater sustainability and reduced carbon in our asset base by looking at our business through a totex lens.
“While we have already made steps towards these goals, the appointment of our strategic and commercial partners brings expertise and experience to the table, and will really help shape the future of our asset management, investment planning and delivery. We look forward to working with them to co-create this exciting future.”
Jacobs senior vice president Kate Kenny said: “As water issues intensify, so does the need for long-term integrated, smarter water management decisions across the complete asset life cycle. We’ll be working with Northumbrian Water Group to challenge current approaches and explore alternative ways to help them maintain a sustainable and resilient business, provide best service to customers, and realize long-term goals around zero carbon and nature-based solutions.”
David Whysall, UK infrastructure managing director at Turner & Townsend, said: “The water industry in the UK is responding to new pressures, from changing rainfall patterns and new demands on the network to responding to strengthened environmental protections. These are seismic challenges, requiring a rethink in how the sector approaches investment and ultimately manages its assets. This strategic appointment offers us the platform to drive this change through a long-term and collaborative approach – transforming performance on affordability, customer experience and the reduction of carbon emissions.”
Stantec operations director Maire Lenihan said: “At Stantec, we have always been passionate about supporting our water sector to improve efficiency throughout its networks, while building resilience against tomorrow’s challenges. We are looking forward to a new period of collaboration with Northumbrian Water and our framework partners.”
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