Scottish Water has selected two contractor joint ventures as alliance partners for a £700 million water and wastewater infrastructure investment programme.
A Morrison Utility Services and Aecom partnership, Caledonia Water Alliance, will deliver some £360 million of water infrastructure investment over a six year investment period from 2015. BBV Alliance, a partnership of Black and Veatch and Amey owned Byzak, will be Scottish Water’s wastewater infrastructure alliance partner responsible for delivering some £340 million of projects.
The alliances cover upgrades, maintenance and new building. Both alliance partners will be working with Scottish Water in the coming months to select a group of Tier One contractors to deliver some of the programme. Scottish Water will also hold a series of ‘market days’ in rural areas across the country aimed at identifying local contractors to support the alliances on a capital maintenance programme estimated at £500 million over the six years to 2021.
The first of these will be held next week in Sumburgh, Kirkwall and Inverness and later ones will be held at Stornoway, Pitlochry, Dumfries & Galloway and in the Borders later this month and into March.
Scottish Water’s Director of Asset Management Geoff Aitkenhead said: “We had a large number of interested parties keen to work with Scottish Water on our next investment programme. Following a diligent and extensive procurement process the Board of Scottish Water has selected two alliance partners.”
Mr Aitkenhead said that both partners have committed to recruiting graduates and apprentices through the programme, with Caledonia Water Alliance planning to hire 20 apprentices and seven graduates and BBV Alliance 30 apprentices and 18 graduates.
Scottish Water is finalising its Business Plan for the 2015-2021 regulatory period and says it expects it to include around £500 million a year of investment a year.
Photo: Scottish Water
