Balfour Beatty, Barhale, Grontmij, MMB (a joint venture of Mott MacDonald and JN Bentley), MWH and Skanska have been confirmed as preferred partners by Anglican Water after being successful in a procurement process which builds on its existing @one Alliance. Black & Veatch has also signed a contract as a reserve partner.
The new Integrated Main Works Capital Alliance (IMWC) will deliver the type of work previously undertaken by both the @one Alliance and Special Projects Team. According to the water company the alliance is “characterised by its focus on 10 key outcomes such as satisfied customers, a smaller carbon footprint and fair profits”. The outcomes were determined by around 50,000 customers during the consultation that took place last year.
IMWC contractors are required to deliver company’s key outcomes and will work on a ‘total outperformance’ basis – only recovering head office costs and earning profit when they outperform Anglian Water’s business plan targets.
For the purpose of improving the collaborative working and efficiency, contracts will be proposed for a 15-year period with a review after each five-year AMP period, which marks one of the longest collaborations in the history of the water industry. Thousands of water engineering jobs will be safeguarded as a result.
Bill Hocking, Skanska UK executive vice-president, said: “Over the past 10 years the One Alliance has emerged as an exemplar collaborative partnership and we are delighted to have played our part in making it a success.”
Andrew McNaughton, Balfour Beatty chief executive, said: “Long-term alliances help to maximise efficiency through collaborative working, and we are looking forward to helping Anglian Water outperform its AMP6 business plan.”
John Abraham, MWH treatment managing director, commented on the announcement: “The alliance has been an exciting place for MWH to be in over the past 8 years and I am now looking forward to bringing the wider capability of MWH into the new Alliance for AMP6 and beyond.
“Building on the collaborative culture, we will work together with our partners and the whole supply chain to ensure that we provide affordable and sustainable solutions for Anglian Water’s customers.”
Chris Newsome, asset management director, Anglian Water, said: “These partnerships are formed on the principles of making our business as efficient as it can be, and ensuring our customers are completely satisfied with what we do for them.
“Our progressive approach to these partnerships is also fundamental to our ability to keep bills below inflation for the six years through to 2020.”