Atkins beds in with Thames Water in £20m partnership deal

The £20m, five-year contract will see Atkins employees seconded into the asset management and capital works functions of Thames Water to help with planning, asset modelling, surveying, data generation and analysis.

Thames Water plans to invest £9bn in water infrastructure during the sector’s seventh asset management period seven (AMP7), which runs from 2020 to 2025.

The appointment forms part of Thames Water’s shift to a so-called ‘intelligent client’ delivery model, developing its own in-house capabilities to increase control of decision making and wean itself of depending on outside consultants (like Atkins).

Mace has got the role of programme management office, or PMO, in the new model.

Atkins was already providing engineering, commercial and environmental consultancy services to Thames Water as part of a separate professional services framework that runs until 2030.

Atkins president Philip Hoare said: “This appointment will see us supporting Thames Water across a breadth of disciplines, providing technical capabilities to the utility company during its transition to an ‘intelligent client’ delivery model. We look forward to working closely with Thames Water over the next five years to explore more sustainable ways of working and deliver value to the customers of the biggest water and wastewater utility in the UK.”

Thames Water head of engineering Andy Dunn said: “We are pleased to have Atkins as part of our engineering delivery partnership as we enhance our ‘intelligent client’ role within Thames Water. We have a challenging programme of work for AMP7 and I am looking forward to the support Atkins will provide as Thames Water rises to that challenge.”

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