Utility Scottish Water has appointed two joint ventures - ARC, comprising of Atkins and RPS, and m2, comprising MWH and Mott MacDonald - to provide technical consultancy support in the 2015-2021 investment programme.
The contract is worth £120 million over six years divided between the two ventures, with an option for Scottish Water to extend the agreement to 2027.
The two joint ventures form a framework of consultancy contractors which will be used to support Scottish Water and its construction Alliance partners in the delivery of construction and maintenance projects between now and 2021.
Scottish Water’s 2015-21 investment programme will see both maintenance and improvements to existing assets – such as pipes, pumping stations and water treatment works.
ARC and m² will provide technical consultancy support to the in-house delivery team at a local level by ensuring efficient delivery of improvements to these assets.
A total of 70% of Scottish Water’s investment programme is carried out by Scottish based companies.
Simon Parsons, director of strategic customer service planning at Scottish Water, said: “The new investment programme will help support vital employment in the Scottish economy while enabling Scottish Water to build on the significant improvements made to water and waste water services in recent years. This will ensure our customers continue to receive fresh, clean drinking water, while at the same time benefitting from one of the best value water and waste water services in the UK.”
Cath Schefer, managing director of MWH UK, said: “This is an excellent opportunity for us to combine both companies’ comprehensive consultancy knowledge in the water sector. We’re looking forward to working collaboratively with all of the delivery partners to drive the best-in-class results for Scottish Water and its customers.”
