Atkins/RPS joint venture wins major contract with Scottish Water

Scottish Water has appointed ARC, the Atkins and RPS Consultancy joint venture, along with one other partnership, onto its technical consultancy support contract. The contract is worth an estimated £120 million to the two partnerships between now and 2021 and will run throughout the current Scottish Water SR15 business plan period (2015-2021) with a potential extension up to 2027.

Scottish Water wants to ensure all its customers can enjoy the benefits of continuous high quality drinking water through greater service resilience and that waste water is collected and safely returned to the environment. ARC, working with one other consortia, will deliver a variety of technical consultancy services associated with water and wastewater assets to help ensure this. The work is diverse and will call upon a range of technical expertise and skills including modelling and identification of water and wastewater service related performance improvement requirements; the development of traditional and innovative asset and operational based solutions; feasibility studies; investment appraisals; and the design and development of solutions.

Paul Aitken, Chief Operating Officer of ARC, said: “Our mission is to support Scottish Water improve its service to customers and communities across Scotland by promoting more effective, resilient and efficient asset and operational solutions. Our ‘Strategy to Operations’ delivery model will provide an exceptional platform for effective totex-driven decision making”.

Richard Whale, Client Director, Atkins, said: “The direction that Scottish Water wants to take up to 2021 is clear – to continue to provide the people of Scotland with high quality drinking water and to protect and enhance the environment. Our appointment to the framework will be instrumental to this and will call upon a vast range of our expertise from across our respective companies from Modellers to Project Managers. With decades of experience of working for water utility companies and with a team who are in their element mastering complexity, we will be able to work with Scottish Water to provide forward-thinking practical solutions that deliver lasting value.”

Both Atkins and RPS have a long established working relationship with Scottish Water, having worked together throughout the 2006 to 2010 investment periods. The partnership between the two companies provides a far ranging set of complementary skills and expertise and a resource pool based in Scotland that is committed to delivering for Scottish Water.

Atkins plays a key role in delivering technical consultancy services for water and sewerage companies across the UK and abroad. Services include planning, feasibility, design, procurement and construction supervision. Atkins employs 8,900 staff across the UK including 1,500 staff working in its Water, Ground and Environment division.

RPS has worked with Scottish Water for over 15 years providing services including technical consultancy, operational support and infrastructure design. It has supported Scottish Water in meeting and surpassing regulatory and business targets in critical areas such as drinking water quality, flooding, leakage and interruptions to supply. RPS employs over 900 staff across its UK Water Division.

Notes to editors:

Atkins (www.atkinsglobal.com) is one of the world's most respected design, engineering and project management consultancies, employing some 18,000 people across the UK, North America, Middle East, Asia Pacific and Europe. We build long term trusted partnerships to create a world where lives are enriched through the implementation of our ideas. You can view Atkins’ recent projects on our website.

RPS is an international consultancy providing advice upon the development of natural resources, land and property the management of the environment and the health and safety of people. It is the leading provider of professional and field based support services to the Water Industry.