Thames Water, the UK’s largest water and wastewater services provider, has announced the establishment of the FA2050 Technical Partner Framework to support its groundbreaking Strategic Resource Options (SRO) programme. This framework, with a contract value of £300 million and a term of up to eight years, marks a significant milestone in Thames Water’s commitment to ensuring sustainable water resource management for the future.
The SRO programme, essential for addressing the evolving needs of the community and the environment, is guided by a gated process prescribed by the Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID), ensuring rigorous adherence to quality standards and regulatory requirements throughout the development cycle.
The Arup Binnies joint venture (JV), along with two other suppliers, is poised to lead on three pivotal SRO programmes:
- South East Strategic Reservoir Option – a new reservoir in the Upper Thames catchment to store water abstracted from the river during high flow periods, which would then be released for use during high demand periods.
- Severn to Thames Transfer – the transfer of water from the River Severn to the River Thames, either by means of a new pipeline or the restoration of the Cotswold canals.
- London Water Recycling – water abstracted from the Thames will be replaced with recycled water from treatment works, enabling access to additional resources from the river while maintaining river levels, protecting the riverine habitats.
These projects are characterised by a significantly greater scale and complexity than works within typical water utility capital delivery programmes. The new framework encompasses a comprehensive array of services across dozens of disciplines, including engineering, environment, planning, land, engagement, project management and consultation analysis.
Binnies UK Managing Director, Scott Aitken commented: “The Arup Binnies joint venture is delighted to support Thames Water’s ambitious goals through the Strategic Resource Options. Our team offers a strategic, comprehensive and adaptive approach tailored to deliver large infrastructure schemes that leave a lasting legacy for future generations to benefit from. With our consortium’s wealth of experience in engineering, environmental stewardship and strategic planning, we are uniquely positioned to realise Thames Water’s ambitions for securing and enhancing water resources in the south east and London region. We are dedicated to fostering positive change and creating a resilient future for the communities served by Thames Water.”
Arup incoming Chair, UK, India, Middle East and Africa Region, Paula Walsh remarked: “Arup is proud to be a global leader on water solutions, with significant experience in the UK delivering work for Thames Tideway Tunnel, the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales among many others. We are honoured to be invited to collaboratively support Thames Water’s ambition for more sustainable water solutions. The complexity and challenges of these projects is significant, but with our diverse experience we look forward to developing nature-led sustainable designs for these major new pieces of infrastructure. We have all seen first-hand how the climate emergency is causing water shortages in the UK. We are proud and ready to act to bring more secure, sustainable and resilient solutions that leave a legacy for future generations.”
