Business Stream Secures Ministry Of Justice Contract Worth £70M

Edinburgh based water retailer, Business Stream, has been awarded the Ministry of Justice water and wastewater services contract following a highly competitive tendering process.

The contract, worth over £70M, is one of the largest public sector contracts awarded since the English market opened in 2017.

Under the new 3-year agreement, Business Stream will manage the water and wastewater services of over 900 sites, including the Home Office and National Probation Service, Courts and Tribunals Service and the HM Prison Service in England.

By consolidating all of its water and wastewater billing through Business Stream, the Ministry of Justice will benefit from having a single contact for all its water needs and access to the water expert’s 24/7 dedicated account management service.

Business Stream will also develop a bespoke water management strategy that will help the organisation to reduce its overall water use, supporting its efforts to meet the UK Government’s ambitious net-zero carbon targets.

Jo Dow, Chief Executive of Business Stream, commented: “We are absolutely delighted to have been awarded this contract. We have a vast amount of experience in working with the public sector and are now looking forward to offering our expertise and suite of innovative services and solutions to the Ministry of Justice, helping the organisation to save time, water and money”

Business Stream recently announced that it is now the second largest water retailer in the UK, following its acquisition of the non-household customer base of Yorkshire Water Business Services and recent successes in the market.

The water company, which services over 340,000 customers across the UK, confirmed that since the English market opened in 2017 it has generated around £280M in new contract wins.

To date, Business Stream has helped its customers save more than £242M in discounts and water and energy efficiencies and over 43 billion litres of water. To further support its water efficiency efforts, the retailer has launched its ambitious pledge to help its customers reduce their water use by 20% and has become the first water retailer to be awarded the Waterwise Water Efficiency Checkmark for its Head Office.

About Business Stream

• Business Stream is the largest operator in the Scottish non-domestic water market.
• Headquartered in Edinburgh, it also has offices in Glasgow, Worthing and Bradford, and employs over 400 members of staff.
• The Scottish retail water market opened in 2008. The English retail water market, which opened in April 2017, has paved the way for over 1.2 million businesses and public bodies in England to now also be able to choose their water supplier.
• Business Stream acquired the non-household customer base of Southern Water in preparation for the opening of the English retail water market.
• On 1 October 2019, Business Stream acquired the customer base of its competitors Yorkshire Water Business Services (YWBS) and Three-Sixty, both part of the Kelda Group, doubling its market share.
• Since retail competition was introduced to Scotland in 2008, Business Stream has saved businesses and public sector organisations more than £242M and helped them conserve over 43 billion litres of water.
• The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Scottish Water with its own board and independent management team. It was formed in 2006 with the goal of providing a first class service for business customers on the opening of the competitive market. For more information, visit business-stream.co.uk.