Skanska MWH Balfour Beatty Joint Venture Named Design And Build Partner For Thames Water AMP6 'Super Alliance'

SMB, the joint venture between Skanska, MWH Global and Balfour Beatty, has been selected to deliver one of the largest and most varied water infrastructure improvement programs in the UK.

The joint venture will be providing design-and-build solutions for the development and delivery of Thames Water’s £2 to £3B Asset Management Program (AMP6) program in a ‘Super Alliance’ of industry-leading organizations.

The contract is worth in the region of £1 to £1.5B to the joint venture, shared equally between the three companies. It will begin in May 2013 with the 23-month Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) phase, in preparation for the start of AMP6 delivery, running from April 2015 to March 2020.

The move reflects Thames Water’s decision to confirm its partners two years before the next five year regulatory period, transforming the way it delivers capital investment. It enables a sustained period of collaboration with early involvement of SMB helping define how works are delivered and drive best use of innovation to achieve efficiency gains and reduce costs.

 Peter Jones, Alliance Board representative for the joint venture and Skanska’s managing director, utilities, said: “All three of the joint venture partners bring industry-leading experience and best practice to the contract, offering balanced capabilities across the portfolio of work for Thames Water.

“In winning this contract, we have shown we not only meet all the technical requirements, but also have the collaborative team dynamic to deliver the best solutions, working alongside the rest of the alliance members and with a range of stakeholders. We have put forward a really strong team to deliver this important contract.”

The SMB joint venture has significant experience and complementary skills, including design services and construction expertise. Together the joint venture has a track record of assured delivery across multiple sectors and world class alliance experience. This includes delivery of complex projects in London where SMB is able to meet the unique challenges of working in the capital.

Colin Kelly, JV director and managing director of Balfour Beatty – gas & water, commented: “We’re very pleased to be an integral part of Thames Water’s AMP6 plans, especially as this is a completely new approach to its capital investment. SMB will bring great leadership, people, processes and systems to successfully deliver this important program of work, ensuring the resilience of London’s water assets for future generations.

“SMB has the capability to work on both infrastructure and non-infrastructure water assets, across clean and waste water networks; a range of capabilities that will be vital to the alliance.”

Using its industry experience, SMB will work to develop an injury-free environment, drive out waste and promote a sustainable procurement strategy, focusing on whole-life costing. This will include making best use of the ECI phase to produce the delivery plan. The plan will optimize the benefits of standardization and establish a method for resource scheduling that will achieve program efficiencies while minimizing energy consumption. 

During the delivery phase SMB will use its award-winning sustainability expertise to deliver lowest capital and operating cost solutions. The JV team will draw on the sustainability experiences of each of its partners, using BIM technology to bring whole-life costing and carbon foot-printing considerations to every project and program option. 

John Abraham, JV director and managing director of MWH Treatment, said: “Culture and collaboration is key to the Alliance. We will innovate and work together with our partners and the whole supply chain to ensure that we provide affordable and sustainable solutions for the region, delivering on Thames Water’s commitment to always provide safe and reliable water and sewerage services. We are totally committed to improving service to Thames Water customers.”

About MWH

MWH Global is a strategic consulting, technical engineering and construction services firm leading the wet infrastructure sector. Offering a full range of services and innovative, award-winning solutions beginning in the initial planning phases through construction and asset management, we partner with our clients in multiple industries to implement projects and programs that focus on water, energy, natural resources and infrastructure. Our 7,500 employees in 35 countries spanning six continents are dedicated to fulfilling our purpose of Building a Better World, which reflects our commitment to sustainable development. MWH is a private, employee-owned firm with a rich legacy beginning in 1820. For more information, visit www.mwhglobal.com.