Our Partnership Story
Our business success is underpinned by the strength of our partnerships. Partnering with our clients, the communities we serve and live in, our Alliance and Joint Venture partners, our critical supply chain partners and professional bodies are all essential to what we do and what we achieve together. Working collaboratively we deliver safe, innovative, sustainable solutions with enhanced resilience only possible because of our relationships with all key stakeholders.
Leading the way with partnerships
MWH Treatment is proud to operate in six major frameworks for Anglian Water, Scottish Water, Severn Trent, Southern Water, Thames Water and United Utilities. We believe that effective collaboration and partnering are primary enablers for innovation and outperformance. We have been at the forefront of many of our client first partnering experiences since the 1990’s.
In many cases, our client partnering relationships exist today, some 20 years later. Beyond our clients, we are equally proud of our partnering record with peer contracting partners and our supply chain.
Horizontal and vertical collaborative working
MWH Treatment are proud to be the water sectors most partnered Tier 1 solution provider. Our ability to work across a wide range of partners is testament to our culture of collaboration, flexibility and maturity.
Our collaboration also extends horizontally with our Tier 1 peers and professional bodies, influencing and promoting relevant sector industry initiatives such as Project 13 and BIM4Water. We also collaborate vertically with our supply chain, seconding graduates and apprentices into their organisations, to gain hands on experience and better insight. This has improved interfaces across our procurement activities, driving out waste, increasing value and establishing relationships for the future.
Project 13 shaping a new partnering model
Project 13 is part of the UK Government’s industrial strategy and is sponsored by the ICE and the Infrastructure Client Group. Its objective is to create a new, more efficient approach to the development, delivery and operation of our national infrastructure. MWH Treatment is committed to this objective and together with Stantec (UK) and Mott McDonald sponsored a water sector workshop to further promote this change initiative into the water sector.
Shaping the future – off site assemblies (DfMA)
MWH Treatment’s founding businesses (Ames Crosta, Whitehead & Poole, Biwater and Farrer) were established around product development and manufacturing within the water sector. From that legacy we identified the increase in value. We partnered with Cork based contractor, EPS, to develop further specific project opportunities, outside our initial range. MEPS JV was formed (MWH Treatment and EPS) which has developed and delivered major off site assemblies for Frankley, Minworth, Tullich and Coppermills projects, removing over 1,000,000 site hours as a result, increasing product quality and delivery safety and reducing carbon footprint and customer disruption.
@one Alliance Anglian Water – The partnering benchmark
In 2005 MWH Treatment became a founding partner in Anglian Waters’ @one Alliance. Seen as one of the World leading alliances and a top performer in the water sector. The @one Alliance has regularly outperformed Anglian’s company business plan by up to 20% over the last 3 AMP periods. From 2005 to present day, MWH Treatment have provided around 30% of @one Alliance’s senior leadership team, testament to our people’s collaborative skills and teamwork. The @one Alliance has now created a partnering organisation that is totally integrated across its 8 partners and wider key supply chain, driving sustainable solutions as part of its social contract with Anglian Water’s customers.
More than just a partnership
“MWH treatment are a definite shareholder in our alliance, not just a partner. Their leadership is supportive in addressing issues and they intervene early when things are going off track. Their supply chain performance is recognised.”
Jason Tucker, Anglian Water, Director of Alliance & Integrated Supply Chain
Scottish Water Strategic Partnership – (2002)
Following the creation of Scottish Water, Biwater- Leslie JV successfully won and delivered Scottish Water’s first £75m Strategic Partnership Programme.
‘’The Biwater (MWH Treatment)-George Leslie JV was the catalyst for growth in the region for both our businesses, harnessing local direct delivery civil and construction skills with a process MEICA design-build specialist, more importantly, two organisations with aligned values and core principles, able to integrate and become more than the sum of their parts by working together’’ – David Ross, George Leslie Managing Director
Coastal Towns
In November 1998, Treatment was awarded the design and build of Oban waste-water treatment works. This was West of Scotland Water’s (now Scottish Water) first partnership project, following guidance from Sir John Egan [Rethinking Construction 1998] and Sir Michael Latham’s [Constructing the Team 1994], taking a different approach.
Based on our successful delivery of this project, we were subsequently awarded the entire Coastal Towns’ Primary and Secondary Programme at Oban, Campbelltown and Rothesay. The programme was visited by Sir Michael Latham seeing teamwork in action.
Coastal Communities
Following success on the Coastal Towns Programme, West of Scotland Water wanted to extend partnering to develop local supply chain experience, engaging communities, whilst delivering coastal improvement schemes. MWH Treatment teamed up with George Leslie, to meet the challenge, forming the Biwater-Leslie Joint Venture. Our joint venture successfully partnered to design and deliver 16 treatment works throughout the West coast of Scotland, employing local labour and creating £5m in capital efficiencies over a programme of £38m.
