By David Coxhead, National Sales Director, Fusion Utilities
With the key role of ensuring the safe, compliant, and sustainable delivery of water to homes and business across UK regions, water framework commissioners have an unenviable task in the face of dated infrastructure and greater pressures associated with increasingly ambitious Asset Management Period (AMP) cycles.
The twin challenge of meeting the needs of both the present and the future is an extremely demanding one.
Much of the current UK water infrastructure dates from decades or even centuries ago, built from the materials then available at a time when future user requirements, the rise in population, and the impact of factors such as climate change, could not have been conceived.
But this is of little interest to the public, and in particular anyone affected by a sudden and unanticipated sewage leak, or the effects of the storms and flash-flooding which seem increasingly prevalent these days.
Major incidents are reported in the news and there are always those who are ready to fan the flames by adding their two cents’ worth on social media.
Either way, it is almost always the water company that is seen to be at fault, even if the fault could not have been anticipated and every possible action had been taken to mitigate any issues.
Dealing with these day-to-day challenges is something that cannot be ignored given the responsibility in water companies to maintain safe supply and minimise waste and effects on the environment.
But alongside this ongoing need goes a drive to create truly world-class infrastructure for the UK, rather than simply patching up what is already there.
The number of homes is growing to accommodate an expanding population, and all of them need a reliable water supply and disposal of wastewater.
The need for greater urgency in high-quality infrastructure delivery is reflected in the greater ambition contained in the most recent AMP cycles.
The contents of AMP8 are significantly further reaching than any of its predecessors and it is anticipated that AMP9 will be equally exacting, if not more so. It is worth remembering too, that there are other vital infrastructure projects which fall outside the scope of AMPs.
All of this will place greater pressure on those charged with project delivery, from the commissioners down to sub-contractors working on-site. To help ensure focus, AMP8 will for the first time see severe financial penalties levied on those organisations which fail to deliver on time and on budget. This means, more than ever, that plans of works cannot be impacted by the unavailability of materials, equipment or labour.
A particular focus of AMP8 is sewage and wastewater, already an area of great attention for the aforementioned reasons.
Wastewater is an ever more difficult issue given the wetter climate we all have to bear and the reduced space into which water can disperse. In previous decades, rainwater in many areas could generally be left to soak away into the ground. Nowadays, there is less unoccupied space, and provision has to be made, within both new and existing buildings and developments, for rainwater to be routed from roofs, roads and other hard surfacing into drainage systems, pipe networks and thence into wastewater channels and treatment works.
Many of the assets and systems installed originally for this purpose are now too small to cope with the capacity of water they need to handle. Replacement and reinforcement of these assets is a massive but essential task if the desired quality of infrastructure is to be created and the risk of a ‘once in a century’ storm is to be mitigated.
All this work of course requires people to do it. They must have the right skills, knowledge and experience. However, the current demographic in the sector is an aging one. It is not always seen as an attractive career choice, so the labour pool is not being replaced at sufficient pace. And given that many contractors can do all types of utility work, competition for labour is intense.
While it is clear here are some factors that may be beyond the control of water companies and their construction partners, there are others that can and should be managed if the ambitious targets of AMP8 (and AMP9) are to be reached.
Key among these is ensuring the availability of a reliable and responsive supply chain so that vital products can be available when and where they are needed.
That means accurate forecasting and prediction of project progress and ensuring products which may have long lead times – such as those which are manufactured overseas – can be made available to fit in with demanding timetables of work.
Many of the leading merchants these days have expanded their capabilities well beyond the field of simple product supply and delivery. Their teams boast construction sector experts with vast project experience of their own, who are therefore able to assist with forecasting and recommend cost-effective and equally effective and environmentally friendly alternatives should a specified item be unavailable, have its approval lapse, or simply prove too expensive.
The leading players in the sector will also have extensive central and regional facilities and so are able to order and hold stock where it is needed until it is called off, scheduling deliveries at precise time slots to overcome challenges around on-site storage.
This approach delivers particular benefits for projects for manufacturers working on framework projects whose business model is not economical for the dispatch of smaller consignments into urban areas. Indeed, the logistical element is one of the areas where a collaborative approach with a merchant can deliver the greatest advantages, operationally, commercially and environmentally.
As existing partners to the water sector, these merchants are very much accustomed to responding to urgent requests emanating from leaks or burst pipes and can rapidly get the requisite items needed to their required destination – typically anywhere in the UK within 24 hours and much quicker in many cases.
As a dedicated partner, able to supply quickly, accurately, and sustainably, and add further value through expert knowledge and experience, the modern merchant approach really can transcend the traditional, transactional approach to product purchasing – allowing customers to truly control the controllables by becoming a strategic supply chain partner.
This article appeared in Issue 332 of Drain Trader magazine, December 2025. You can view it here.