Atkins has been named strategic delivery partner to Thames Water, to deliver asset management, project management and technical assurance services to support the utility’s transition to an ‘intelligent client’ model as part of the £9bn AMP7 capital programme.

The £20m, five-year contract will see Atkins employees seconded into Thames Water’s asset management and capital delivery functions to advise on future work such as masterplanning, asset modelling, surveying, data generation and analysis and delivering a range of business-critical strategic studies.

The appointment forms part of Thames Water’s strategic transformation to the ‘intelligent client’ delivery model, which involves the growth of internal capabilities to increase control of decision making throughout the delivery process.

Philip Hoare, Atkins president said: “This appointment will see us supporting Thames Water across a breadth of disciplines, providing technical capabilities to the utility company during its transition to an ‘intelligent client’ delivery model. We look forward to working closely with Thames Water over the next five years to explore more sustainable ways of working and deliver value to the customers of the biggest water and wastewater utility in the UK.”

Andy Dunn, chief scientist and head of engineering at Thames Water, said: “We are pleased to have Atkins as part of our engineering delivery partnership as we enhance our ‘intelligent client’ role within Thames Water. We have a challenging programme of work for AMP7 and I am looking forward to the support Atkins will provide as Thames Water rises to that challenge.”

Atkins is involved in delivering technical services for water and sewerage companies across the UK and abroad. As part of a professional services framework that runs until approximately 2030, Atkins is already providing engineering, commercial and environmental consultancy services to Thames Water, as part of their long-term strategy to tackle challenges including population growth and climate change, while ensuring bills remain affordable.