Mace to lead team on United Utilities Commercial Consultancy Framework
Mace, the global company of delivery consultants and construction experts, along with its strategic partners, WSP and Corderoy, has secured a leading role on United Utilities’ Commercial Consultancy Framework, picking up positions on two lots, as the water firm gears up for the largest investment in water and wastewater infrastructure in the North West for a century.
Appointed to lot 1 ‘Commercial Assurance and Audit’ and lot 2 ‘Commercial and Capital Delivery Resource Support’, Mace will lead a consultancy team, including WSP and Corderoy, focused on supporting United Utilities with its ambitious AMP8 investment plan over the next five years. The framework allows for a further five-year extension, reflecting the value of long-term planning and action in the water industry.
Mace's appointment to lots 1 and 2 will see the firm and its partners work closely with United Utilities colleagues to manage post-contract commercial processes and procedures, including early warning and change management, cost forecasting, payments, cost auditing, and agreement of final accounts. This will be supported by the team’s programme and project management and PMO capabilities. This wide-ranging suite of commercial services will directly feed into United Utilities’ efforts to spend customers’ money wisely.
Through the commercial audit and assurance contract, Mace and its partners will focus on driving accountability and compliance. The commercial and capital delivery resource role will see the team support United Utilities’ capital delivery programmes with pre-and-post quantity surveying resource, programme and project management, PMO and construction support, to help them get underway immediately.
In addition to the core services required by the framework, Mace and its partners will help United Utilities to drive continuous improvement, bringing skills and knowledge from other across the infrastructure industry to find forward-thinking solutions together. This approach will see Mace leverage capability from across the wider business. This will include collaboration with the Responsible Business team – which supports clients with sustainability and ESG strategies, decarbonisation advice and social value creation – to aid United Utilities as it works towards its priority of ‘creating a greener future’.
Rachel O’Donnell, Mace Consult’s Director for Resilience, said:
“This appointment is testament to our dedication to delivering high-quality services for sector clients and our ability to adapt to the evolving needs of the water industry. AMP8 presents one of the most ambitious infrastructure investments not just in the water sector, but across the entire infrastructure industry. This means the stakes are high and everyone involved needs to hit the ground running.
“Through our position on this commercial consultancy framework, we’re ready to tackle this challenge, helping to make sure money is spent wisely, the environment is cared for, and that United Utilities delivers valuable outcomes for the communities it serves.”
Adam Bradley, Group Director - Programme Solutions, WSP said:
"We are proud to be working alongside Mace and Corderoy to support United Utilities in delivering one of the most ambitious investment programmes in the UK water sector. By bringing our deep expertise in Programme and PMO, commercial assurance, capital delivery, and infrastructure advisory, we will help ensure that investments are optimised, risks are managed effectively, and long-term value is delivered for both customers and the environment."
