First-of-a-kind 'Three Waters' Alliance

05/04/2017

Downer is extending their relationship with Horowhenua District Council to create a new, first-of-a-kind, Three Waters Alliance.

Horowhenua District Council is leading the way again by adopting the ‘Three Waters’ contract for the operations, maintenance and renewals of water.

Combining the three water services into one contract is a first-of-its-kind in New Zealand.

The contract will take affect from July 2017, which marks a 20 year relationship between Downer and the Council; we have provided services in Horowhenua since mid-1997.

Council's Infrastructure Services Group Manager Gallo Saidy said that considering the scale of the Three Waters contract, it was decided to tender it to ensure best value-for-money for Council and ratepayers.

Mr Saidy said the Three Waters contract is also a 'collaborative outsourced contract', better-known as an alliance contract. He said this would enable "enhanced collaboration between Council and contractor", providing efficiencies and better value-for-money.

He said that "working even closer together" would extend to some staff from Council and Downer sharing office space.

"This contract is another step forward in our intention to achieve greater efficiencies and the sustainable delivery of excellent drinking-water, wastewater and stormwater services for all communities throughout our District; including improved response times to customer requests."

Downer New Zealand Facilities General Manager David Simpson said that, "As one of New Zealand's leading service providers in the water sector, Downer is committed to continuous innovation and improved delivery for our customers. We are excited about the opportunity to work closely with the Horowhenua District Council to provide excellent water services to residents and businesses across the District."