Client: Yorkshire Water
Date: 2023-present
Costain, in a joint venture with Arup, is delivering a digital strategy to Yorkshire Water that is modernising its capital project information management ahead of the water industry’s next five-year asset management programme cycle (AMP8), which is expected to see a doubling of investment in water and wastewater infrastructure.
The challenge
Unlike previous AMP cycles, AMP8 demands a significant step change in how water companies plan, manage, and deliver capital projects. With a marked increase in investment and more stringent regulatory expectations, the digital transformation of information management systems is no longer a strategic aspiration, but a delivery imperative.
Our approach: Discovery, Demonstrator, Pilot
Costain-Arup undertook a detailed systems review of Yorkshire Water’s existing processes, which revealed a large amount of manual handover of asset information, meaning data was difficult to search and track effectively.
Costain-Arup’s assessment of Yorkshire Water’s processes began with a ‘discovery’ phase, which resulted in recommending ways to improve the automation of processes, as well as ensuring a more efficient way for teams and partners to share correct, complete and consistent asset information.
This was followed by a ‘demonstrator’ phase, designed to implement and demonstrate the findings and recommendations from the discovery phase. To do this, the JV selected a suitable capital project and demonstrated the benefits that can come from configuring and hosting a Common Data Environment (CDE), whilst ensuring key regulatory and documentation requirements are met.
Costain, as part of the JV, utilised its end-to-end capabilities and experience from other sectors – including rail and highways where digital management processes are more advanced – to structure an approach that was aligned to the current status of Yorkshire Water’s digital transformation.
Finally, Costain-Arup implemented the ‘pilot’ phase - ensuring that the system operated to the required standard.
This involved a series of measures, including:
- Building and configuring a CDE and integrating with Yorkshire Water’s existing systems
- Establishing data processes in three live projects and implementing information management processes
- Developing the building information modelling (BIM) process, which covers asset and exchange information requirements (AIR and EIR) which support the management of an asset throughout its lifecycle, as well as BIM execution plans (BEPs) that are tailored to the three projects
Costain-Arup also implemented a risk management plan to oversee technical and business risks effectively, maintaining regular communication with Yorkshire Water.
The pilot provided a strong indication of the time and financial savings that are possible, as well as establishing trust in the digital process within Yorkshire Water.
The solution
As a result, Costain-Arup created an information management system for asset data collection that accelerates Yorkshire Water’s digital transformation. The system uses advanced technologies to streamline data collection, reduce manual errors, and enhance overall data integrity that will support more informed decision-making and resource allocation.
Next steps – improving data literacy as part of Yorkshire Water’s digital transformation
The JV has set up a roadmap for future integration of digital tools and investment in training programmes that will develop employees with essential data literacy and analytical skills. This is designed to help futureproof the workforce and Yorkshire Water’s systems.
The refined processes will be rolled out across a wider portfolio of Yorkshire Water projects. This implementation will play a pivotal role in Yorkshire Water’s overall digital transformation journey.
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