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CONTRACTORS AND SUPPLY CHAIN TRANSITION To be er support transi oning u li es as they tackle the challenges ahead, the wider supply chain is similarly restructuring and diversifying. This shi is illustrated by engineering firm Black & Veatch which recently launched a smart maintenance business to be er support its u lity clients. The new offering builds on the company's technology- led asset management consul ng experience to create digitally-enabled onsite maintenance teams. The business will combine established technology-driven maintenance methodologies and smarter instrumenta on, control and automa on technology. This will be enabled by Black & Veatch's own data analy cs capabili es and visualisa on dashboards; and the capabili es of its new ar ficial intelligence and machine learning strategic partner Emagin. Development of the smart maintenance business is a further extension of Black & Veatch's UK u lity offering into the infrastructure and capital maintenance sphere. By focusing ini ally on water but with a view to broadening to other sectors, the new venture also supports a drive for greater diversifica on across the business. NETWORK / 8 / DECEMBER 2017 / JANUARY 2018 P R E S E N T S NETWORK / 44 / MAY 2019 storage, solar and other renewables that allow homes and businesses to produce and store their own energy, is crea ng new opportuni es for us to engage with customers," explains Salisbury. This major change in the way businesses engage with customers is also being facilitated through increased collabora on between different u li es, par cularly between energy and water. Louise Manfredi, managing director at mul - u lity operator Leep U li es, has closely monitored the success of the data sharing trial between United U li es (UU) and Electricity North West (ENW). The pilot proved that data sharing can remove the onus currently on the customer to register for addi onal support with mul ple companies. It also showed that data sharing helps companies go further to help vulnerable customers. "The sector is moving towards the industry-wide exchange of data and Priority Services registers for the benefit of customers," says Manfredi. "It is encouraging to see that the [UU and ENW] trial has been extended as part of the industry-wide 'One Priority Services Register by 2020' ini a ve. With a con nued push to inform consumers about the benefits of the data sharing process as an industry, we will be able to boost consent rates and deliver a na onal data share for Priority Services across the water and energy sector by 2020." WATER OUTLOOK The water sector has historically trailed the energy market in terms of progress, admits Manfredi. However, there is significant ongoing work to reduce this gap. Manfredi believes the standardisa on, pushed by Water UK, to streamline adop ons, as well as the Sewers Adop on v8 which lays out the process for adop ng sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), are significant drivers for transi on across the sector. Addi onally, the launch of the New Appointments and Varia on (Nav) scheme heralds an encouraging step-change for water u li es. "Leep has seen posi ve changes as a result of Ofwat's work in the Nav market, resul ng in insets becoming a more commercially viable proposi on," she explains. Leep has witnessed growth in both the independent distribu on network operator (IDNO) and water markets in recent years, with it becoming increasingly important for the company to set itself apart from compe tors. "We provide a flexible and straigh orward service and are willing to work with ICPs or developers directly. Leep is commi ed to providing transparency for the asset payments, which will be paid in return for the adop on of the networks," says Manfredi. "Diversifica on is key to the business' ongoing success; we AMP7 is going to be stretching for the sector, but we were always clear that the 2019 price review would be about delivering more for less. II TRENDS DRIVING BUSINESS TRANSITION Trends driving transi on across u li es Compe ve pressures Climate change Changing consumer expecta ons/habits Digitalisa on of energy Changing policy & regulatory framework Internet of Things Sustainability considera ons Change in government Big Data Augmented/virtual reality Smart meters Step change in sustainability Electric vehicles Changes in workforce M&A ac vity Convergence of services