WET News

WET NEWS WATER AND EFFLUENT TREATMENT NEWS News+ Infrastructure provider to deliver London's 'super' sewer, p4; Cost versus value – why the water industry needs to reassess its goals, p6 Onsite: GMB and Thames Water overcome space issues to construct London's „ rst new reser- voir in 100 years, p 10, 11, 12 Insight: Sewage and sludge treatment Plotting a revolution in sludge scraping, p18, 19 Foresight: Have your say on what can be done to encourage women to become engineers in the water industry, p28 "In essence, we're building a concrete box and burying it!" Allan King, p10 "We're approach- ing AMP6 with optimism. There's evi- dence of change" Dan Holland, p9 With the UK needing 87,000 new engineers a year over the next decade, Thames Tideway wants half its workforce to be women by the time the project ends T otex approaches and the use of so engineering, such as catchment man- agement, should be fully incen- tivised through economic regula- tory, according to the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) in a new report. ICE said it supports the totex approach but said the con- cept needs to be clari• ed and driven through the water sector and its supply chain. T hames Tideway has re- sponded to the crippling shortage of engineers in the UK with measures to attract more women into the industry. "Women currently represent only 7% of the engineering workforce in the UK, the lowest percentage in Europe. If this trend continues, the UK will be in a signi• cantly weakened posi- tion to • nd the 87,000 new engi- neers it is estimated the country will need each year over the next decade (according to Engineer- ing UK)," said Michelle Rich- mond, director, Institution of Engineering and Technology. The UK engineering skill shortage is so acute that some 20% of professionals are migrants according to a report by Prof Perkins, chief scienti• c adviser, Department for Busi- ness, Innovation and Skills. He said there are not enough resi- dent workers to • ll the available jobs and engineering and tech- nology subjects in UK higher education institutions recruit 32% of students from overseas. Government action, while laudable, is long term and con- tractors must act now to address the skill shortage. And the quickest way is to recruit more U p to four Tier 1 contrac- tors are being sought by Scottish Water to deliver construction-related services for its Quality & Standards IV (Q&S IV) capital investment programme, starting in 2015. Two programmes are availa- ble, worth between £468M and £624M in total, and the con- tract is for 12 years. One programme is for civil engineering projects on Scot- tish Water's assets, network main replacement and rehabili- tation; pipe bursting, slip-lin- ing and mains-laying and minor mechanical and electri- cal work. The second covers mechani- cal and electrical, covering maintenance projects, refur- bishment and extensions to pumping stations, minor civils construction works and minor works at service reservoirs. The work for both pro- grammes will cover Scottish Water's water and wastewater infrastructure as well as its non-infrastructure assets. The successful bidders will be a Tier 1 provider to Scottish Water Managed Delivery, the utility's in-house delivery arm Scottish Water expects to invite between • ve and eight organisations to tender for the work, with a maximum of two appointed for each programme. Incentivise totex approaches, says ICE In the report, The State of the Nation on Infrastructure 2014, ICE said that by "fully incentivis- ing the right behaviour will water companies select the best combination of capital and oper- ational expenditure, focused on providing the best outcomes for customers. The report highlights the actions that ICE believes are needed to improve the UK's infrastructure networks and associated services covering the water, flood management, waste and resource manage- ment, local and strategic transport, and energy sectors. ICE said water supply resil- ience should be at the centre of infrastructure delivery, and the regulators and water com- panies should establish and agree on the level required for future scenarios. Business plans should account for vari- ables including carbon emis- sions, environmental costs, energy requirements, and adaptability to a changing climate. However, the institution said the water infrastructure will require "future-proofing" if it is to deliver the transition to a low carbon economy. Turn to the rental experts 0870 392 9649 www.sldpumpspower.co.uk info@sldpumpspower.co.uk Pump Into Action with SLD • Diesel Pumps • Electric Submersible Pumps • Hydraulic Pumps • Specialist Generators • Heaters / Boilers Thames Tideway tackles the skill shortage are women, including some of our most talented engineers. We have created a Thames Tideway Tunnel Women's Forum which focuses on raising their pro• le and supporting career develop- ment. We realise that a lot more can be done. That is why we have made further commit- ments to the government's cam- paign. We look forward to help- ing make this a great success." Sue Hitchcock, third party infrastructure manager, Thames Tideway Tunnel, said: "There are so many exciting opportuni- ties for women in all areas of our industry and we are taking steps towards raising their pro- • le. I hope we can help encour- age young women to be the engineers, designers and pro- ject managers of the future." The Thames Tideway forum will discuss best practice to try and break down the barriers that prevent women from taking a career in construction. Andy Mitchell, chief execu- tive, Thames Tideway Tunnel, said: "This is the start of our commitment to breaking down those barriers. We want to make sure we have an environment that encourages equality in our workforce." NEED TO KNOW Thames Tideway is committed to doubling the number of Stem (technology, engineering and maths) ambassadors over the next two years The company will initiate a 10% increase in the proportion of female Stem ambassadors by 2015 It will launch a Women in Engineering media competition in London schools this autumn Thames will maintain an equal gender balance in its work experience placements as far as reasonably practicable It will increase promotion of graduate and trainee positions with a view to encouraging a greater proportion of applicants from women from the 2013 baseline Wanted: Tier 1 contractors women. Thames Tideway Tun- nel said it supports government targets to get 30% of undergrad- uates studying engineering and technology to be women by 2030. Mike Gerrard, managing director of Thames Tideway Tunnel, said: "Around 30% of our current project workforce JULY 2014 Volume 20 • Issue 07

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