Water & Wastewater Treatment Magazine
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/983816
8 | JUNE 2018 | WWT | www.wwtonline.co.uk The Talk: opinion JAMES BROCKETT, EDITOR, WWT PR19: Meeting your Goals In the run-up to the 2019 price review, WWT will be shining a light on the 14 common performance commitments which water companies will all be measured against, and exploring how innovation and fresh thinking will be needed to help utilities step up to the challenge T he core expectations that customers have of their water companies have not changed markedly in the three decades since the sector was privatised. People expect to be provided with high-quality water, for their supplies not to be interrupted, and for water not to be wasted via leaks. They expect their wastewater to be taken away in a way that does not pollute the environment, their lives and communities not to be disrupted by sewer flooding or mains bursts, and they want the whole thing to be provided at a reasonable price and with a good, responsive customer service. But while these central expectations are familiar to everybody in the sector, Ofwat's PR19 price review puts them front and centre in a way that has never been more focused. Previous price reviews introduced the notion of performance commitments, and outcome delivery incentives (ODIs) derived from them, which reward or penalise water companies according to their performance against the commitments. But since the targets agreed by the regulator were bespoke to each water company, performance in some areas was measured in subtly different ways and it was sometimes hard to draw comparisons across the industry and put individual water company performance data into context. The final methodology for PR19, published in December 2017, tackled this problem by revealing 14 common performance commitments which all water companies in England and Wales must adhere to and which use a common language in terms of measurement and standards. Utilities will still have other targets and commitments that are unique to them – but these 14 goals are set to be the main yardstick for the industry over the 2020-25 AMP7 period and will provide an accessible picture of how the sector is performing. Some of the 14 reflect concerns and changes that are relatively new. Resilience has emerged as the watchword for PR19, and commitments around minimising the risk of sewer flooding and drought - rather than just the actual occurrence of these incidents - reflect the priority that Ofwat is placing on building long-term resilience into water, wastewater and drainage systems. It's also the first time water companies will have been given a specific measure on the customer experience of developers in their region – revealing the importance being placed on housebuilding by the government and a recognition that this customer group of has been neglected by water companies in the past. At WWT, we want to keep a particularly close eye on these common performance commitments which is why we'll be putting them at the centre of our coverage of the water sector over the next year. Watch out for the green icons you see overleaf, which will indicate whenever we are writing about these big targets in our regular features, reports and articles throughout 2018-19. Because 'common performance commitments' is a bit of a mouthful, we'll use the shorthand of 'Goals' 1-14 to refer to them where this helps to keep things concise. We'll also be unveiling some new types of content to help interpret and contextualise these water company goals for our readers. Our new 'Databank' feature will, in each issue of WWT magazine, present some accessible and visually appealing data related to a different performance goal. Our 'Innovation Zone' slot will zero in on some specific technical innovations which are coming through in each area. On the WWT website look out for our downloadable 'challenge' reports, and our 'project tracker' page, both of which will highlight the range of specific water company work going on in the field to tackle these key challenges. And of course, you can continue to read the lowdown on what we think are the biggest issues in our flagship 'The Works' features. As water companies set off on their journey to a new level of performance ašer PR19, we look forward to bringing you the highlights of that journey in our coverage of the sector in WWT.