Galliford Try, in a joint venture with Black & Veatch, has announced that its Infrastructure business has secured one of six places on the Environment Agency’s Water and Environment Management (WEM) framework.

Commencing in July 2013 the framework will operate for four years with scope for a further two-year extension. The Agency has publicly stated that it intends to invest £2.5bn over the next 10 years to reduce flood risk nationally and secure wider environmental and social benefits.

The appointment will involve the GBV joint venture primarily serving the Agency’s flood and coastal erosion risk management function and also being available to risk management authorities, Defra delivery bodies, local authorities, internal drainage boards and the Welsh government.

GBV will provide a variety of services associated with asset delivery including design, early supplier engagement, construction and project management. Galliford Try will undertake the bulk of the joint venture’s construction work. Black & Veatch will provide the full suite of consulting and design services. In addition, drawing from extensive experience gained in the water utility sector, the company is expected to undertake construction projects which have a large mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, controls, automation (MEICA) component.

The joint venture will support the Agency through the largest and most flexible section of the framework, Lot 4 Asset Delivery. The Agency expects that 75 per cent of its capital programme spending will be via Lot 4.

Galliford Try said it has generated approximately £25m as a result of the final year of the current Agency framework appointment, which expires concurrently.

Galliford Try Chief Executive Greg Fitzgerald commented:

“We envisage that the new framework presents a similar or even better business opportunity than we currently have with the Environment Agency. This key appointment further enhances our reputation for innovation and engineering expertise within the flood and coastal work sector, and recognises our commitment to providing customers with certainty of delivery and cost within a collaborative working approach.”

Matthew Nott, director of Black & Veatch’s Environment Agency work, said:

“WEM’s overriding driver is to ensure efficient use of funding. Our joint venture will achieve these efficiencies by offering proven design/build performance.

“Within GBV we deliver the full asset lifecycle from initial appraisals to commissioning.”

The WEM framework replaces the National Engineering and Environmental Consultancy Agreement (NEECA) and National Contractors Framework (NCF) as the EA’s main asset delivery vehicle.