EC Harris and Ideagen Launch New Solution to Help Water
Companies Address Asset Information Challenge
Poor asset information identified as
major threat to water companies’ future performance
November 6th 2012
EC Harris and Ideagen have today launched a new ‘Asset
Information System’ solution, a combination of software and
consultancy services, which has been designed to help water
companies improve the accessibility and quality of all the
information they currently hold on their wider asset
portfolio.
The ability to access accurate asset information is vital to the
whole ‘call to fix’ process and the speed at which water companies
can resolve customer complaints. This is becoming increasingly
important as the new SIM approach and the move to introduce more
risk-based regulation within the upcoming PR14 price review period,
will see water companies judged on how well they have delivered
better customer outcomes.
The size of the challenge was emphasized in the Consumer Council
for Water’s most recent annual Complaints Report, where the
industry body outlined significant room for improvement around the
speed at which water companies were resolving non-complex issues.
The directive within the final report stated that ‘straight-forward
referrals’ should be fixed within twelve working days however over
the previous year, only 47% of the complaints the Council referred
to water companies were resolved within that timeframe.
Mike Nugent, Global Account Leader within EC
Harris’ Water team said: “Poor access to asset information has
been identified as one of the main factors currently encumbering
water companies from dealing with customer issues. This is an area
where utilities have historically struggled, however new regulation
means this is a problem that must be addressed now. Any perceived
sluggishness or inability to address customer issues could see
water companies facing potentially heavy fines and a more
challenging determination.”
David Hornsby, Chief Executive of Ideagen
added: “The primary issue facing water companies is that often,
they find themselves with multiple and conflicting versions of key
documents including standard operational procedures, materials and
maintenance procedures and compliance information. As a result,
companies, their contracting partners and in-house field force, can
waste significant amounts of trying to get accurate information on
the assets they need to repair, which ultimately delays issue
resolution and their ability to address customer
problems”.
To help address this specific issue, EC Harris and Ideagen have
launched a new offering that will help water companies achieve a
fully unified source of asset information that is correct, and
accessible to in-house teams and contractors within just four
clicks of a mouse.
The four key stages involved in building the ‘Asset
Information System’ include:
• Analysis – define the scale of the
challenge by reviewing the size of the asset portfolio, the current
state of the asset information and the existing governance
structures in place
• Design – develop a clear view on the
future design of the Asset Information System including the target
data and governance structures and the approach needed to embed
these new process and ways of working
• Collation – collate the data to bridge
the gap between current state and future design and develop into a
fully loaded pilot system that can be tested within each particular
organization
• Implementation – manage the
implementation of the new solution within the wider firm and
monitor to ensure that it delivers the key benefits that were
established in the initial business case
“Those companies that take concerted steps to address their
asset information challenge now will not only be reducing the risks
associated with non-compliance, but will also be empowering their
organizations by bringing crucial knowledge back into the business.
The nature of the regulatory cycle within the sector means that
those firms who act now could be placing themselves at a
competitive advantage in PR14 and beyond” added Nugent.
- Ends -
About EC Harris:
EC Harris is a leading
global built asset consultancy. As an ARCADIS company, we have
access to approximately 22,000 professionals worldwide operating in
over 70 countries, 300 offices and generating in excess of €2.4
billion in revenue. Working across a wide range of market sectors,
we help our clients make the most from the money they spend on
their built assets. For more information visit http://www.echarris.com
About Ideagen:
Ideagen Software specialise
in the development of software solutions for document control,
compliance and standards management. Their powerful and secure
solutions have helped a wide range of customers save time and
money, promote ownership, ensure traceability and manage
distribution. For more information visit http://www.ideagen.co.uk
Eamonn Collins
PR Manager
EC Harris
34 York Way
N1 9AB
London
Tel: 020 7812 2671
Mob: 07500 883149
Email: eamonn.collins@echarris.com