How procurement approaches in the Public Sector can save water too

Frameworks for the Public Sector are set to help with more progress towards Net Zero and decarbonisation targets, save water and help budgeting too.

Where a public sector organisation has to advertise their water procurement – and if spend is over £25,000 then they will need to – then they can manage the tender process meeting the compliance requirements under the Public Contract Regulations 2015, or they can look at existing frameworks which are much easier and less time-consuming.

By using an established Public Contract Regulations compliant framework the legal requirements will be met for public sector procurement needs. And frameworks have delivered significant savings for the public sector too.

Water results and frameworks for procurement

The new 4-year LASER Energy water framework, which includes Water Plus as one of the participating water retailers, allowing the water retailer to provide water, wastewater and ancillary services to organisations that tender through it across the UK, is expected to help the public sector towards their Net Zero and decarbonisation targets and save £4 million.

Data loggers on water meters, which are under ancillary services on frameworks, allowed a council that had them installed in 2021 to be alerted about a Town Hall that had water leaks – losing 200 litres of water an hour.

Dr Philip Tamuno, Head of Sustainability, leading the Sustainability team at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) in the Estates and Facilities Directorate, said this year: “The additional data loggers installed through working with Water Plus has allowed us to track our water consumption use much closer to drive efficiency and work towards our sustainability goals.”

Water Plus won a number of substantial Public Sector contracts, including QMUL, while on the previous LASER framework which it secured a place on in July 2017.

There are a number of other frameworks that public sector organisations can use.

Pagabo’s Utilities Supply Framework for the public sector launched in April 2021 and covers water and wastewater, is managed by the national framework provider on behalf of Red Kite Learning Trust.

The Crown Commercial Service (CCS) framework, which in 2020, is expected to save the public sector approximately £20 million over 4 years. The CCS supports the public sector to achieve maximum commercial value when procuring common goods and services. Water Plus is on both the Pagabo and CCS frameworks, allowing it to be a water, wastewater and ancillary services supplier to public sector organisations across the UK.

Why water efficiency shouldn’t be overlooked for Net Zero

Lisa Moore, who leads the Public Sector Key Account Managers at Water Plus, said: “Real opportunities come through water efficiency activities and devices, which help the public sector to meet their environmental targets to reduce carbon emissions and save money. And these water efficiency steps, which can include engaging more with staff and visitors to public sector sites to drive action and impact, could result in savings that are much more than on a new water retail contract on its own.

“It’s important to understand which buildings your organisation is responsible for, or own, how much water is used in a year. Regular servicing and maintenance of taps, toilets and urinals – as well as any water efficiency devices you have – is also important – so you know they’re working properly – and no water’s being wasted.”

Improving water efficiency and cutting any water waste can decrease energy bills, where less hot water is used.

Taking into account the cost of gas, the cost of hot water could now be over 4 times more than the cost of cold water from April 2022 – so water efficient taps, showerheads and other measures can all help there, reducing flow rates so overall water use should come down.

Lisa added: “Our water retail and technical experts have helped organisations of different sizes find the opportunities to improve budgeting and forecasting – and cut water waste, running costs and risks to operations. Installing data loggers is helping the public sector – and others – gain greater tracking to identify savings.”

You can contact the Water Plus expert Public Sector team here if you have any questions, or need help with procurement and tenders.

Photo by Deborah L Carlson on Unsplash