Jacobs : Innovation Partnership Wins Place on Ofwat’s Water Breakthrough Challenge

The program

Jacobs alongside partners has secured Ofwat Innovation funding to create a national collaborative program of works to mainstream nature-based solutions. Through a multi-disciplinary team of 22 partner organizations working together to create and test new solutions, this program seeks to unlock water catchment and nature-based solutions and implement them at scale. By removing identified barriers at scale, building risk resiliency of landscape and assets, and enabling added value decision-making, the best possible solutions can be delivered for customers, the environment and society.

Current key barriers include a lack of standardized approaches to assess, design, deliver, verify and report on the effectiveness of NBS; a lack of cost-effective monitoring and robust data and evidence; the need for a balanced regulatory framework for NBS; and the need for clear investment pathways for NBS to enable investment and delivery at scale. A key element of the program will focus on mechanisms to unlock investment opportunities, attract new investment and utilize current funds more wisely.

The program will be delivered through five key workstreams:

• Coordination, steer and collaboration at national scale
• Working with regulators and policymakers to enable policy and regulation for NBS
• Investment mechanisms for NBS
• Standardization and integration
• Making it relevant and tangible

Outcomes

Mainstreaming NBS offers multiple benefits across water quality, biodiversity and ecosystem resilience, health and wellbeing, jobs and economic growth, climate change adaptation and cost savings. It will also help maximize value for all U.K. water industry stakeholders, through aligned planning and delivery; integration with grey infrastructure; inclusive collaboration; and assessment of benefits and risks based on added value to customers, society and the environment.

"The Ofwat Innovation Fund recognizes exceptional ideas which will help our water sector better meet the evolving needs of customers, society and the environment," says Jacobs People & Places Solutions Senior Vice President Europe Kate Kenny. "We are very pleased to partner with United Utilities and other key stakeholders to deliver this important program of works, which will see nature-based solutions delivered at scale. This national collaborative framework will enable multiple benefits for communities and the environment, as well as tangible cost savings for customers."

"Working in partnership with Unities Utilities and all other partner organizations involved in delivering this Ofwat-funded project will facilitate a collaborative approach to overcome current challenges and accelerate the embedment of nature-based solutions," adds Jacobs Head of Water, U.K. and Europe, Phil Higgins. "Nature-based solutions are key to complementing more traditional water infrastructure and they will help us provide more resilient solutions for the future by both protecting the environment and delivering wider social value benefits for our communities."

The benefits of the proposed program of work align with the ambitions laid out in Ofwat's strategic priorities, the UK 2050 Water Innovation Strategy, the 25-Year Environment Plan, the PR24 Methodology, the WINEP revised methodology, the Environment Act, and the UK Water Net Zero 2030 Roadmap.

More information about the winners of the Water Breakthrough Challenge can be found here.