SUPPLY CHAIN RESILIENCE
Strong partnerships with our supply chain are playing a crucial role in how we deliver. By working closely with our trusted supply chain, we have built a network of experts that understand the business and help us deliver safer, more sustainable and efficient projects. This gives clients the confidence that we can meet their needs and deliver reliably at scale as demand peaks in the coming years.
UNPRECENDENTED ENGAGEMENT
Engaging with our key strategic suppliers at a company level allows us to move beyond transactional relationships and build long‑term partnerships. This mirrors the long-term relationships we value with our clients and creates consistency and ownership around expectations for safety, quality, sustainability and performance.
We have industry-leading steps to strengthen this engagement, aligned to our QC&E Commitment for the supply chain: 'Engage early, understand them, incentivise and make them part of the team.'
In 2025, we made in-person visits to over 200 suppliers, including new geographical areas as our operational footprint expands. Together with dedicated sustainability workshops, a large proportion of this engagement focused on introducing our control of high energy hazards campaign and understanding how we can work with suppliers to implement more effective direct controls. These sessions culminated in a supplier safety engagement event where 68 suppliers came together to share experiences and make a series of commitments. 6,000 positive safety interventions were reported by the supply chain in 2025 – real evidence of engagement in action.
PLANT INNOVATION
We invested over £16m in plant, tools and vehicles in 2025. As well as continuing to curate an ever more efficient fleet – including two new 36T hybrid excavators and 18 solar powered CCTV towers – a key focus was exploring technology that strengthens controls around high energy hazards. This includes:
Human detection: AI-powered human detection systems on excavators to provide an additional secondary control measure when working around plant
Auto-braking: auto-braking technology installed on all dumpers to eliminate collision risk
Roborigger: The Roborigger crane load orientator to prevent personnel needing to work in close proximity to suspended loads
Dedicated tools: A dedicated rebar cutting tool to replace outdated methods
SUSTAINABLE SITE SETUP
With hundreds of live projects at any time, optimising site setups remains a priority. Working closely with Wernick Hire and Wernick Power, we’ve introduced open plan modular buildings across more than 80% of sites and delivered hybrid power solutions using battery storage and HEMS (home energy management systems) technology where mains power is unavailable.
This partnership allows us to trial next generation technologies - including enhanced battery storage, hybrid solar-wind systems and upgraded inverter firmware - ahead of wider industry adoption. Early testing allows issues to be identified quickly, accelerating improvements and enabling us to deploy scalable, reliable solutions across the business.
As a result, we now deliver consistent, low carbon welfare setups that clients see as a key differentiator. These innovations also improve efficiency, reducing manufacturing and administrative effort while lowering energy use. For example, EPC A rated Modular ECO cabins deliver a 39% reduction in energy consumption compared to standard non-eco units.
“OUR PARTNERSHIP HAS CONTINUED TO GO FROM STRENGTH-TO-STREGNTH, BUILT ON A SHARED COMMITMENT TO QUALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY. TOGETHER, WE HAVE STANDARDISED SITE ACCOMMODATION LAYOUTS, HELPING STREAMLINE OPERATIONS WHILST DELIVERING SIGNIFICANT ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS." - ACCOUNT MANAGER, WERNICK HIRE
STANDARDISATION
Our unique position in the regulated water market is enabling us to bring engineers, procurement professionals, other support teams and the supply chain together to develop a growing library of standard products and embed them in the business. Our QC&E Commitments even reference procurement-led design and standard products, an approach that ensures we take design decisions early - informed by supplier insight and past experience.
Developments in 2025 included our prefabricated plastic draw pit chamber product – with a parallel thermoset plastics option for clients that prefer this material. The product has been deployed with Thames Water, Northumbrian Water and Yorkshire Water. With many settlement tanks to deliver through AMP8, a settlement tank product is standardising our approach. The pre-cast concrete Sealwall tank – developed with Naylor Concrete Products – was deployed with the likes of Severn Trent and Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water. Our partnership with Naylor has seen us obtain sample panels we are using to train our own teams, ensuring ‘right first-time’ installation on site. This commitment to standardisation improves efficiency, boosts productivity and enhances site safety.
OUR QUALITY, COST AND EFFICIENCY COMMITMENTS REFERENCE PROCUREMENT-LED DESIGN AND STANDARD PRODUCTS, AN APPROACH THAT ENSURES WE TAKE DESIGN DECISIONS EARLY, INFORMED BY SUPPLIER INSIGHT AND PAST EXPERIENCE.
PROGRESSIVE PPE
Personal protective equipment (PPE) has long been fundamental to our industry, but as our workplace evolves, so must our approach. Our industry leading PPE range supports our entire workforce, with colleague feedback continuing to shape improvements each year. In 2026, we will launch our new portal, giving colleagues easy access to the full catalogue and enabling them to self serve efficiently when selecting the PPE they need.
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