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NewsAurecon supports WaterNSW’s next water pricing proposal

11 September 2023 | 2 min

International design, engineering and advisory company Aurecon in partnership with KBR will support WaterNSW in designing and delivering the next five-year regulatory pricing submission to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART).

The partnership will develop project scope, conceptual designs, expenditure estimates and enhanced delivery certainty for WaterNSW’s asset portfolio to ensure smart sustaining capital investment and inform delivery decisions for its water services. The pricing submission is fundamental to prudent and efficient service delivery to WaterNSW’s customers in the Greater Sydney drinking water catchment and, in the State’s, regulated regional surface water supply systems.

Image. Macquarie River, New South Wales, Australia. Aurecon and KBR partners to provide Australian water utility with planning, engineering, and program services.

Through reviewing, assessing, and analysing more than 400 projects of varying asset types, the partnership will provide foundational and valuable insights in project scoping, options selection, concept design and cost estimations for the pricing submission. The information will also ensure WaterNSW makes strategic investment to support the resilience of New South Wales’s communities and provide the right level of water services.

Aurecon’s NSW & ACT Industry Director for Water Dr Ryan Signor said the project would deliver an enduring impact by developing and prioritising key projects, streamlining delivery, improving cost estimates and improving systems and tools for project delivery and future pricing submissions.

"We are excited and committed to bringing technical, design, and advisory leaders together to drive value-based outcomes together with WaterNSW."
Dr Ryan Signor, Industry Director, Water – NSW & ACT, Aurecon

“A new pricing submission framework is in place by the regulator to ensure focuses on value through meeting customers’ needs, credibility in the forward plan, and that costs are incurred prudently. We are excited and committed to bringing technical, design, and advisory leaders together to drive value-based outcomes together with WaterNSW,” added Dr Signor.

WaterNSW Executive Manager Operations Ronan Magaharan welcomed the partnership with Aurecon and KBR Inc., saying it would improve outcomes for the business and its customers.

“Our IPART pricing submission is a vital underpinning of our business operations, and we are taking steps to ensure it is as considered and thorough as possible.

“This partnership gives us access to a wealth of experience in the sector and strategic insights that, when combined with our internal expertise regarding our customer needs and assets, I am confident will lead to improved service delivery by WaterNSW.”

KBR’s Senior Director of Water, Energy and Resources, Carey Gent, said the KBR team is looking forward to accelerating the development of WNSW’s pricing submission, with a focus on quality and best-practice cost intelligence to provide an up-to-date view of the program’s cost and overall performance with transparency and visibility.

"We are excited to leverage the data analytics and cost intelligence solutions applied on other major programs with SA Water and Yarra Valley Water, alongside our combined asset expertise, to enable smart sustaining capital investment and informed investment decisions” Carey said.

This is Aurecon and KBR’s fourth partnership providing an Australian water utility with planning, engineering and program services. The partnership will draw successful experience from similar programs for SA Water, Yarra Valley Water, WaterNSW /Water Infrastructure NSW.