Key points
Scottish Water has proudly snagged the top spot in British Water’s 2025 Annual Water Company Performance Survey, earning accolades for its impressive performance in areas like policy compliance, sustainability, communication, and its approach to contracts.
This survey, carried out by the UK’s leading trade association for the water sector, evaluates combined water and wastewater utilities based on 12 key performance indicators, providing a yearly snapshot of the industry's progress and hurdles.
For the fifth year running, innovation has been the lowest-scoring category, maintaining an average score of 6.3 out of 10. This trend persists even as the industry increasingly calls for fresh strategies to address climate change, population growth, and affordability.
Scottish Water excelled in the innovation category with an average score of 7.5, while Southern Water lagged behind with a score of just 5.1.
Dane Beauchamp, the newly appointed Head of Programmes at British Water, shared his thoughts:
“It’s disheartening to see innovation continue to fall short year after year, especially given the urgent challenges our sector faces. We need innovation and collaboration to tackle issues like population growth, climate change, and affordability.”
Beauchamp emphasized the need for more support for industry initiatives like Spring, which aims to boost innovation and foster collaboration across sectors.
Digital transformation has been a topic of concern. The ‘working digitally’ category received an average score of 6.4, showing only a slight improvement from 2024. This suggests that there’s still limited progress in adopting Building Information Modelling (BIM), digital communication systems, and effective data management practices.
The survey revealed that the top-performing category was compliance with external policies and regulations, boasting an industry average of 8.0. United Utilities topped the list with a score of 8.6, while South West Water lagged behind at 6.6. This category encompasses compliance in areas like health and safety, quality assurance, and environmental management.
Scottish Water also excelled in the supply chain impact category, achieving a score of 7.8 compared to the industry average of 6.8. They particularly shone in areas like supplier engagement, managing inflationary costs, and supporting workforce development. On the other hand, South West Water and Southern Water both scored 5.7, placing them at the bottom of the rankings.
Lila Thompson, Chief Executive of British Water, emphasized the need for strong collaboration within the supply chain:
“In today’s resource-constrained market, effective engagement with the supply chain is crucial. If we fail to collaborate, we risk falling short on the significant investment programs planned for AMP8 in England and Wales, as well as similar initiatives across the UK.”
The shift between regulatory Asset Management Periods (AMPs) was noted as the third lowest-scoring category. Respondents pointed out challenges related to minimizing disruption, coordinating tenders, and establishing frameworks.
Thompson further remarked:
“Low scores in innovation, digital working, and AMP transition clearly show that we need to make more progress as we head into AMP8. Collaborative efforts among utilities, suppliers, and key sector bodies — including Water UK, UKWIR, Spring, the Institute of Water, CIWEM, and British Water forums — will be vital for enhancing performance in AMP9 and beyond.”
For the past two decades, British Water has been running its annual UK Water Company Performance Survey, a response to the industry's call for clear and honest feedback from the supply chain. This survey gathers insights from contractors, consultants, and suppliers who work closely with water utilities every day, shedding light on the dynamics of operational relationships and the advancements being made in the sector.
You can check out the results from the 2025 survey, along with data from previous years, on the British Water website:
👉 https://www.britishwater.co.uk/page/SupplyChainImpactSurveys
Europe is on the brink of a billion-euro textile recycling revolution, with a new Finnish…
Made in Britain, the not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting British manufacturing, has just rolled out…
Stellenbosch’s Jana Schreuder has been appointed as the new President of the Institute of Food…
NSF Unveils Safe Food Packaging Certification to Minimize Chemical Risks NSF, a leading name in…
A recent report titled "Ask the Right Questions" dives into how emerging technologies are shaping…
The UK steel industry is urgently calling for action to address soaring electricity costs. A…