Revolutionising emergency alternative water supply response

The challenge: Slow emergency response, with rising penalty risks

A major UK water utility company’s emergency alternative water supply services were fragmented across multiple contracts with poor SLAs, hiking up average response times to more than six hours.  Expensive day rates created decision bottlenecks that required case-by-case approval, delaying getting alternative supplies to customers. If response times were not improved, the company would be exposed to severe Customer Seconds Lost (CSL) performance penalties.

The approach: A performance-led model

The client-Efficio team took a new approach to the contract, taking into account not only the fees they were incurring but also the potential penalties they were liable for. Efficio evaluated five years of CSL data and designed a fully managed, single-provider model under a competitive tender process. This new model introduced guaranteed 90-minute SLAs, backed by financial accountability mechanisms directly in line with ODI performance commitments. Water disruption events now immediately triggered a response from a strategically positioned tanker, ensuring full regional coverage within 90 minutes while maximising fleet efficiency.

The results: 80% faster response, 45% cost reduction

By designing the right commercial model and investing an additional 8% per annum in emergency tankering, response times improved by over 80% to an average of 72 minutes, saving 175 CSL seconds during the first year of the agreement. The new managed service is projected to cut total AMP8 costs associated with alternative water supplies and CSL performance penalties by 45% while improving service consistency and customer outcomes.