The water sector can be agents for change along the supply chain by exercising social and environmental responsibility in procurement. This includes factoring the wider environmental costs and benefits of projects to all phases of the project life cycle and making sure that structures optimise the triple bottom line performance of projects, contractors and suppliers.
We need to genuinely understand whole of life costs in procurement decisions. The planning around this needs to be really robust. - Wellington workshop participant
Collaborative procurement and contracting processes support market engagement, foster competition, and innovation, resulting in better solutions. Transparent, long-term capital projections create an enabling environment for supplier and contractor investment, fostering the resilience and expertise of the supply change.
We need to genuinely understand whole of life costs in procurement decisions. The planning around this needs to be really robust.- Wellington workshop participant
Water services delivered using local contractors, including iwi-led businesses, contributes to community resilience, particularly in more remote locations. Local resilience is further enhanced by support for decentralised systems, which also allow for customer choice and better environmental outcomes
Research and development inform new treatment methods, non-asset solutions to water delivery, and digital innovations. There is a clear point of entry for sector innovation, with the appropriate specialised support and funding to facilitate, promote, and support research, education, and training relating to water services.
We need water service entities to sew up their supply chain, not so they are beholden to a single supplier, but create partnerships that can support intellectual property generation.- Wellington workshop participant