AI-powered project and portfolio assurance will help Anglian Water make efficient use of record Ofwat investment amid unprecedented scrutiny of the water industry.
Anglian Water will use AI to forecast and efficiently deliver crucial large-scale water infrastructure projects and project portfolios during the upcoming AMP8 investment window.
Ofwat has responded to public calls to tackle storm overflows by recommending a record £88bn allocation of public money to 16 water companies – more than trebling the level of investment undertaken in its previous investment period.
However, the regulator has also charged water companies with ensuring the unprecedented funding is used efficiently and does not lead to more waste than in previous asset management periods.
Anglian Water has partnered with AI tech company nPlan to achieve this objective. Their software utilises Predictive AI and the world’s biggest library of over 750,000 past project plans to forecast the likely duration of construction activities, understand when key milestones are likely to be reached, and identify the activities most likely to drive delay.
Crucially, these capabilities can also be ‘rolled up’ and applied across project portfolios, allowing users of the nPlan Portfolio to quantify the ‘deliverability’ of a portfolio, identify problem projects and systemic risks to delivery, and make smart decisions about allocating resources.
This will allow Anglian Water to boost operational efficiencies as fewer people will be needed to provide more valuable oversight, streamlining portfolio and project management processes across the board.
Initially, Anglian Water used nPlan to assure and de-risk the delivery of more than 200 projects in its AMP7 portfolio. The company was particularly impressed with the way nPlan Portfolio allowed them to increase the effectiveness of Portfolio Boards (crucial review meetings) and assess the deliverability of schedules presented by contractors so that they could provide precise and constructive feedback to improve each project outcome.
Anglian Water plans to use the technology to assure and manage as many as 1400 projects during AMP8.
Euan Black, Head of Delivery Portfolio Management at Anglian Water, said, “During the AMP8 regulatory period, UK water companies are set to invest nearly 90% more in water resilience and supply projects than during AMP7.
“With such a significant expansion in investment and ambition, the challenge for companies like Anglian Water is ensuring we can scale our delivery capabilities to match.
“nPlan is a critical part of our strategy to ensure predictable delivery and provide effective oversight across our entire investment programme. By leveraging AI and historical data, we can make smarter, data-driven decisions and provide live reports to more than 300 stakeholders across the business, ensuring transparency and accountability.
“More importantly, this partnership will deliver direct benefits to our customers. With nPlan, we can better plan and coordinate work schedules, reducing disruptions caused by construction activities such as road closures. This not only cuts down delivery costs but also minimises inconvenience to the public, ultimately allowing us to provide a smoother, more efficient service.”
Dev Amratia, CEO of nPlan, said, “With this partnership, Anglian Water is positioned to become a best-in-class performer: by leveraging insights from across the global water industry, its project teams can seamlessly apply lessons learned from past projects, reducing risk, improving efficiency, and delivering better outcomes for customers.”