Thames Water has awarded Falco a 5-year extension to its framework contract for the repair, maintenance and upgrade of Flooding Local Improvement Process (FLIP) systems. The initial 3-year contract signed in 2021, which covers the whole of Thames Water’s whole operational waste network, will now run until 2029.
The company’s founder and Managing Director Brendan Griffin commented:
“We are delighted to be granted this contract extension which is the result of the hard work and dedication of our operational teams,” he said, “Excellent performance data and glowing feedback from residents reflect their technical proficiency but also our customer-centric approach which often involves going the extra-mile to minimise disruption or finding innovative ways to workaround specific customer needs.
“This commitment from Thames Water provides the surety to invest significantly in sustainable green technologies to follow-through on our long-term goal to deliver a net zero service to Thames Water.”
FLIP systems help protect households against flooding from surface and sewer discharge. A FLIP is an electrically-powered pump which is triggered when the sewer network reaches capacity. The electrical pumps isolate the property from the network, protecting it from hydraulic flooding during times of heavy rainfall.
Contributing to Thames Water’s decision to extend the contract was the excellent Key Performance Indicator (KPI) data which Falco achieved while installing over 200 FLIPs over the first three years of the contract including:
- Zero RIDDOR incidents
- 100% works to specification and service levels
- Zero non-attendances
- 100% reports submitted on-time
- Zero projects falling below Service Level A rating (good)
Falco, which is an employee-owned company, has also delivered on a number of sustainability objectives during this time including a 34% carbon footprint reduction, 11% decrease in NOX emissions and the appointment of 15 ‘staff wellbeing champions’. The company will be publishing its first Net Zero Plan in June 2024.
Falco has been delivering flood alleviation schemes since its inception in 2004. The company’s first major contract was a 2-year package delivering a programme of flood alleviation for Southern Water and in 2019 it was awarded a 12-month, £1.5 million FLIPs installation contract let through the Skanska, MWH Global and Balfour Beatty joint venture (SMB).
Two years later Falco was awarded tier-1 contractor status by Thames Water and a direct £4.9 million contract to install flood alleviation devices in homes across the network’s 5,000 square mile area which stretches from parts of Gloucestershire in the west, to areas of Kent and Essex in the east.