Capital Delivery Pressurised Pipeline Framework
Project Location:
Wales
Client Name:
Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water (DCWW)
Project Description:
OCU has been a strategic delivery partner on Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water’s Pressurised Pipe Framework since 2012, supporting capital delivery across the clean water pressurised pipe network in Wales.
Works delivered include mains rehabilitation (including ice pigging techniques), planned and emergency truck main installations, and major HDD crossings beneath rivers, railways, and estuaries. We also deliver developer services for both contestable and noncontestable works, helping to extend and safeguard vital water infrastructure. Our team provides a 24/7 service for complex and reactive trunk main repairs.
Key Stats:
• Over 30,000m mains replaced using trenchless methods in a single year
• Longest HDD: 750m under the West Wales coastal train line and Loughor estuary (SSSI)
15 Years+
Duration
Challenge
• Zero Customer Minutes Lost (CML) target from DCWW requires uninterrupted supply during all works
• Gaining trust by securing road notices on behalf of DCWW
• Efficiencies and high outputs essential to deliver value for money for DCWW as a not-for-profit
• Remote and rugged Welsh terrain often creates significant logistical and access challenges
• Strong preference for skilled, local labour due to regional expectations
Solution
• OCU leads in live main interventions and under-pressure connections, deploying our specialist supply chain for specialist tasks under direct supervision to avoid service disruption
• Team of planners ensure maximum efficiency and effective deployment of resources
• Overcame complex logistical challenges in remote locations using innovative solutions, including helicopter delivery of materials
• After more than 15 years on the framework, OCU has established a trusted and flexible DLO workforce with strong local knowledge
Outcome
• OCU’s partnership with DCWW on the Pressurised Pipe Framework stands as one of our longest-running contracts
• The partnerships success is built on trust and consistent delivery
• Continued delivery excellence has reinforced our reputation as a trusted, capable and community-integrated delivery partner in Wales
