This area is focused on providing goods and services to United Utilities' reservoirs, water and wastewater treatment works. These are used for operating and maintaining the works and the main areas of spend are set out below.
Chemicals
The supply of chemicals is an essential element in our water and wastewater treatment processes. Significant purchases include:
- Bulk treatment chemicals such as liquid chlorine, sodium hypochlorite, coagulants and flocculants
- Laboratory chemicals used for analysis and testing the quality of our water and wastewater at key stages of the treatment process
Mechanical & Electrical
This category deals with the operation and maintenance of goods that were initially purchased through our capital programmes team. So this area looks after items such as consumables, replacement and refurbishment of pumps, motors and screening equipment.
Environmental Services
This category tends to focus on our water and wastewater sites and includes spend on:
- Sanitation and cleaning services
- Waste disposal including sludge tankering, skips and recycling activities
- Industrial cleaning equipment
Water Services
This category incorporates our spend on site services across our water and wastewater operational asset base. Examples in this category include:
- Grass cutting and grounds maintenance
- Operational site building repair and maintenance
Logistics
This category is responsible for ensuring that our kit equipment (key materials and products) are delivered in a timely fashion to our Tier 1 partners and some Tier 1 contractors as well as United Utilities' own labour force. Key suppliers deliver in bulk to a central warehouse and this is then "broken down" and delivered to sites and job locations across the North West.