‘Delivering for our community’: Thames Water’s Roselyn Unegbu

Thames Water’s delivery director for non-infrastructure (London and Home Counties) Roselyn Unegbu is clear about her current priorities: enabling an effective delivery discipline will be the “defining factor” in driving success as the organisation prepares to execute the largest capital investment programme in the company’s 150‑year history. She is also currently evaluating how AI can support those objectives.

At a time when the utility sector faces significant financial and regulatory pressures, Unegbu – who recently joined CIOB’s client champions panel – believes better, more focused collaboration with the supply chain, combined with smarter use of technology, can unlock more efficient delivery.

“As part of our delivery ambitions, there is a real opportunity to optimise the use of AI in enhancing our operating model,” she says. “It’s being used across the organisation, although to a lesser degree within project delivery, but we’re planning to change that.”

“There is an acknowledgement that the attention which Thames has received in the press risks overshadowing all the innovative and consistently positive outcomes being achieved. What also cannot be denied is the passion, commitment and dedication of its people who work tirelessly to deliver vital services to the community”

Like many organisations, Thames Water dealt with numerous challenges during the previous AMP: Covid-19 disruption, construction price inflation and regulatory scrutiny. The focus now for asset management plan (AMP) 8 is primarily restoring environmental performance, rebuilding customer trust, and proving regulatory credibility. The scale is unprecedented – up to £20.5bn of investment and a capital programme three times larger than previous.

Those pressures inevitably flow down to the supply chain. Thames Water rolled its AMP 7 supply chain procurement framework into AMP 8 and will be continuing to upgrade and maintain at a scale and speed that its contractor ecosystem will be challenged to support, Unegbu says. Competing national infrastructure priorities mean competition for contractors, materials, and specialist labour.

“It is problematic and I understand their frustration,” Unegbu continues. “We are now asking them to revalidate existing designs and costs for works that had been delayed for varying reasons, but prioritising compliance and safety is fundamental. Even then, the cost base is now very different.”

Time is of the essence. “We’re dealing with a constrained national construction market, with the resultant pressures. We hold regular discussions with our supply chain, challenging pricing return timeframes and cost increases; renegotiating where appropriate.”

Although some of these conversations are never easy, Unegbu is very positive about Thames Water’s relationship with its supply chain partners.

“We have a very resilient supply chain, underpinned by long-term relationships. They understand the complexities of the sector and in particular, the Thames Water model. This makes them best placed to adapt and respond to our challenges.

“I am always impressed by the agility of some of our contractors. We are constantly learning from each other, and as an intelligent client, we have to adopt a growth mindset about how we navigate our supply chain relationships, being open to healthy challenges, ready to pivot – and quickly – if we find an adopted strategy no longer works in the current climate,” she explains.

“On the whole, they operate safely, manage their teams effectively and forecast efficiently. They are consistent across time, quality and cost. That consistency matters.

“And where we have performance challenges, we are becoming more adept at managing those situations robustly.”

Unegbu is aware that other public sector clients across the built environment face similar budgetary pressures and has some straightforward advice for dealing with contractors in such scenarios.

“Transparency is key,” she states. “Be clear about the challenges and pragmatic about the options available where appropriate. Clarity around the art of the possible remains the optimal solution.

“If funding discussions are ongoing and there might be a consequential impact on deliverables, then it’s important that these be highlighted and alternative options discussed. The priority is to ensure we are still able to meet our regulatory obligations, whilst living within our means. Transparency ensures we retain credibility.

“I sit down with contractors and clarify the position: ‘This is the funding envelope and the scope. Let’s explore efficiency opportunities within the programme which optimise our delivery objectives, whilst addressing risks and maintaining compliance.’

“It’s important not to shy away from difficult conversations. That often involves operations, project managers and engineers revisiting sites to determine what is essential for compliance. We’ve had to do that on occasions to reach a viable number.”

Despite these pressures, Unegbu is busy exploring opportunities for Thames Water and its supply chain to become more innovative.

“From an innovation standpoint and to align with our approach to AMP 8, there is a real opportunity to incorporate AI into programme delivery. The optimal solution is to combine operational AI already in use with project‑ and portfolio‑level intelligence that helps deliver outcomes more predictably,” she says.

“Cost and schedule performance is the most interesting area for me. Another is the ability to predict supply chain capacity. We would also like to track contractor productivity and quality across projects to identify systemic issues.

“I have a shopping list of opportunities where I believe AI can best add value and I am currently in discussions with several industry-leading providers to explore our options.

“This is not about adopting AI for its sake. It is about how we use it in a way that integrates easily into business-as-usual activities and does not disrupt existing practice.”

Unegbu is also looking to the supply chain for innovative solutions using technology.

“We’re looking increasingly for broader collaboration and the exchange and sharing of tested models which can be adapted to suit, enabling us to achieve best value,” she adds.

Unegbu plans to showcase some of Thames Water’s innovations through her role as one of CIOB’s client champions.

“We need to be better at celebrating our successes. AI is one example of that, as there has been something of a quiet revolution working within Thames Water that deserves the spotlight,” she says.

“I’m keen to share this and explore the possibility of collaborations with other CIOB clients, sharing best practice.”