Scottish Water Awards Contracts for New Digital Partners

“Together, we'll deliver more resilient, secure and efficient digital services that enable us to better serve our customers, support our colleagues and meet the challenges of the future.”

Chris Toop
Director of Digital & Innovation, Scottish Water

Scottish Water has awarded two major strategic contracts to Accenture and BT, marking a significant milestone in the utility’s digital journey and reinforcing its commitment to delivering resilient, secure and customer-focused technology services.

The investment will enable the company to continue innovating, responding to changing customer needs and supporting the reliable delivery of essential water and wastewater services.

Following a competitive procurement process, Accenture has been appointed to deliver Applications Management Services and BT has been awarded the contract for Networks and Security Services.

The appointments represent the next stage in Scottish Water’s digital strategy, building on the progress already made to strengthen digital capabilities, improve operational performance and create a more agile, secure and resilient technology environment.

The Applications Management Services contract with Accenture will focus on enhancing the performance, stability and continuous improvement of Scottish Water's enterprise applications, enabling greater business agility, improved customer experiences and more efficient operations.

BT will provide Scottish Water’s Networks and Security Services, delivering resilient connectivity and enhanced cyber-security capabilities to support critical business operations and protect essential infrastructure. The partnership will help ensure secure, reliable and future-ready digital services across the organisation.

The new contracts will start on September 1. Their initial terms are for four years, with possible extensions of up to a maximum of eight years.

The BT networks and security contract is worth up to £130m and the Accenture applications management contract is worth up to £100m, pending due diligence.

Chris Toop, Scottish Water’s Director of Digital & Innovation, said: "These strategic relationships are an important step in our digital journey. By working with Accenture and BT, we are strengthening the technology foundations that support every part of our business. 

"Together, we'll deliver more resilient, secure and efficient digital services that enable us to better serve our customers, support our colleagues and meet the challenges of the future."

Representatives from both organisations welcomed the opportunity to work with Scottish Water.

Gordon McKirdy, Utilities Lead for Accenture UK & Ireland, said: “This collaboration is about applying technology not just to improve how systems run, but to help safeguard services that communities across Scotland depend on every day.

“With our Glasgow-based team at the heart of this work, we're proud to support local talent, innovation and long-term capability in Scotland.”

Ishbell MacPhail, Head of BT Business, Scotland: “We’re proud to be working with Scottish Water to help keep essential water services running smoothly for millions of people across Scotland. By bringing together BT’s nationwide network, security expertise and local Scottish teams, we’ll help make the services people rely on every day be more resilient, responsive and ready for the future.

It’s about using technology to support better, more dependable services for homes, businesses and communities across Scotland.”