Beca & Stantec join forces with Yarra Valley Water in long-term engineering services partnership

A new Beca and Stantec joint venture is working alongside Jacobs as the Engineering Services Partners (ESP) for Yarra Valley Water.

Yarra Valley Water has selected the Beca and Stantec joint venture, known as “Ripple”, for an initial five year appointment to help deliver an extensive capital works program across their $5 billion infrastructure portfolio.

The program will help secure the supply of clean drinking water and sewage services for the over 2 million people that Yarra Valley Water serve in Melbourne’s east.

In reflecting on this agreement, Ripple’s Partnership Manager Paul Jackson, said, “We’re proud and excited to be working with Yarra Valley Water in this five-year engineering services partnership. Working in the 50/50 Ripple joint venture with Stantec will enable us to harness our collective culture and complimentary skills in water engineering.”

“Partnership is fundamental to how we do business at Beca, and it is where we see the best outcomes for our clients and for the professional development of everyone involved.

“Our mission is to be better together, and it’s a mission shared. We’re looking forward to supporting Yarra Valley Water to achieve their social, community and sustainability goals,” he said.

“We’re proud and excited to be working with Yarra Valley Water in this five-year engineering services partnership. Working in the 50/50 Ripple joint venture with Stantec will enable us to harness our collective culture and complimentary skills in water engineering"
- Paul Jackson, Ripple Partnership Manager

Stantec’s Water Group Leader, Victoria & South Australia, Jane La Nauze, was equally as excited about the opportunities ahead. “Advancing the quality of life for communities is fundamental to our work. The effects of climate change combined with a growing population heighten the need for reliable partners who can plan for and adapt to a changing environment.

“By viewing water as an integrated system, we’re ready to accelerate Yarra Valley Water’s path to a more sustainable, reliable and affordable water future that ultimately benefits their community”, she said.

In selecting Beca, Stantec and Jacobs as their ESP, Yarra Valley Water sought out organisations with the technical capability and cultural alignment to work collaboratively to achieve their social, community and sustainability goals, as part of their broader 2030 Strategy.

The ESP will follow a split allocation model between Beca-Stantec and Jacobs, and adopt a long-term programmatic approach to project delivery. Each partner will work closely with Yarra Valley Water’s own engineers and operations team to upgrade their existing infrastructure and build new assets across their drinking water, non-drinking water and sewer services.

Commenting on the start of the partnership, Chris Brace, General Manager Growth Futures – Yarra Valley Water said “We’re delighted to welcome Ripple to their new role at Yarra Valley Water and extend an ongoing welcome to the Jacobs team”.

About Ripple
Ripple is a joint venture between Beca and Stantec. Beca is one of Asia Pacific’s largest independent advisory, design and engineering consultancies. The company provides water and wastewater consulting engineering services across Australia and New Zealand. Stantec is a global, full-service consulting and engineering company with the breadth of capabilities, professional talent and global reach to offer clients fully integrated services that set new standards in quality, value, timeliness and cost-efficiency. Stantec understands that communities are fundamental, which is why they always design with community in mind.

About Yarra Valley Water
Yarra Valley Water is the largest of Melbourne’s three water corporations, with a service area covering 4,000 square kilometres. Everyday, more than 2 million people and 58,000 businesses in Melbourne’s east rely on its water and sanitation services. The corporation manages over $5 billion worth of infrastructure, including a network of around 20,000 kilometres of water and sewer mains. Yarra Valley Water’s purpose is to support the health and wellbeing of its customers, and create a brighter future for communities and the natural environment.