ARC, comprising of Atkins and RPS, will share the £120 million contract with m2, made up of MWH and Mott MacDonald.

Scottish Water’s 2015-21 investment programme will see both maintenance and improvements to existing assets – such as pipes, pumping stations and water treatment works. Scottish Water has an option to extend the six year agreement to 2027.

Selected following an extensive procurement process, the two joint ventures form a framework of consultancy contractors which will be used to support Scottish Water and its construction Alliance partners in the delivery of construction and maintenance projects for the benefit of customers between now and 2021.

ARC and m2 offer a wide range of consultancy services for water and waste water assets including feasibility studies, data collection, modelling, project management and design & development solutions.

The joint ventures have pledged to recruit a small number of Modern Apprentices as part of the contract.

Simon Parsons, director of strategic customer service planning at Scottish Water, said: “I am delighted with the appointment of these important partners to help us deliver the investment programme and deliver the right solution for communities as we work to improve drinking water and deal with waste water safely before returning it to the environment. ARC and m² possess a level of expertise which supports the delivery of our new investment programme.

“The new investment programme will help support vital employment in the Scottish economy while enabling Scottish Water to build on the significant improvements made to water and waste water services in recent years. This will ensure our customers continue to receive fresh, clean drinking water, while at the same time benefitting from one of the best value water and waste water services in the UK.”

Paul Aitken, chief operating officer of ARC, said: “Our mission is to support Scottish Water improve its service to of customers and communities across Scotland by promoting more effective, resilient and efficient asset and operational solutions. Our ‘Strategy to Operations’ delivery model will provide an exceptional platform for effective totex-driven decision making.”

Judy Anderson, framework director of m2, said: “We are excited to be part of Scottish Water’s plans to achieve success in SR15. I believe that m2 brings the right combination of talented and experienced people, to complement and support Scottish Water’s own resources in achieving its vision to be Scotland’s most valued trusted business.”

To deliver the investment programme, a new delivery model has been developed which involves working in partnership with three new Alliances and Scottish Water’s in house delivery team, Managed Delivery. ARC and m² will provide technical consultancy support to the in-house delivery team at a local level by ensuring efficient delivery of improvements to these assets.