A solution: Contingency hire plans ensure asset availability

摘要

Maximising the use of in-house equipment makes sound commercial sense where possible but, often, it is more operationally efficient for water companies to have a contingency hire plan in place, both for existing infrastructure and for upgrade programmes. The lack of any standard terms and conditions for the water sector does not mean that negotiations for pump hire must be long-winded. Indeed, it is in the interests of both the supplier and the client to put arrangements in place to prevent unnecessary delays. By working with a pump hire specialist on a framework or preferred supplier basis, the terms and conditions issue can be ironed out in a single negotiation process, which makes sense for both the supplier and the client. Once that is out of the way, water companies can focus on reaping the benefits of hiring rather than making do with existing assets or purchasing new ones. Those benefits can be considerable.