Edinburgh based water retailer, Business Stream, has saved Scotland’s public sector over £1m in water costs during the first year of a three-year contract.
Just under £1.4m of savings were delivered to the sector through a combination of the retailer’s efficiency measures. This has helped to save 885,000m3 of water — the equivalent of 354 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Business Stream, one of the largest water retailers in the UK, was awarded the Scottish Government Public Sector Procurement contract in early 2020 and successfully onboarded over 17,000 sites during the first COVID-19 national lockdown in early April last year. The contract, worth around £200m over three years, covers Scottish public sector bodies including local authorities, NHS Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue, Police Scotland, Scottish Prison Service, universities and colleges and Scottish Government.
In addition to helping the sector generate financial savings, the reduction in water use will also help the sector contribute towards the Scottish Government’s ambitious net-zero carbon targets.
Jo Dow (pictured above), Chief Executive of Business Stream, commented: “We’re delighted to have generated significant savings for Scotland’s public sector in the first year of the new contract. We have a strong track record of working with the public sector and over the years have developed a wide range of value-added services to meet their needs. During a year that has been incredibly challenging for everyone, it’s fantastic that we have been able to help our Scottish public sector customers save water, money and time and we’re looking forward to delivering further benefits in the years ahead.”
A spokesperson from the Scottish Procurement and Property Directorate utilities team, said: “Scottish Procurement acknowledges the Business Stream approach to pro-active water management. They have identified issues and worked with customers to improve the efficiency and management of our water resource. This practical approach has reduced water consumption and provided financial savings for public sector customers of the Water and Waste Water Framework and benefits everyone.”
