This document provides information about innovations from Amey's utilities team. It introduces the innovations team contacts and summarizes a few recent innovations. It discusses a report on innovation in UK utilities which found that culture and collaboration were key challenges. It also mentions that Amey trialed using "Fence Feet" products as an alternative to fencing and that they attended the launch of the utilities innovation report. Finally, it provides details on two of Amey's nominations for innovation awards and on measuring innovation in facilities management.

1. Meet Your Innovations Team
Graduate Innovations Project Manager
samir.sobeih@amey.co.uk
Innovation Business Partner
adam.stephenson@amey.co.uk
Innovations Project Manager
lindsay.howarth@amey.co.uk
Innovation
Bulletin
Central Government and Utilities
April 2016
April 2016, In this Edition:
 Innovation in UK Utilities
 Fence Feet Product Trial
 UK Energy Innovation
Awards Finalists
 Measuring Innovation in
Facilities Management
Innovation in UK Utilities:
State of the Nation report.
Our teams on United Utilities have
continued to implement and adopt
innovation across their contracts,
recently trialling ‘Fence Feet’
products as a suitable alternative to
existing Heras Fencing.
Fence Feet, made from 100% PVC
regrind and recycled material are
environmentally friendly and have
improved safety levels; being able to
survive high winds (up to 68mph
rather than 50mph), removing Trip
Hazards to Public Highways, as well
as the potential cost savings of Road
Closures (£600) and the
use of Sand Bags.
Fence Feet Product Trial
Collaboration: 60.87% felt there was insufficient
collaboration between organisations.
“One key area where most contributors felt that
innovation in the water sector could be improved was
through greater sharing of best practice and
collaboration on shared challenges”
These are the areas UK Utilities needs to focus on in
2016
The report is too detailed to go through here,
nevertheless if you want to know more please visit:
www.utilityweek.co.uk/downloads/innovation-in-uk-
utilities-a-state-of-the-nationeport?id=63#.Vu_Rz3ry24E
(Or get in touch with the Innovation Team for a copy)
If you are interested in introducing the Feet to your
contract please get in touch.
Amey recently attended the
launch of a ‘State of the
Nation report’ published by
Utility Week.
The report gives a snap
shot view at Innovation in
UK Utilities today; with
contribution from the Gas, Electric and Water
Networks, as well as organisation in the supply chain.
There were two key recurring areas highlighted
throughout the report that effected all Clients across
the business:
Culture and Collaboration
Culture: “…….Building strong cultures for
Innovation and ensuring the benefits in Innovation
are realised in the business,”
With one of the largest barriers to Innovation
being: Culture (45.83%)

2.  Severn Trent Water/Group HR and the 2015
Den finalist: Cable Safety
The Cable Safety Innovation is an adaptation to an already proven
technology, where information gathered from cable detection
surveys can be analysed in real time to enable changes in the
behaviour. Underground service strikes present a serious risk to
operatives who undertake excavations and work with underground
services. Poor behaviours lead to 84% of underground service
strikes in the industry. As a result, the Severn Trent Water CIG
worked with Group HR to embed safe systems of work into our
everyday operations.
 Affinity Water/ Elgin Traffic
Management Application
Meet Your Innovations Team
Innovation
Bulletin
Central Government and Utilities
Do you have a great idea?
April 2016
Meet Your Innovations Team
Graduate Innovations Project Manager
samir.sobeih@amey.co.uk
Innovation Business Partner
adam.stephenson@amey.co.uk
Innovations Project Manager
lindsay.howarth@amey.co.uk
EIC Awards Finalists Measuring Innovation:
Developing an Approach for
Facilities Management
Amey has been shortlisted
for two Innovations at this years
EIC Innovation Awards in the ‘Best
innovation implemented or adopted
by a contractor’ category.
increase our operational efficiencies, which
led us to consider using the web-based
Elgin Traffic Management (TM) App as an
alternative to existing processes and
procedures. This relates to the creation and
submission of proposed roadwork openings,
road closures, diversions and other
temporary traffic management disruptions,
to the relevant Local Authorities.
Amey are the first company, within the utility sector, to trial the
Traffic Management Application and the first company that will
be able to submit our TM plans directly to the relevant Local
Authority for approval.
Best of luck to both Innovations! - The Award Ceremony to
take place on Thursday 28 April 2016 at the Hilton Manchester.
Amey is always looking for ways to
Unfortunately, Lindsay will be leaving the
business and moving into semi-retirement in
rural France. We wish Lindsay all the best for
the future!
Au-Revoir!
An article written by two colleagues from our MOD
contract aims to inspire debate on how innovation should
be measured in Facilities Management (FM), and has just
been accepted by the Journal of Facilities Management.
It will be published in their next issue.
The article outlines best practice for
measuring innovation within FM and
other industries, and highlights that
there is little consistency between
how organisations measure their
innovation activities. Amey are using
this information to develop a sector-leading approach to
measuring innovation that enables us to capture the
effects and benefits of our innovation activities. This may
vary from measuring our financial return on investment,
through to the number of projects with anticipated social
benefits, client involvement and HSEQ. It also provides
us with a benchmarking system to measure our
performance and identify areas requiring additional
support.
Overall, we hope to start debate on the best way to
measure innovation whilst also providing Amey with a
competitive advantage.