PRESS RELEASE
Issued: 1 October 2013
CANAL & RIVER TRUST AGREES NEW CONTRACTS TO GIVE
IMPROVED SERVICES FOR WATERWAY VISITORS
Boaters and other visitors to the waterways will see improvements to key customer services after
the Canal & River Trust agreed even better value contracts for vital day-to-day maintenance tasks
such as grass cutting, waste collection and cleaning of facilities.
After a competitive tendering process the Trust has agreed improved contracts with existing
providers OCS Fountains for its Vegetation & Environmental Services and Biffa for its Waste
Management. The contracts, between them worth over £10 million per year, will ensure greater
consistency and give savings that can be invested in other important maintenance works.
The contract with OCS Fountains started today and will cover grass cutting, maintenance of
hedges and trees, cleaning of facilities and the collection of floating litter from some of the
country’s busiest urban waterways.
As well as towpaths, moorings and lock sides the contract will see grass cut on public areas, picnic
sites and reservoir embankments up to six times a year - the equivalent of 242 football pitches
each time. Contractors will also carry out a regular programme of cleaning at all toilet and facility
blocks as well as spending the equivalent of 160 working days per year clearing floating litter from
the water.
The contract has been set up to be more efficient, replacing several regional contracts. As a result
the Trust will save around £1million per year and visitors can expect to see more consistent
standards across the network.
The Biffa contract will, for the first time, see all waste and hazardous material from the Trust’s
mooring sites, facilities blocks, offices and operational depots handled by one provider. The
contract also started today and will see 58,000m3 of waste removed each year – enough to fill
around 6000 large skips.
The contract will see an increase in the amount of waste that is recycled through the introduction of
more recycling bins and increased sorting of waste disposed of in regular bins. From the outset a
minimum of 50% of waste disposed of in bins and skips will be diverted from landfill with a target of
increasing this to 90% over the course of the contract.
Canal & River Trust, Toll House, Delamere Terrace, London, W2 6ND
T: 0203 3204 4514 E: press.office@canalrivertrust.org.uk W: www.canalrivertrust.org.uk Twitter: @CanalRiverTrust
Patron: H.R.H. The Prince of Wales. Canal & River Trust is a charitable company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales
with company number 7807276 and registered charity number 1146792, registered office address: First Floor North, Station House, 500
Elder Gate, Milton Keynes MK9 1BB
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Importantly both contracts include measures for giving customers more detailed information on
progress, for example, information on recycling rates at specific busy sites or user-friendly
information on vegetation works on the Trust’s website.
The contracts were agreed following a competitive tendering process which saw six contractors bid
in detail and interviewed for the work. Both contracts are for an initial five year period with the
option of an additional two – longer agreements aimed at encouraging greater capital investment,
innovation and improvement in services.
Vince Moran, operations director for the Trust, said; “These contracts will make a real
difference to people’s experience of the waterways, particularly boaters. We know that it’s the dayto-day things that really matter to people and we’re pleased that we’ve been able to agree
contracts that deliver real improvements whilst freeing up money that can be spent on other
important maintenance.
“It was a very competitive bidding process and that’s only been a good thing for everyone that
enjoys the waterways and we look forward to working with our partners over the coming years”.
Richard Jowett, environmental services director for OCS Fountains, said: “Fountains has
developed a comprehensive understanding of the Trust’s waterways, their users and the important
historical, and ecologically significant, assets their staff are entrusted with managing and
protecting.
“Our bespoke facilities management and geospatial information system (GIS), built by Fountains
specifically for this contract, will provide the Trust’s staff, and waterway users, with an unparalleled
visibility of our planned and delivered work programme, in support of providing an excellent and
transparent service.
“We are very much looking forward to building on our eight years of experience on the waterways
and continuing to engage with the many canal users to enhance their visit.”
Mark Chapman, corporate account manager for Biffa, said; “We’re looking forward to
continuing the good work we’ve already started with the Trust and to extending the range of
services that we provide. Our national capability and strategic focus on proactively increasing
recycling rates within our client-base place us in an ideal position to meet, and surpass, their
environmental goals.
“Furthermore, the data that our systems enable us to provide will give the Trust all the information
needed to promote their good work to the general public. This can only serve to enhance their
environmental performance further through helping to obtain much-needed public buy-in to their
recycling and waste reduction activities”.
ENDS
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For further media requests please contact:
Stephen Hardy, communications manager, Canal & River Trust
t 01636 675703 m 07920 077190 e stephen.hardy@canalrivertrust.org.uk
Notes to editors:
The Canal & River Trust is the guardian of 2,000 miles of historic waterways across England and
Wales. We are among the largest charities in the UK, maintaining the nation’s third largest
collection of Listed structures, as well as museums, archives, navigations and hundreds of
important wildlife sites.
We believe that our canals and rivers are a national treasure and a local haven for people and
wildlife. It is our job to care for this wonderful legacy – holding it in trust for the nation in perpetuity
and giving people a greater role in the running of their local waterways
www.canalrivertrust.org.uk