Yarra Valley Water has renewed its partnership with New Plumbing Solutions (NPS) with the signing of a new five-year contract – worth more than $40 million – for the delivery of its meter replacement program.
NPS has been providing meter replacement services to Yarra Valley Water under the current contract for the past five years.
General Manager Service Futures, Glenn Wilson, said that NPS was selected, following an extensive tender process, for its ability to deliver on the technical requirements as well as provide first class customer service.
“NPS bring a wealth of experience installing and maintaining water meters,” Mr Wilson said.
“We’ve really enjoyed working with the NPS team on our metering program and they continuously deliver high quality work and excellent customer service.”
Established in 2009, NPS provides safety-first plumbing maintenance and civil works for both water and sewerage systems to a variety of government and commercial customers.
“Through this partnership, NPS will continue to help us ensure that our water meters are working correctly and accurately, and proactively replace those approaching end-of-life.
“NPS has already integrated their IT systems with ours, which means we get real-time information about the work they are doing which ensures they are meeting our requirements. This has created efficiencies for us and our customers.”
Yarra Valley Water’s metering program supports the Victorian Government’s water efficiency programs such as Make Every Drop Count and Target 150, which encourage Melburnians to reduce their average daily individual water usage to 150L a day.
Mr Wilson said that investment in modern metering technology will help water businesses manage water more sustainably as Melbourne’s population grows and climate dependent sources become less reliable.
“Digital metering technology will become increasingly prevalent in the water sector as it has the potential to help customers use water more efficiently and quickly identify any unnecessary use which can often lead to bill shock.
“We’ve been conducting digital metering trials in Vermont South since 2019. We’re currently planning to expand that trial, rolling out a further 25,000 digital meters to other suburbs over the next couple of years.”
If successful, Yarra Valley Water will explore rolling out digital meters across its entire meter fleet.
Mr Wilson said that by identifying and fixing leaks and other forms of unnecessary water use, customers not only save water, which helps to protect this vital resource, but also save money.
“When it comes to building trust and satisfaction with our customers, it’s important that every interaction is a positive one,” Mr Wilson said.
“We’re looking forward to working with NPS over the coming years to ensure that the products and services we provide remain valued and modern.”
NPS Director & CEO, Andrew Margetts, said the company is excited to continue its ongoing successful partnership with Yarra Valley Water.
“We’re proud to continue to play a central role in Yarra Valley Water’s water metering program, providing cutting-edge solutions that meet the evolving needs of their customers,” Mr Margetts said.
“As a leading provider of metering services, we are committed to ensuring the highest quality customer experience is achieved.
“We understand that digital metering is the future and we’re very excited to be working with Yarra Valley Water to trial these new technologies with the potential to save water for the future.”
Featured image: A Yarra Valley Water worker tests a meter on a residential property. Image credit: Yarra Valley Water.
