Waterman partners with AtkinsRealis and Stantec to support Environment Agency in boosting flood resilience across the UK

Waterman has been appointed to the Environment Agency’s Flood Risk and Asset Management (FRAM) Framework as part of a strategic partnership with AtkinsRéalis and Stantec, under the Government Commercial Agency’s Construction Professional Services 2 (CPS2) Framework.

The appointment will support delivery of the Environment Agency’s national flood and coastal erosion risk management programme, contributing to long-term investment in flood resilience and climate adaptation across England.

Supporting all FRAM service areas

The partnership has been appointed across all three sub-lots to provide integrated capability across the full project lifecycle:

• Lot 9a – Technical Services: engineering, design and technical advisory
• Lot 9b – Environmental Services: environmental assessment, sustainability and nature-based solutions
• Lot 9c – Commercial and Programme Management Services: programme delivery, commercial management and project controls

Together, these Lots will ensure the Environment Agency has the technical expertise, environmental insight, and programme leadership required to deliver complex flood and coastal schemes efficiently and effectively.

Delivering capability through secondment and specialist services

Within this partnership, Waterman will play a key role by providing specialist secondment and consultancy services, embedding experienced professionals directly within Environment Agency teams and partner organisations.

This flexible model enables the Environment Agency to rapidly scale resource, maintain continuity, and access specialist skills at critical stages – from early scoping and feasibility through to programme delivery and management.

The work delivered through this framework will help reduce flood risk, protect critical infrastructure, and enhance environmental resilience for communities and businesses across England.

A collaborative approach to national challenges

The partnership brings together complementary strengths across engineering, environmental consultancy, and programme delivery, creating an integrated, national supply chain capable of delivering large-scale, multi-site infrastructure programmes.

Richard Whale, Global Market Director for Water at AtkinsRéalis, said: “FRAM plays a central role in enabling the Environment Agency to deliver a nationally significant programme designed to reduce flood risk and increase resilience for communities, businesses and the natural environment.

Thanks to our long-standing working relationship with EA, AtkinsRéalis is well placed to bring together engineering, environmental and programme delivery expertise to help deliver solutions that are not only effective, but also sustainable and adaptable over the long term.”

Jamie Woods, Regional Business Lead for Environmental Services at Stantec, added: “The challenges facing our environment and coastal regions are only getting more urgent, which is why it’s so important to draw together our collective experience and understanding of the best solutions.

AtkinsRéalis and Waterman are the perfect partners for Stantec’s teams, and I’m excited to see what we can achieve together to support communities and strengthen resilience.”

Kerry Foster, Regional Director at Waterman, said: “We are delighted to be appointed to this important framework alongside AtkinsRéalis and Stantec. Our focus will be on providing high-quality secondment support, with experienced professionals embedded directly within Environment Agency teams to strengthen capability and help deliver critical flood and coastal resilience projects.

With increasing pressure on flood and coastal assets, access to the right expertise at the right time is critical. This framework enables us to provide flexible, responsive support that accelerates delivery, builds capacity, and creates lasting benefits for the communities these projects are designed to protect.”

Supporting long-term resilience

The FRAM framework is expected to run for four years, enabling long-term collaboration and supporting the Environment Agency’s mission to build resilience against the growing impacts of climate change.

Andrew Harrison, our Director for Structures based in London, has completed registration as a Chartered Engineer (Higher-Risk Buildings), becoming only the eighth registered structural engineer.

Established in 2025 by the Engineering Council, the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence and Commitment Contextualised for Higher-Risk Buildings (UK-SPEC HRB) is a recognised standard for professional engineers working on higher-risk buildings in the UK. As set out in the Building Safety Act, there is a statutory requirement for Accountable Persons to appoint competent individuals to undertake work on Higher-Risk Buildings (HRB). Registration with the UK-SPEC HRB demonstrates competence to work in this environment and commitment to work in a safe and ethical manner.

For structural engineers, registration is administered jointly by IStructE and ICE. The rigorous process requires the demonstration of competence across several areas, covering knowledge, understanding, design, responsibility, management, leadership, communication, and professional commitment. Applicants must be a chartered member of IStructE or ICE with more than five years’ post-chartership experience, satisfy 21 objectives and demonstrate their competence through an experience portfolio, together with a comprehensive interview.

As a chartered structural engineer with nearly 30 years’ experience, Andrew plays a key leadership role in our London structures team. Throughout his career, he has led the delivery of a wide variety of projects, with a particular focus on major urban regeneration schemes incorporating high-rise residential buildings. This includes the transformation of Royal Arsenal Riverside, the redevelopment of the Oval gasworks, and the substantial £1bn Liverpool ONE regeneration.

Commenting on his successful registration, Andrew said: “I’m delighted to have completed the Chartered Engineer (Higher-Risk Buildings) registration process as a demonstration of my experience and competence in this market. This reflects the thorough and safety-focused design approach our team takes on all developments. Having now successfully brought projects through the Gateway 2 Building Safety Regulator review process, and with several projects in the pipeline, this registration will further strengthen our position as engineers of choice, giving peace of mind to clients, building owners and those reviewing and regulating our work.”

To learn more about the support we’re delivering for major residential-led regeneration schemes, click here to visit our dedicated mixed-use and urban regeneration webpage.

Waterman has been appointed to Hull City Council’s Engineering & Regeneration Professional Services Framework, supporting the council with a range of specialist consultancy and secondment services.

Running for an initial three years until 2029, with a possible extension to 2033, the framework will see our team providing consultancy advice to the Council and its partners, supporting the planning, design, delivery, and management of a range of highway, transport, and regeneration projects.

Hull is a thriving, northern manufacturing city, with a world-renowned cultural scene and an industrial heritage built on a legendary maritime past. The new framework will be a key part of the Council’s regeneration strategy designed to help meet its ambitious community plans.

Commenting on the appointment, Mark Maclagan, Waterman’s Regional Director for Infrastructure & Environment, said: “We are thrilled to have been appointed to this framework and to have the opportunity to support Hull city Council with delivering its ambitious plans for the city. Our appointment reflects our commitment to supporting public sector clients with practical, high-quality advice that helps deliver positive outcomes for people and places.”

To learn more about how we’re working in partnership with public sector clients across the UK, click here to head to our dedicated Government sector webpage.

New ISO 14001 revision: Raising the bar not rewriting the rulebook

ISO 14001 has now entered its fourth edition, nearly 30 years after it was introduced. With the launch of the latest version last week, we caught up with our EHS specialist, Cheryl Robertson, to find out what’s changed and what this means for you.

A familiar framework, but with higher expectations
The 2015 ISO 14001 revision was a rebirth. It reshaped the standard, changed how organisations approached environmental management, and brought it firmly into the decision-making process. This time, there’s no reset, and no major redesign. But something has shifted.

More than 676,000 organisations worldwide hold ISO 14001 certification. Over 16,000 of them are in the UK, and a further 1,200 in Ireland. At this scale, even small changes can have a large impact. They influence how organisations operate, how suppliers are managed, and what is expected of businesses more broadly.

At first glance, very little looks different. The structure is the same, the clauses are still there. It would be easy to assume this is just a tidy-up exercise. But it isn’t.

The changes themselves aren’t extensive, but the expectations behind them are.

So what’s actually changing?
The 2026 revision tightens what already exists. It makes expectations clearer, strengthens areas that may have been applied lightly, and places more emphasis on what the EMS actually delivers.

One of the more noticeable changes is a broader view of environmental issues. Climate change remains important, but it’s no longer the only focus. The 2026 revision widens the range of environmental issues for consideration to include biodiversity, the use of natural resources, and impacts beyond an organisation’s own operations.

In practice, this means organisations are expected to have a real appreciation of the environment they operate in, and what they rely on. Water, energy, raw materials, and local environmental sensitivities need to be properly understood, rather than treated as background context.

There is also a clear expectation that organisations understand how their own activities affect the environment around them and where those impacts are most significant, for example through emissions, waste, material use, and operational processes.