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.