Project Summary
The Domestic Water Metering project for Irish Water involved the design and installation of 118,000 domestic water meters in the north east region of the Republic of Ireland over a three-year period. An extensive mobilisation programme, health and safety management and traffic management was required to effectively manage this large scale contract.
The Works
The mobilisation phase of this project required the mobilisation of a large management and site team to complete the works. Systems were put in place to manage the training of site personnel, manage communications with customers and ensure that each installation process was completed safely, in a timely manner and achieved the required quality standards. Up to 1,000 meters were installed per week.
- The work flow for the installation of each batch of water meters consisted of the following stages:
- Managing the receipt of bulk work orders (1,000 meters at a time)
- Planning the route and scheduling of the works
- Pre-installation surveys and data collection
- Identification and resolution of work order anomalies (20% of work orders)
- Scheduling of the installation works
- Liaison with utilities and highway authorities
- Managing customer contact and helpdesk. A 24/7 response was required, with a one-hour response time for emergencies
- Installation of water meters (85% by directly employed workforce)
- Repair and replacement of leaking connections
- Recording asset data on handheld devices
- 100% post installation quality checks
- Asset data verification on completion
Innovative technologies were used to identify buried services and excavate for boundary boxes, which reduced health and safety risks on the project. GPS mapping systems and work management systesm were put in place to schedule works and hereby maximise output.
