The UK’s largest water and waste company has appointed security and perimeter fencing systems manufacturer Zaun to a three-year framework agreement, with an option to renew for a further two years, worth around £2 million.
Thames Water selects Zaun as one of four appointed contractors for their framework agreement to supply and install security fencing & gates and one of three for their ongoing maintenance.
The Thames expects to save almost £500,000 with the new framework agreement and the benefits of dedicated account management, certified and experienced perimeter protection designers, engineers and technicians, access to new and innovative products, and robust management reporting linked to an exacting service level agreement.
Thames Water manages more than 600 sites, most unmanned, requiring security to protect the water supply to over 14 million people.
The risk of a terrorist or organised crime attack contaminating the supply doesn’t bear thinking about. Still, accidental pollution, the safety hazard of sewage, the potential for theft and even mindless vandalism all mean site safety and security is paramount.
Zaun proved its reputation with Thames Water during its multi-billion pound London Tideway improvements to create a cleaner, healthier River Thames.
This entailed work on Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) sites near the London 2012 Olympic Park at Stratford, where Zaun also provided security fencing.
Zaun installed 20km of fencing and more than 1,000 gates at over 30 venues, including the main Olympic Park, Wembley and the O2 Arena for London 2012.
Zaun designed, manufactured and installed its ArmaWeave, the highest-rated single panel fencing solution defending against forcible attack. As a result, it has achieved Secured by Design accreditation, the official UK Police flagship initiative supporting the ‘designing out crime’ principles.
Zaun also boasts in its range what is believed to be the first single mesh to be certified to Security Rating 2 – its HiSec Super 10 fencing system.
It has been entered into the Loss Prevention Certification Board’s (LPCB) Red Book (www.redbooklive.com) for LPS 1175: Issue 7 (certificate number 1164a/01), increasingly the preferred standard for water and other utility CNI sites.
Products approved by LPCB are rigorously tested for resistance to deliberate attack and play an important role in protecting people and property against physical attack, burglary, vandalism and terrorism.
To maintain accreditation and a listing in the LPCB Red Book, manufacturers must regularly demonstrate to independent auditors that they produce products consistent with those tested. This gives the customer the guarantee that they are getting a secure and quality product.
LPS 1175 specifically covers the approval and listing of intruder resistant building components, strongpoints, security enclosures and free-standing barriers.
Zaun co-founder and technical and production director Alastair Henman said it was “fantastic to achieve the SR2 rating for a single layer fencing system for vulnerable, sensitive and high-profile sites”.
He said: “Other mesh panels that have achieved SR2 have had to employ double layers of mesh with extra reinforcement. The single layer HiSec Super 10 gives better through-visibility for security patrols and CCTV, is kinder on the eye, yet is as simple to install. We are also constantly looking to increase our range of approved systems from those already entered into the Red Book, but the systems we already have approved provide our customers with effective and appropriate solutions for a range of differing perimeter security requirements.”
Zaun manufactures all these systems in-house at its West Midlands HQ, where the product testing and factory controls are rigorous and set the product apart from ‘re-sold fencing. That’s why Henman is confident in maintaining the rating when the LPCB conducts its regular independent audits.
He added: “We produce our own mesh, a claim many infer but do not do. Our doors are always open to the LPCB and potential customers who would like to see for themselves where the product is made and how its quality is assured.
“I urge all specifiers and end users to insist not just on certified product but also that they are installed to the approved drawings.”
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