Engineering group Assystem has secured a role in England’s £4.2bn flood and coastal erosion programme as the government steps up investment in infrastructure designed to protect communities from climate risks.
The company has been appointed to the Environment Agency’s Flood Risk and Asset Management framework through the government’s Construction Professional Services 2 procurement programme.
Assystem will operate under a £85mn framework lot covering specialist environmental services, including environmental impact assessments, sustainability planning, flood risk management, climate resilience strategies, biodiversity net gain and ecological advice.
The four-year appointment provides the engineering company with a route to compete for work on future flood and coastal resilience projects across England.
The Environment Agency programme forms part of wider efforts to strengthen the country’s defences against flooding and coastal erosion as extreme weather places greater pressure on existing infrastructure.
The government has also committed £1.4bn to repairing and improving flood defences, alongside longer-term investment intended to protect homes, businesses and infrastructure and help communities adapt to increasing climate risks.
Assystem, which specialises in low-carbon and major infrastructure engineering, has previously worked on UK projects including the Thames Tideway Tunnel and the Thames Estuary 2100 programme. The latter is the Environment Agency’s long-term strategy for managing tidal flood risk across the Thames Estuary.
The latest appointment expands the company’s environmental work beyond its existing activities across the energy, transport and water industries.
Leanne Coleman, business unit director at Assystem, said protecting communities from rising flood risks would require “resilient, efficient and well-managed assets”.
“Our appointment to the EA’s FRAM framework marks an important step in expanding Assystem’s contribution to the UK’s critical infrastructure programmes,” she said.
Coleman added that the company would use its environmental, project management and engineering capabilities to help improve the performance and lifespan of flood defence infrastructure.
