Key water sector collaboration announced

Ricardo and Cascade Consulting today announce a formal collaboration bringing mutual benefit through additional joint capabilities and international reach in the areas of water resource management, water quality, ecosystem services and environmental impact assessment

Cascade specialises in environmental consultancy services for the UK water sector, based on extremely strong relationships with the country’s water companies as well as government departments and regulators. The company has particular expertise in the areas of water resource management, catchment management and ecosystem approaches, water quality, waste water treatment and collection systems, flooding and coastal water management, and the environmental assessment of water infrastructure schemes. Its services are in increasing demand as government and the industry seek to address challenges of climate change, increasing water demand, reduced water supply, rising water quality standards, and the changing distribution of populations.

The memorandum of understanding has been signed between Cascade and Ricardo’s wholly owned subsidiary Ricardo-AEA, whose services include providing UK and international public and private sector clients with advice on climate change, water and resource efficiency, environmental economics, and energy use and supply.

The new collaboration will offer immediate synergies for both Ricardo-AEA and Cascade, and their respective clients. For Ricardo-AEA it will enable the company to offer its clients ready access to world-class water consultancy. It represents a major expansion of Ricardo-AEA’s present water, economic, and climate change capabilities, enabling the company to provide consulting services on the increasingly important links between energy and water. Similarly Cascade will be able to offer its clients ready support in the form of Ricardo-AEA’s deep capabilities in climate change, energy, economic assessment, resource efficiency and air quality. Cascade will also be able to offer its core water capabilities through Ricardo-AEA’s extensive international client relationships.

“The collaboration with Cascade provides complementary capabilities that will develop and enhance our water offer, bringing it up to the strength of our other major technical teams advising clients on the key sustainability issues of the day,” commented Ricardo-AEA’s Director for Development Tim Curtis. “It will enable us to exploit the significant links between these topics, and also provides the major opportunity to take leading UK water expertise to our international clients.”

Kieran Conlan, CEO of Cascade, added: “Cascade has a 15 year history of growth, serving the UK’s water industry and regulators. It will continue to serve this blue chip client base but now with access to a wider range of environmental specialisms from Ricardo-AEA. Together the skill sets consolidate the environmental services required to enhance our offering to our core and extended client groups, to ensure that Cascade adapts to the evolving challenges over the next decade.  We also look forward to working with Ricardo-AEA in the international arena which we expect to provide the company with exciting new opportunities.’