On Wednesday 21 May, the Dutch Rijnland Water Board, BESIX, and the ‘Zuiver-én HWP’ joint venture (a collaboration between Dura Vermeer, ADS Groep Water, and Hoppenbrouwers) signed an ECI (Early Contractor Involvement) agreement for the renovation and expansion of the Haarlem Waarderpolder wastewater treatment plant. Treating wastewater from some 224,000 households and businesses, it is one of Rijnland’s largest treatment plants.
Rebuilding the treatment plant had been on the Rijnland region list for some time. Rijnland Water Board’s Administrator Bas Knapp: “With the new treatment plant, Rijnland will be able to process more wastewater into even cleaner water.” The treatment plant is also being expanded to handle sludge from almost all treatment plants in Rijnland’s area in the future. Sludge, the residual product of wastewater, is converted at the treatment plant into sustainable products such as biogas. “Rijnland’s goal is to be 100 % circular by 2050,” Knapp said. “The modifications to this WWTP are a nice step in that direction.”
Sustainability and cooperation as key assessment criteria
The contractors were selected partly on their vision of cooperation, sustainability, and circularity, for example in their material choices. Simone Boogaard, Director Water: “Good cooperation is indispensable. The contractors’ offers were not only tested on their vision of collaboration, but also on how they would implement it practically.”
Working together in the construction team phase
This ECI approach will take place in two phases. In the first phase, the final design will be made. The second phase will be about implementation. Contractors will be able to submit bids for execution to determine the full price. After that, the proverbial shovel will be put in the ground.
Nic De Roeck, Managing Director BESIX Europe / General Manager BESIX Nederland: “We are proud to be working with Rijnland and the engineering firms involved in the coming years from an integral ECI collaboration towards the Final Design for the waterline and in parallel to start preparations for the realisation of the project. A challenging task given the size and complexity of the treatment. This task requires an approach aimed at combining each other’s knowledge and strengths in the construction team based on pleasant and respectful cooperation. During the design process, we will in particular contribute our knowledge and expertise on design constructability, optimisations, sustainability measures, and minimising execution risks. Here, safety and quality are paramount. We look forward to working as a construction team partner in an open, predictable, and successful way to make the project a success!”
Mark Bakker, Managing Director Dura Vermeer: “We are proud that our joint venture ‘Zuiver-én HWP’ will have the opportunity to contribute to the joint realisation of the Haarlem Waarderpolder wastewater treatment plant. This major task of improving the water quality in Haarlem and its surroundings requires broad, successful cooperation with all stakeholders. In this, we are open to each other’s interests and want to help each other to achieve our objectives. The two-phase approach adopted by the Rhineland Water Board, focusing on cooperation, transparency, and trust in each other is, in our opinion, the basis for such a successful project!”