Vyrnwy Aqueduct, UK Water Network

• Client: Avove Utilities
• Location: Vyrnwy Aqueduct

When you are trusted to work on a piece of infrastructure that has quietly served millions for over a century, the responsibility feels different.

The Vyrnwy Aqueduct - a backbone of the UK's water network - is such a piece.

Constructed in 1892, the 139km pipeline transports around 210 million litres of water each day from Lake Vyrnwy to communities in Cheshire, Merseyside and the wider North West. Given that it is over 130 years old, the Vyrnwy Aqueduct needs maintenance. That's where Novo came in.

Novo Project Quantity Surveyor Rebekah Hughes initially joined the modernisation programme as a subcontractor for Avove Utilities, assisting the senior quantity surveyor.

But as the project grew, so did Rebekah's role: Cost management. Forecasting. Cost analysis. Project reviews. But on a project of this scale, not everything goes smoothly. The innovation piece didn't come without risks. Unfortunately, some of those risks materialised, impacting both costs and the programme. That's when teamwork mattered.

Collectively, Rebekah and the team from Avove reported the movement for the project review before managing senior leadership's expectations for what could be recovered via a change management route. Risk and opportunity management became part of her daily routine, as did working side-by-side with the operations team - a relationship she knew was a vital ingredient for success.

"If you don't have a good relationship with them, you're a bit of a nonstarter," she said

Despite the issues faced, both Rebekah's and Novo's approaches helped maintain the project's margin. That brought not just immense pride to Rebekah but also helped her grow and develop in the role.

The team was so successful that they secured Team of the Year at Avove's annual awards, specifically for their work on the aqueduct. And it also demonstrates the real difference that using Novo can make to a project. Even when things don't go to plan, Novo has a plan.

We provide expertise. We provide solutions. And when the stakes are high, we deliver results.

Rebekah's work at Vyrnwy proves that Novo is not just a consultancy that supports complex programmes. It's a consultancy that strengthens them.