Ricardo
and Cascade Consulting 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."
Ricardo-AEA – Cascade
