Watercare's focus is on delivering the best long-term value for customers, not simply selecting the lowest-cost bid. Procurement decisions will continue to consider capability, experience, safety, quality, innovation, risk management, sustainability and whole-of-life value alongside price to ensure successful programme outcomes.

Watercare has a strong focus on probity through its procurement processes. Watercare manages probity through structured procurement governance, mandatory conflict and confidentiality controls, independent assurance, transparent evaluation processes, and robust audit and reporting mechanisms.

Over the past year, Watercare has implemented water reform, established a new operating model following financial separation, strengthened its understanding of asset condition and growth requirements, and reviewed how to deliver a significantly larger capital programme. A key change is the shift from managing individual projects to coordinating nine major programmes comprising more than 1,000 projects, providing better planning, sequencing and industry visibility. Success will ultimately depend on strong partnerships across the infrastructure sector.

Providing greater visibility and certainty to the market is a key objective of launching the Infrastructure Pipeline Hub. This is the central source of information on major programmes, procurement opportunities, project updates and future investment priorities. It will help contractors, consultants, suppliers and manufacturers understand what opportunities are coming to market and when, while creating greater transparency around Watercare's forward pipeline.

The programme is expected to create significant opportunities for employment, apprenticeships, skills development and business growth. By providing a long-term pipeline of work, Watercare is giving businesses greater confidence to invest in people, capability and innovation. Watercare recognises the important contribution local businesses, SMEs and Māori businesses can make and will continue working with delivery partners to encourage broad participation across programme supply chains.

Watercare wants to maximise opportunities for New Zealand businesses while also recognising the value that international expertise, specialist capability and innovation can bring to complex infrastructure programmes. The focus is on building the strongest delivery ecosystem possible and ensuring Auckland has access to the skills and experience needed to successfully deliver the programme.

The move to a programme-led approach is designed to improve collaboration, planning and delivery efficiency. Rather than focusing on individual projects, Watercare is bringing related investments together into major programmes that provide greater certainty and encourage stronger long-term partnerships. The Waikato Water Supply Programme is an example of this approach and will be delivered using an alliance model, bringing Watercare, designers and contractors together as one integrated team. Future programmes will be assessed individually to determine the most appropriate delivery model based on scale, complexity and risk.

Watercare supports independent economic regulation and is working with the Commerce Commission as the long-term regulatory framework is developed. Regulation will bring greater transparency and accountability around investment decisions, performance reporting and customer outcomes. At the same time, technology, data and innovation will play an increasingly important role in delivery. Better asset information, digital reporting, predictive analytics and emerging technologies such as AI can help improve planning, asset management, programme controls, risk identification and decision-making. AI also has the potential to improve productivity by helping teams analyse large volumes of data, identify trends and support more informed investment decisions. Watercare remains open to innovation, and new technologies that demonstrate strong whole-of-life value while meeting safety, operational and regulatory requirements.

Biosolids has emerged as a key long-term strategic priority and is now being incorporated into Watercare's long-term investment planning. Watercare has spent the past two years improving its understanding of future requirements and the limitations of existing disposal arrangements. While Watercare will define the outcomes Auckland needs to achieve, industry engagement will be an important part of the process. Watercare is drawing on expertise and innovation from the market as future solutions are developed and assessed.