Of all utilities, the water industry is the least competitive. In the United Kingdom, the Government, the customers, the suppliers, the Regulators and even a number of industry incumbents have recognised the need to introduce mechanisms that facilitate the introduction of competition in the industry. Whilst true dynamic competition is unlikely without the break-up of the industry value chain, we believe that the absence of a formal 'marketplace' has served to stifle further the emergence of competition within the existing regulatory framework. It is our contention that the development and provision of a marketplace will act as a catalyst to stimulate competition within the industry as currently configured, providing significant benefits to end consumers by facilitating the entry of new players and improving efficiencies throughout the water industry value chain.
The emergence of the Internet as an essential business tool, and indeed as a trading mechanism used extensively in other utility industries, has led waterexchange to the conclusion that an Internet based online marketplace would provide significant opportunities for the industry to begin to trade and exchange competitively.
This site will develop to support the industry through innovative end-to-end trading processes for items such as unwanted materials, water capacity, and licences. In addition, we aim to provide the latest industry news, jobs, and resources to make waterexchange the premier marketplace for the water industry.