Quebec-headquartered CGI has been confirmed by Market Operator Services Ltd (MOSL) as the contractor who will design, build and operate the central market system to support the operation of the English water market when competition is introduced to non-household customers in April 2017.

The five-year contract is valued at approximately £15 million.

CGI’s central market system will be adopted by MOSL as the underpinning solution for its central market operating system (CMOS). The CMOS will facilitate interaction among all participants (retailers and wholesalers) in the competitive non-household water market. CGI will also host and operate the CMOS system on its secure commercial cloud. 

Announcing the contract win, CGI said it will contribute its knowledge and experience in designing, building and operating central market systems for utility markets across the globe, including the world’s first competitive water market in Scotland.

CGI’s central market system is a proven solution that has been implemented for the Danish and Dutch central energy markets. For the English water market, it will be configured to meet specific processes defined by the requirements set out in the Market Architecture Plan (MAP). When the CMOS system is implemented, it will be supported by CGI’s SDI five star certified service desk, which will provide 24x7 assistance to all market participants.

As part of the contract, CGI has partnered with Bridgeall. CGI and Bridgeall have direct experience of developing and operating the central market system for the creation of the competitive water market that opened in Scotland in 2008.

Bridgeall will use its water market expertise to deliver a sub-system that will calculate the primary charges for water and waste water services and allocate those charges to the relevant wholesalers and retailers.

Ben Jeffs, Chief Executive of MOSL said:

“The introduction of competition for non-household customers in England by April 2017 is a major challenge, both in terms of timescales and complexity. The CMOS will be at the heart of the new market, so we are delighted to appoint the CGI team to work alongside us in this critical role. The team’s combined experience in the Scottish market and the wider energy industry will be invaluable in ensuring success in the English market.”  

“This is a very exciting time for the water industry,” said Tara McGeehan, Vice-President, Energy & Utilities for CGI in the UK. “Competition for non-household customers will create new business opportunities for many operators. At the same time, water market competition will help to drive innovation, as well as offer customers improved service at lower cost. We are delighted to be working with MOSL to deliver its new central market operating system. We have a very tight timescale to design, build and implement the system, but by working in partnership with all the key stakeholders and leveraging our central market systems experience, we will develop a system that will make competition work for the water industry.”

Bridgeall is a leading IT services company with over 12 years’ experience in delivering mission critical IT solutions to businesses in the UK. Bridgeall developed and continues to operate the central systems that underpin the competitive water market in Scotland.

Founded in 1976, CGI Group Inc. is the fifth largest independent information technology and business process services firm in the world, with annual revenue in excess of C$10 billion and an order backlog of approximately C$20 billion.