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Trace Intercept Team

Why the Best Evidence Tools Are Boring and Repairable

Why the Best Evidence Tools Are Boring and Repairable

In regulated infrastructure, the tools used to gather evidence often attract more attention than the evidence itself. There is a persistent assumption that “enterprise-grade” capability must be complex, specialised, and tightly controlled. In practice, this assumption frequently produces systems that are impressive on paper and fragile in the field. What

When Evidence Becomes Ambient, Not Exceptional

When Evidence Becomes Ambient, Not Exceptional

In much of the UK water sector, evidence is still treated as something exceptional. It is commissioned deliberately, planned in advance, and gathered for a specific purpose. Surveys are scheduled. Specialists are mobilised. Access is arranged. Evidence is produced, used, and then archived. This model made sense when capture was

Systemic Necessity and Exit Value

Systemic Necessity and Exit Value

Across regulated infrastructure, exit value is rarely created at the moment of sale. It is accumulated, quietly, through years of decisions that reduce uncertainty, preserve confidence, and keep future options open. In the UK water sector, that accumulation increasingly depends on whether asset understanding can survive scrutiny by parties who

Why Ofwat Is Rejecting Remediation Spend Without Root-Cause Evidence

Why Ofwat Is Rejecting Remediation Spend Without Root-Cause Evidence

Ofwat’s recent decisions to reject or challenge remediation funding requests have surprised some in the sector. From the utility perspective, proposed interventions often feel reasonable, urgent, and well intentioned. Assets are ageing, performance is under pressure, and remediation appears necessary. From the regulator’s perspective, however, a different question

Why Six-Month Remediation Windows Break Traditional Survey Models

Why Six-Month Remediation Windows Break Traditional Survey Models

Ofwat’s recent enforcement actions have changed the tempo of remediation. Water companies are now being required to produce credible remediation plans for wastewater treatment works and networks within compressed timeframes, often measured in months rather than years. Six-month windows are becoming common. This shift exposes a mismatch between regulatory

Why Boards Need Inspectable Evidence, Not Performance Summaries

Why Boards Need Inspectable Evidence, Not Performance Summaries

Ofwat’s recent enforcement activity has placed boards firmly in scope. The issue is not whether boards received reports, dashboards, or assurances. It is whether they had genuine line of sight into asset condition and performance, sufficient to challenge assumptions and satisfy themselves that risks were understood and controlled. Performance

The Asset Visibility Gap: Why Ofwat Is No Longer Accepting “We Thought We Knew”

The Asset Visibility Gap: Why Ofwat Is No Longer Accepting “We Thought We Knew”

Across the UK water sector, enforcement activity has converged on a single underlying failure. Companies have not lacked intent, investment, or analytical capability. What they have lacked is reliable, inspectable visibility into the condition and configuration of their assets. Ofwat’s recent actions make clear that this is no longer