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Contract for interim management of integrated water cycle in Syracuse

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In 2022, Agenda21500 obtained its first contract in Italy involving supply and sanitation project management thanks to the trust placed by Servizi Integrati Acque del Mediterraneo - SIAM S.p.A, in the city of Syracuse, Sicily, Italy.

Agenda21500’s services consisted of searching, selecting and recruiting a new Manager for the company and, since the incorporation of the new manager had to be immediate, an interim service was implemented until the incorporation of the new manager. The successful search of Agenda21500 resulted in the hiring of a civil engineer from Sicily as the final contract manager, which helped enormously in the candidate's personal integration. During that time, a regular collaborator of the company with extensive experience in the water market in Spain and Argentina occupied the position.

Published in SWM Print Edition 19 - September 2023
SWM Print Edition 19

The Syracuse water services provider supplies the municipalities of Syracuse, Solarino and Florida in the island of Sicily, with a total population equivalent of 150,000 and a designed flow rate of 27,400 cubic metres per day. The facilities include 32 water abstraction points and 10 drinking water tanks which supply 50,000 water service customers. In addition, the sanitation services include 450 kilometres of sewerage network and the Canalicchio Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), which has a treatment capacity of 0.5 cubic metres per second.

In 2022, Agenda21500 obtained its first contract in the city of Syracuse, in Italy, involving supply and sanitation project management

From the very beginning of the contract, the interim manager assumed all the tasks and responsibilities of the position, being also the representative of the company for the joint companies. The main tasks with which Agenda21500 collaborated during the interim period were as follows:

  • The expansion of the communication channels of SIAM's organization chart with the parent companies.
  • Analysis of the contract between SIAM and the Comune of Syracuse.
  • Optimization of the service organization chart.
  • Readjustment of the ARERA tariff.
  • Adequacy of criteria and tools to make the collection of overdue debt by users more efficient.
  • Review of the financial situation of the service.
  • Strengthening of the institution in its relations both internally and externally.
  • Drafting of the Plan of feasible investments according to contract. National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). Presentation of preliminary drafts for the "Aqua Bene Comune" Plan at the level of the Italian Government Ministry.
  • Development of the SOA Certification Procedure for the company, both as a construction company and as a water system management company.
  • Studies of alternatives in energy consumption efficiency and new suppliers before the price increase that took place in 2022.

Agenda21500’s expertise was key to achieving rapid integration into the project’s teams and early detection of improvement needs

In addition, and as an intrinsic scope of Agenda21500's services, the content of the follow-up reports was analysed in weekly meetings with the incoming manager who was finally selected by SIAM, so that, at the time of his incorporation, he would know all the details about the management and responsibilities he was going to face, significantly optimizing the time for the acquisition of information and integration into the company's organization chart.

During the last weeks of the service, the two managers worked closely together to guarantee the transition of information and transfer of responsibilities in accordance with the needs of our client.

With this contract and thanks to the trust put in us by our client, Agenda21500 has returned to interim project management at the European level after the hiatus caused by the pandemic period. With this important reference, we have consolidated our international presence in four of the five continents and we are confident that this year we will be able to expand our interim project management services to new geographical areas.