QUALCO UK Limited, part of the Qualco Group, has announced a new three-year strategic partnership with Thames Water Utilities Limited, aimed at enhancing customer engagement, affordability management and operational effectiveness. Thames Water serves around 16 million customers across London and the Thames Valley.
The collaboration forms part of Thames Water’s broader transformation programme, which focuses on improving how the company supports customers, particularly those experiencing financial pressure. Central to this approach is the use of data-led technologies to promote fair and consistent treatment, greater transparency and more resilient operations.
The collaboration will enhance customer engagement, affordability management and operational effectiveness
Under the agreement, Thames Water is implementing Qualco’s Collections and Recoveries platform, a data-driven system designed to support structured customer account management and decision-making. The platform is integrated with Qualco’s ExtraCollect capability, which provides oversight of third-party account handling and treatment strategies. Together, the tools are intended to replace legacy systems with automated workflows and real-time prioritisation.
The hosted, plug-and-play solution integrates with Thames Water’s core billing environment. Atos is providing specialist SAP integration services to ensure alignment with the utility’s enterprise architecture. Predictive modelling will also be used to assess prioritisation and treatment effectiveness, enabling early performance insights and ongoing optimisation.
Qualco UK will additionally support the deployment through its panel management services delivered via ExtraCollect. According to Qualco, the platform currently supports 22 clients and manages more than £10 billion in portfolios across the UK credit sector, excluding Thames Water.
Commenting on the initiative, Nina White, Director of Income at Thames Water, said: “This initiative forms part of our wider programme to improve how we support customers, particularly those facing affordability challenges.”
Spyros Retzekas, Deputy CEO at Qualco Group, added: “We are proud to partner with Thames Water on a programme that brings together technology, operational capability, and regulatory discipline.”
Christian Jacob, Managing Director at Qualco UK, highlighted the regulatory context, noting that the partnership supports “efficiency, transparency, and control required in a highly regulated environment.”
