Areas of Expertise

Company Analysis

“Til taught by pain, men really know not what good water is worth”

Lord Byron's Don Juan learnt things the hard way. We have developed global databases covering all identified companies providing water and wastewater services to industrial and municipal customers covering 2,700 Public-Private Partnership contracts awarded since the 1980s. This is backed by 35 years of covering technology and water companies.

Market Analysis

“For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat and wrong”

Henry Louis Mencken's aphorism remains refreshingly relevant today. The complexity of the water and wastewater markets means that there is no substitute for an in-depth understanding of their drivers and how these are changing. Much has been written about water and some of it makes good sense. Envisager's proprietary water spending needs database provides a comprehensive global analysis of water and wastewater infrastructure, service needs, economics and what is needed to achieve comprehensive and sustainable safe water and sanitation services by 2050.

Policy Analysis

“Water, water everywhere, Nor any drop to drink”

Samuel Taylor Coleridge's Ancient Mariner would feel at home in our world. We have plenty of water, yet universal access to safe drinking water remains a pipedream in many countries despite over fifty years of global campaigns. Why? The real scarcity lies in management, monitoring, finance and political will. Water policy analysis needs to warn, not to embroider.

Environmental & Political Risk

“Water is a very good servant, but it is a cruel master”

CGD Roberts might have been Adrift in America but he understood the politics of water. Learning from the errors as well as the successes of other companies offers valuable insights into beneficially engaging with this most ‘political' of businesses. Appreciating the lessons learnt by others provides a sound basis for anticipating and managing risk.

Arbitration & Mediation

“Whisky is for drinking; water is for fighting over”

Mark Twain wrote about a world where resources seemed plentiful. Today, people, companies and Governments face disputes about the cost of water resources and the contracts used as water gets scarcer and costlier. By placing these issues, local or national, in their broader context, common ground can be found for resolving disputes in a sustainable and equitable manner.