Irish Water to open call centre

The new Irish Water Company is publishing an e-tender today soliciting bids from firms to run its call centre, which will employ 400 people by the end of 2016.

It is hoped that the successful applicant will be chosen by the end of February. Recruitment will then begin for the first 100 employees who are expected to be in place by early next summer.

The tendering process will be open to all companies but all the jobs will be located in Ireland, said a company spokesperson.

The e-tender process is one of the first stages in setting up the new national utility. Irish Water will be part of the Bord Gáis group of companies. The reasoning behind the company is to manage Ireland’s natural water supplies.

As it stands, the country’s local authorities are responsible for the water supply infrastructure. But it is estimated that the leakage rate is running at 42%, which is twice the OECD average. The aim of the new water company will be to run a national water system that will supply households and businesses throughout the country.

It is also expected that the company will be able to raise finance on the international markets to fund capital expenditure programmes. But first the asset base and a revenue model has to be put in place. Over the course of 2014, the new water company will start billing households for water charges.

But the Government must first set up a new regulatory body to oversee Irish Water. The regulator will then have to set the water charges, which is likely to cause a public backlash.

A further 1,000 jobs will be created installing water meters. The process has started of recruiting the senior management team to run the new utility. The company is scheduled to be fully operational by the end of 2016.

The demerger of Bord Gáis is also scheduled for next year. The Bord Gáis Energy business is slated to be privatised over the next 12 months. Bord Gáis Networks will remain in the state fold. The company is also looking for a chief executive following the decision by John Mullins to step down when his contract expires at the end of December.