ResilienTogether is building a Smart Catchment. Through use of innovative technologies and techniques, it aims to reduce flood risk to people and places, enhance the water environment and improve community resilience in the Pix Brook catchment in the face of climate change.
The project is achieving this through a close-knit partnership of risk management authorities and stakeholders that work together to deliver six inter-related work packages. This digest highlights the collaborative approach
Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) and partners are taking to working with specialists from JBA Consulting to
achieve project aims and deliver innovation.

Read more about the collaboration: Public & Private Sector Collaboration

The aims of ResilienTogether span numerous technical disciplines, many of which require specialist knowledge not held by project partners. To facilitate informed and timely task planning and delivery, Work Package Chairs required an unimpeded and flexible approach to access technical specialists.

As a environmental, engineering and risk management consultancy, JBA employs a range of specialists in all the fields that ResilienTogether are innovating in. JBA also has access to a diverse network of contacts and subcontractors.

Prior to ResilienTogether commencing, CBC entered into the Regeneration and Business Consultancy Framework (CBC-0986), which enabled direct award and mini-competition for services by Providers.

To create low barriers to specialist services and expertise, JBA offered two service packages:

  • Project Management Support – to enter the project at concept level and advise on strategy and decision making toward by setting technical goals and supporting day-to-day running of the project.
  • Work Package (WP) Technical Support – to deliver technical tasks and advise on how to approach achieving project goals within each working group.
  1. Sharing expertise
    Risk Management Authorities and consultants often have different skillsets and delivery approaches. Collaborative working enables a knowledge and skills exchange, to the benefit of both parties. By working directly with partners, JBA’s technical specialists can transfer skills, identify opportunities and risks, and offer their experience to help inform the development of methodologies to achieve goals.
  2. Flexible delivery
    The flexibility embedded in ResilienTogether’s arrangement with JBA enables both parties to react to emerging opportunities and challenges. Plans and approaches will change, and being agile to this is essential to project delivery. Such change can facilitate innovation and should be accommodated.
  3. Capturing learning and innovation
    Being embedded across the project, JBA are uniquely placed to recognise and capture learning and innovations. Innovations occur in product designs, engagement approaches and many more areas that are not always visible to managers and directors. By linking technical delivery with project management, learning is captured and shared.