A utility firm has appointed security and perimeter fencing systems manufacturer Zaun to a three-year framework agreement, with an option to renew for a further two years, worth around £2m. Thames Water Utilities chose Zaun as one of four appointed contractors for their framework agreement for the supply and installation of security fencing and gates, and one of three for their ongoing maintenance.
Thames expects to save almost £500,000 with the new framework agreement, as well as have dedicated account management, certified perimeter protection designers, engineers and technicians, access to new products, and management reporting linked to a service level agreement. Thames Water manages more than 600 sites, most unmanned, that require security to protect the water supply to some 14 million people.
The risk of a terrorist or organised crime attack to contaminate the supply doesn’t bear thinking about, but accidental pollution, the safety hazard of sewage, the potential for theft and even vandalism all mean site safety and security is necessary. Zaun did work for Thames Water during its multi-billion pound London Tideway improvements to create a cleaner, healthier River Thames. This entailed work on sites of Critical National Infratructure (CNI) near to the London 2012 Olympic Park at Stratford where Zaun also provided perimeter fencing. Zaun installed 20km of fencing and more than 1,000 gates at over 30 venues, including the main Olympic Park, Wembley and the O2 Arena for London 2012. Zaun designed, made and installed its ArmaWeave, the highest rated single panel fencing for defending against forcible attack. It has achieved Secured by Design accreditation, the UK police initiative on the principles of ‘designing out crime’.
The company also offers what it believes to be the first single mesh to be certified to Security Rating 2 – its HiSec Super 10 fencing system.
It has been entered into the Loss Prevention Certification Board’s (LPCB) Red Book (www.redbooklive.com) for LPS 1175: Issue 7 (certificate number 1164a/01), increasingly the preferred standard for water and other utility CNI sites.
Products approved by LPCB are rigorously tested for resistance to deliberate attack and play an important role in protecting people and property against physical attack, burglary, vandalism and terrorism.
To maintain accreditation and a listing in the LPCB Red Book manufacturers must regularly show to independent auditors that they are producing products consistent with those tested. LPS 1175 specifically covers the approval and listing of intruder resistant building components, strongpoints, security enclosures and free-standing barriers.
Zaun co-founder and technical and production director Alastair Henman said it was “fantastic to achieve the SR2 rating for a single layer fencing system for vulnerable, sensitive and high-profile sites”.
He said: “Other mesh panels that have achieved SR2 have had to employ double layers of mesh with extra reinforcment. The single layer HiSec Super 10 gives better through-visibility for security patrols and CCTV, is kinder on the eye, yet is as simple to install. We are also constantly looking to increase our range of approved systems from those already entered into the Red Book, but the systems we already have approved provide our customers with effective and appropriate solutions for a range of differing perimeter security requirements.”
Zaun manufactures all these systems in-house at its West Midlands HQ, where the product testing and factory controls are rigorous and set the product apart from ‘re-sold’ fencing. That’s why Henman is confident of maintaining the rating when the LPCB conducts its regular independent audits.
He added: “We produce our own mesh, a claim many infer but do not do. Our doors are always open to the LPCB and potential customers who would like to see for themselves where the product is made and how its quality is assured. I urge all specifiers and end users to insist not just on certified product but also that they are installed to the approved drawings.”
About Zaun Limited
The perimeter protection firm based in the UK has regional offices in France and Dubai, and offers temporary, PAS68 and permanent fencing as well as integrating CCTV and PID systems. Zaun was founded in 1996 by directors Alastair Henman and Paul Painter and remains a privately owned company, manufacturing in the UK at its five-acre factory in the West Midlands.
Zaun manufactures to ISO 9001:2008 standards and is a member of the ethical supply chain initiative, Sedex. It is also a member of the Perimeter Security Suppliers’ Association (PSSA), for which Painter is a founding member and director; the Fencing Contractors’ Association (FCA), for which Henman is a committee member; and the Sports and Play Construction Association, SAPCA.
