Improving Trenchless Infrastructure Delivery by Adopting a 'Flower of Service' Approach

Abstract

Trenchless technology has transformed the infrastructure sector by allowing the installation, replacement, and rehabilitation of underground infrastructure without excavation. However, improving value transfer to stakeholders requires focusing on facilitating and enhancing services, which represent a small proportion of the overall service delivery cost but have a significant impact on the user experience and value that is transferred to stakeholders. The 'Flower of Services' concept provides a useful framework for examining the infrastructure lifecycle and identifying areas for service delivery improvement. Core services provide the primary function, while facilitating services enable the delivery of the core service, and enhancing services create added value for the user experience. Examples of facilitating services in the water sector include technical information, traffic control, and flow management, while enhancing services include community consultations and completion updates for affected residents. Despite being a world leader in technology, the trenchless industry can improve its service offering by adopting a more sophisticated approach to service delivery. This can be achieved by learning from other sectors that have successfully implemented the 'Flower of Services' concept to enhance the user experience. Asset owners and delivery providers play a crucial role in optomising value transfer to stakeholders by ensuring that facilitating and enhancing services are given adequate consideration in service delivery. This paper outlines how the 'Flower of Services' concept may be applied to the trenchless industry and provides recommendations for achieving optimum value transfer across the sector, including prioritising facilitating and enhancing services and leveraging technology to enhance service delivery.