ARCADIS (EURONEXT: ARCAD), the leading pure play global engineering and consultancy firm, announced today that together with electrical engineering firm Croon Elektrotechniek it has won a five-year contract from Rijkswaterstaat (RWS) for the upgrading design and maintenance of bridges and locks in the Ijsselmeer area. The contract relates to installations in the vicinity of the Afsluitdijk, Enkhuizen, Lelystad and the Randmeren. The initial contract value amounts to Euro 33 million and includes a possible extension of another Euro 10 million of additional works (40 percent revenue for ARCADIS; 60 percent for Croon).

Multidisciplinary contract
The contract is a multi-disciplinary performance agreement. The maintenance will be carried out in a risk-managed and risk-controlled way which is a new and innovative approach being developed in cooperation with RWS. The main part of the contract concerns the maintenance and modernization of the locks of RWS the surroundings of the Ijsselmeer area, in particular the maintenance of electro-technical and mechanical installations and repairs resulting from damages from normal use. The contract also includes renovation works on the locks of the Afsluitdijk, including upgrading of the control and operational devices, revision of swing bridges, locks and sluices and the renewal of installations that guide boat traffic through these systems.

Shared vision
Strengthening the cooperation between ARCADIS and Croon is the vision they share about how to best perform design and maintenance in these specific fields. According to directors Rob Mooren from ARCADIS and Kees Smit from Croon, the companies' have complementary capabilities required to support RWS with this important assignment. ARCADIS is the leading expert in the field of asset and water management, while Croon is expert on electro-technical solutions for tunnels, bridges and locks. "By combining our broad knowledge and expertise we are able to deliver high quality services. We are proud that we have been successful in winning this contract".