Three Strategic Questions Every Water Executive Can Now Answer
1. Which risks matter most—and when will they impact service?
IFS Copperleaf dynamically models asset and system risk, making long-term exposure visible and quantifiable. Leaders gain a clear view of:
- Failure probability and consequences
- Climate and ESG-related vulnerabilities
- How risk evolves over time under different spend levels
This supports transparent, defensible risk-reduction strategies—especially in regulatory conversations.
2. Which investments deliver the highest value?
Using the Copperleaf Value Framework, water utilities can quantify and compare:
- Financial returns
- Environmental and community outcomes
- Reliability and service performance
- Progress toward net-zero and regulatory objectives
Capital allocation becomes value-based and strategic, not driven by subjective prioritization.
3. How do we deploy constrained budgets to deliver strategic outcomes?
IFS Copperleaf uses multi-constraint portfolio optimization to identify the plan that delivers the greatest value while respecting:
- Budget and resource constraints
- Risk limits
- Performance targets
This ensures every pound maximizes resilience, regulatory confidence, and enterprise value.
How IFS Copperleaf Elevates Capital Strategy for Water Utilities
Risk-Informed, Evidence-Based Planning
Leaders gain a defensible view of current and future risks, strengthening business cases and improving regulatory outcomes.
Scenario Agility for a Volatile Future
AI-powered scenario modeling makes it easy to test drought impacts, demand shifts, or funding changes—and rapidly re-optimize plans.
Integrated ESG & Carbon Impact
ESG, emissions, biodiversity, and community metrics become part of every investment decision, not separate processes.
Stronger Regulatory Defensibility
Clear audit trails and side-by-side scenario comparisons make it easier to justify funding requests and accelerate approvals.
Real Results: Proven Impact Across Sectors
IDC’s independent 2025 Business Value research shows organizations using IFS Copperleaf achieved:
- 469% ROI over three years
- 11-month payback
- $17.5M in annual benefits
- 55% faster capital reallocation
- 3% uplift in portfolio economic value
These results reflect what many U.K. and European water utilities already see with value-based planning:
- Unified decision frameworks across historically siloed groups
- Prevention of low-value projects displacing higher-value alternatives
- Faster, more defensible rate submissions
Connecting Strategy, Assets, and Execution
IFS Copperleaf acts as the strategic decision layer, connecting ERP financial plans, EAM operational data, and long-term sustainability and service goals. This ensures:
- Alignment across engineering, finance, sustainability, and operations
- A single source of truth for risk and value
- Governance and transparency across the full planning lifecycle
- Plans that are truly executable—not aspirational
From AMP cycles to climate resilience to net-zero pathways, leaders gain a clearer and more confident planning horizon.
A More Resilient, Transparent, and Trusted Water Network
As pressures rise, the consequences of poor capital decisions escalate:
- Burst mains disrupt communities
- Compliance gaps jeopardize funding
- Deferred interventions multiply cost and risk
IFS Copperleaf helps utilities break this cycle—turning complex data into defensible decisions and making capital planning a strategic advantage, not a compliance burden.
Take the Next Step Toward Strategic Capital Excellence
Leading utilities—including Anglian Water, Northumbrian Water, Affinity Water, and South Staffs—use IFS Copperleaf to modernize capital planning, strengthen regulatory confidence, and deliver greater value for their communities.
Your organization can, too.