Obituary: Roger Remington

Managing one of the first modern era mega-projects for the city of London is the achievement for which Roger Remington will be most remembered. As a long-term employee with Thames Water, the water supply and wastewater management authority for Greater London, Remington rose to be the man of the moment to lead the London Water Ring Main project when it was being developed in the early 1980s.

The major part of the Ring Main was built between 1988 and 1993 at a cost of £248 million, equivalent to about £550 million in current value. Through his tenure as Project Director for the Ring Main for Thames Water, Remington developed, supported and introduced several advanced initiatives that were instrumental in its recognised success. These included use of the target cost IChemE Green Book form of contract for the civil tunnelling contracts, rather than the more usual ICE 5th Edition at the time. He also ensured that bids for most of the civil contracts were invited with a three-week lead and awarded just three weeks later. Both initiatives, as Remington was proud to recount, were instrumental in having the full programme completed and delivered “two years ahead of programme and under [its Thames Water allocated] budget”.

Remington, who died on 23 April 2023, was awarded the James Clark Medal accolade in 1993 for his particular leadership and contribution to the success of completing the 80km network of the Thames Water Ring Main in just seven years.

Read the full tribute and additional details of the project and its success at https://issuu.com/tunneltalk-tunneltalk/docs/obituary_roger_remington_jun_2023?fr=xKAE9_zU1NQ