Target account development Reach decision-makers at target companies.
New market entry Test a sector before investing in it.
International expansion First customers in a new country.
Launching a new offering Measure market interest in a product.
Commercial opportunities programme Qualified meetings every week for 90 days.
Signal-based outreach Engage when the need arises.
Trade shows and events A full schedule before the trade show opens.
Account reactivation Reconnect with lost accounts.
Eleven industry groups
Nine engagements, from situation to outcome
Regulations and markets
Firm presentation
A commercial growth firm
The revised European Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive entered into force on 1 January 2025. Its timetable creates commercial qualification points for suppliers of equipment, instruments and solutions for collective or compact wastewater treatment.
A European framework that came into force in 2025
The revised directive has been in force since 1 January 2025. It covers agglomerations of 1,000 p.e. and above, in accordance with the requirements set out in the legislation. However, the thresholds and implementation phases vary according to the size and type of agglomeration. The threshold of 1,000 p.e. should therefore not be interpreted as a uniform deadline for all territories.
The timetable mentions initial lists in 2027 and 2030. Secondary treatment must be introduced by 2035 at the latest for the urban areas concerned, while the tertiary and quaternary phases extend to 2045. These milestones provide a basis for classifying accounts according to their regulatory horizon. However, the territories concerned and the transposition arrangements must be verified before any qualification.
A timetable that can be used to segment accounts
The timetable makes it possible to distinguish several groups of local authorities, wastewater associations and treatment plant operators. Segmentation can take into account the size of the urban area, existing equipment and the applicable deadline. It must remain linked to the criteria of commercial campaigns and the customer profiles sought. No uniform legal threshold can be inferred to define the commercial population on its own.
An initial list may include organisations potentially affected by the nearest deadlines. Other lists may cover subsequent processing phases, through to 2045. This structure avoids treating every account with the same level of priority. It also allows the commercial message to be adapted to the technical situation and assumed timeline of each account.
Two levels of commercial targeting
The first level covers manufacturers, integrators and suppliers of equipment or instruments for municipal and compact wastewater treatment. Relevant contacts include commercial management and teams responsible for developing public procurement markets. Their challenge is to identify end accounts likely to enter a study, planning or tendering phase. The regulatory timetable can then be used as a ranking criterion without being presented as evidence of a project.
The second level covers the competent local authorities, wastewater associations and plant operators affected by the thresholds and deadlines. Relevant functions include water and wastewater management, technical management and operations teams. Qualification must specify the type of urban area, the facilities in place and the applicable timeframe. It must also verify whether an investment programme or purchasing organisation already exists.
Regulatory signals to distinguish from published projects
A regulatory deadline proves neither that a tender has been published, nor that a budget exists, nor that there is a technology preference. It indicates that an organisation may need to assess its position against the applicable requirements. Initial contact should therefore seek to confirm the account's level of preparedness. It should not make assumptions about the nature of a future requirement.
Major operators and local authorities may already have set their investment plans, framework agreements or suppliers. In this case, commercial access may depend on renewal cycles and existing procurement procedures. More distant deadlines also reduce immediate urgency. An account list should therefore be revised as territories, transpositions and operational timetables are clarified.
What this changes for suppliers
For suppliers, the directive provides a framework for long-term prospecting rather than an immediate list of tenders. We recommend building lists by size of urban area, type of facility and potential timeline. Each account should then be qualified with the water and sanitation department, technical department or operations team. The objective is to identify the actual stage of preparation before committing commercial resources.
We also recommend separating accounts already committed to an investment plan from those beginning their analysis. Messages to the former can address integration, instrumentation or approval conditions, while the latter first require technical and timeline qualification. This method allows manufacturers, integrators and suppliers to focus their outreach on accessible organisations. It takes into account that framework agreements, incumbent suppliers and distant deadlines may limit commercial access.
