Assessment Criteria 

We are looking for entries that are able to address our Challenge Statement. 

After the entry deadline closes on 10 March 2026, all entries will undergo eligibility checks, before eligible entries are assessed and judged by a team of technical assessors and an independent judging panel, against the below four assessment criteria categories. The judging panel will convene to discuss entries and recommend to Ofwat which entries they agree best meet the assessment criteria and offer a well-rounded portfolio of solutions to receive funding. Ofwat will make the final decision on which entries will receive funding.

In the case where greater than 75 eligible entries are received for WEL 1, entries that are assessed to perform poorly against the first and/or second assessment criteria may not be assessed against the remaining criteria.

On this page:

• Impact on the Challenge Statement
• Innovation
• Team capability and project delivery
• Adoption and implementation plans
• Table of Assessment criteria and weightings
• Portfolio approach

1. Impact on the Challenge Statement (weighting: 40%)

Across the WEL, we define impact as a positive impact for water customers, communities and the environment that contribute to transformative, sustained and measurable reduction in water demand.   

Specifically for WEL 1, we are looking to understand whether the solution provides customers in England and Wales with: 

• Tailored, actionable insights that enable them to identify specific opportunities to reduce water use 
• Motivation to change their water usage behaviour through credible mechanisms 
• The potential to deliver significant water consumption reduction based on proposed insights and behavioural changes 
• The potential to maintain customer engagement and sustain behaviour change beyond initial implementation 

We are also looking to understand how solutions will contribute to the sector’s understanding of effective approaches to customer insights and demand reduction. 

2. Innovation (15%)

The solution goes beyond current approaches, market offerings and sector practices. The solution demonstrates that it is not just different but substantially better than existing approaches.  

Innovation can refer to any new or significantly improved technology, process, service or business model. Specifically, the WEL is interested in supporting ambitious solutions that are novel in the context of the water sector in England and Wales, with strong entries demonstrating: 

• A novel approach with greater value than current solutions 
• Clear additionality, articulating how competition funding would enable development or trialling at scale that would be unlikely to occur otherwise.  

3. Team capability and project delivery (20%)

We are looking for a clear narrative demonstrating strong evidence that the proposed entry is feasible and that appropriate resources and governance will be in place for its delivery through: 

• Relevant skills and experience within the delivery team, including clear identification of key partners, their roles, and what capabilities they bring to ensure successful delivery 
• A credible delivery timeline with appropriate milestones, resource allocation, and project controls that demonstrate the solution can be developed within programme constraints 
• A realistic and considered costing which provides efficient use of customer funds 
• A clear and proportionate approach to addressing risk. 

4. Adoption and implementation plans (25%)

We are looking to understand how solutions have a feasible pathway to implementation and scaling across England and Wales, with strong entries demonstrating: 

• A credible pathway to reach target customers, including meaningful stakeholder buy-in where it is required to ensure adoption. 
• A sustainable business model 
• An understanding of market conditions, regulatory requirements, competitive landscape, and concrete plans to overcome identified barriers to adoption. 

Table of Assessment Criteria and Weightings

A more detailed breakdown of the assessment criteria weightings can be found below. Click to enlarge image.

Table with a detailed breakdown of the Water Efficiency Lab 1 assessment criteria and weightings.

Portfolio approach 

In selecting solutions for funding, we will consider both individual merit against the assessment criteria and the overall portfolio of funded solutions. This means that funding decisions will balance choosing the individual entries that best meet the assessment criteria with ensuring we support a diverse mix of solution types, approaches, and innovation stages that maximises impact across the water efficiency challenge.   

Solutions may be selected not only based on their individual assessment but also because they contribute to a well-rounded portfolio that addresses different aspects of actionable insights, serves diverse customer segments, or fills gaps in our understanding of effective water demand reduction approaches.   

The WEL 1 entry period is from 25 November 2025 to 10 March 2026. Before submitting an entry, please read the Entrant Handbook, FAQs and T&Cs.

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