Custom CMMS for a water and wastewater utility: cost in Dublin in 2026

The verdict in three sentences

For a utility running 9 wastewater treatment plants, 1,200 km of network and 40 pumping stations, a generic CMMS covers equipment maintenance but handles linear assets and regulatory indicators poorly. A custom CMMS at 50,000 to 110,000 EUR excluding VAT, connected to the GIS, geolocates assets, drives mobile work orders and on-call rotas, and feeds the annual performance report. The expected return: 15 to 25% fewer bursts and overflows and weeks of reporting saved every year.

Off-the-shelf or custom CMMS: costs compared

Off-the-shelf CMMS products are designed for industry first. For a utility, you often need extra network modules, a GIS connector and specific development for performance indicators.

Over 5 years, the two options often converge. The difference lies in fit: a CMMS built for the network actually gets used by field crews, which drives data quality and therefore ROI.

Modules of a water and wastewater CMMS

Linking to pumping station telemetry automatically creates a work order on alarm and logs overflows, data expected by environmental regulators.

Public procurement and project delivery

A utility buys under public procurement rules: above thresholds, a tender procedure is required. A functional specification split into lots makes bids easier to compare. Plan a pilot on one network sector and 2 plants for 2 months before full rollout, plus data migration from the old tool and the GIS.

Mini case study

Aoife, technical director of a water and wastewater utility near Dublin, records 180 bursts and overflows a year, with an average intervention, repair and clean-up cost of 2,800 EUR. That is 504,000 EUR a year. Her team also spends about 6 person-weeks compiling the annual report and indicators.

The utility invests 85,000 EUR excluding VAT in a custom CMMS. Thanks to preventive maintenance targeted at high-risk sections, incidents fall by 18%, meaning 32 incidents avoided and 90,700 EUR saved per year. Automated reporting frees 5 person-weeks, about 9,000 EUR. With 12,000 EUR of annual maintenance, the net gain reaches 87,700 EUR a year: the project pays back in under 12 months.

FAQ

Does the CMMS work without mobile coverage in the field?

Yes, the app works offline and syncs data once back in coverage. This module accounts for 10,000 to 22,000 EUR excluding VAT of the budget.

Can we reuse data from our current GIS?

Yes, the two-way GIS connector costs 6,000 to 15,000 EUR excluding VAT and avoids double entry of assets.

How long does deployment take?

Plan 6 to 9 months for the full project, including a 2-month pilot on one sector and 2 treatment plants.

Is the annual report really automatic?

Indicators are calculated from logged interventions. The report is generated in a few hours instead of 6 person-weeks, provided crews log their work.

What budget for a small utility with 3 plants?

A reduced scope (assets, mobile work orders, indicators) sits between 35,000 and 55,000 EUR excluding VAT.

Let's scope your project. Describe your assets, current tools and procurement constraints, and we will price a CMMS of 50,000 to 110,000 EUR excluding VAT split into lots. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.