Amey safeguards employees with Microsoft SharePoint agents, accelerating access to critical safety information

For over a century, Amey has been keeping the UK’s infrastructure and public services running safely and sustainably. It is committed to driving even greater progress in the decade ahead, supporting the country’s journey to net zero. At the heart of this ambition is a bold vision to integrate AI agents into core business processes, unlocking new ways to work, empowering employees and solving real-world challenges with greater speed, intelligence and impact.

Connecting the dots between challenges and technology

Amey is building innovative, future-ready technology solutions to tackle tomorrow’s challenges head-on, delivering resilient, sustainable infrastructure, enhancing lives and protecting our shared future.

“We touch around 75% of people’s lives in the UK every day,” says Andy Richards, Chief Digital Information Officer (CDIO) at Amey. “With our solutions, we’re supporting the country in delivering services that truly matter.”

With this kind of impact, Amey’s vision goes beyond addressing surface-level complexities. The organisation is focused on uncovering root causes and shaping solutions that last. This mindset sparks a powerful question: how many of today’s challenges could be solved by embedding AI directly into day-to-day operations?

“There are always things that could be done better and more efficiently. We set out to connect the dots, identifying real problems and applying the right technology to solve them,” explains Damian Bell, AI and Power Platform Lead at Amey

Productivity is just the beginning

Amey’s journey with AI started with a limited rollout of Microsoft 365 Copilot to business users.

“Through our use of Copilot, we recognised early on that it delivers real business value,” reflects Damian Bell. “It opens up new ways to address issues we hadn’t been able, or aware enough, to solve before.”

The impact was immediate, especially for workers spending their days behind a screen. From writing up meeting notes to managing inboxes, chasing actions and producing reports, Copilot alleviates the weight of routine work.

Damian Bell adds, “Instead of spending hours in emails and documents, people suddenly have access to powerful out-of-the-box productivity tools that remove friction and free up their focus.”

This early success prompted a wider rollout of the tool and validated a bigger ambition: to move beyond individual productivity and explore how AI could solve more complex, specific challenges. That’s where AI agents come in.

Powering progress with SharePoint agents

Amey operates in high-risk environments, so safety is always a top priority. Field teams often work on roads, railways and complex facilities in challenging weather conditions, where fast, reliable access to information can make all the difference.

Damian Bell explains, “As an organisation, our core focus is to keep people safe and make sure they go home fit and well at the end of the day.”

To support and safeguard its frontline teams, Amey rethought how safety information is delivered, developing a SharePoint agent that places essential procedures at employees’ fingertips, anytime and anywhere.

“We’re a data-rich organisation, with 99% of our information stored across SharePoint sites,” adds Damian Bell. “Accessing the right file at the right moment can be difficult. So, we built an agent that sits in people's pockets and allows them to interact directly with the safety documentation.”

With this agent, frontline workers can now retrieve information instantly and in any preferred language, making their work safer, more efficient and more responsive in real-time situations.

Patric Collier, Highways Electrical Team Leader at Amey, highlights this, “Using agents in SharePoint makes my job 100% safer. Problems can be solved a lot quicker compared to using paperwork and other tools.”

Collaboration at the core of breakthrough

Amey’s progress with agents has been accelerated by close, cross-functional collaboration with Microsoft and the Microsoft partner FOIL AI.

“Microsoft has always been our platform of choice. Outlook, Teams and SharePoint are deeply embedded in how we work,” says Damian Bell. “Just as importantly, we know that with Microsoft, everything stays within a single security boundary. That gives us peace of mind and makes everything simpler.”

Amey’s longstanding relationship with Microsoft brings far more than tools. It offers access to trusted experts, secure infrastructure and early innovation programmes like Co-Innovation Lab, where Amey collaborates directly with Microsoft engineers to explore and solve complex business challenges.

Tony Rigby, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Amey adds, “We’ve been on the journey with Microsoft for over 10 years. From the start, we knew it was a true win–win partnership. We’re embracing Microsoft’s expertise and best practices to ensure long-term success and sustained innovation.”

FOIL AI also plays a vital role. As a trusted technology partner, it brings deep AI expertise and a collaborative mindset that aligns with Amey’s ambitions. “It takes a certain type of organisation with trust and bravery from senior leadership to capitalise on change whilst ensuring human centric innovation,” says Simon Turner, FOIL AI Chief Technology Officer. “This is exactly what we have seen from Amey, and together with our partners at Microsoft, the team has pushed the boundaries of what we thought possible. The end result is not just exciting technically but also has a positive impact on the people using it.”

Fernanda Souza, AI Adoption Lead at Amey, explains further, “The technology landscape is constantly evolving, and with Microsoft and FOIL AI, we’re keeping pace with that change. Together, we’re staying ahead of the curve and pushing innovation forward.”

Innovation starts with mindset

Amey believes meaningful change starts with people, empowered to think differently and shape what comes next.

To encourage that mindset across the organisation, Amey launched a company-wide initiative run in Microsoft Teams, inviting employees to share how they’re using AI or automation in their daily work. One standout idea came from Muhammad, a part of Amey’s Neurodiversity Affinity Network. He uses Copilot to decode complex or nuanced emails, helping better understand tone, intent and social cues.

“When you're neurodivergent, navigating a world built for neurotypical communication is challenging,” says Muhammad Najm-ul-Hassan, Business Support Coordinator at Amey. “For me, Copilot acts as a friendly, unbiased guide, helping me find clarity in conversations with nuanced communication styles and structuring my thoughts so I can express myself with confidence.”

Damian Bell admits, “It wasn’t a problem I’d ever considered until the campaign surfaced it. But now we’re turning Copilot into a sophisticated accessibility agent to help others too.”

And there’s more to come. From connecting agents in intelligent workflows to orchestrating new, scalable use cases, Amey is just getting started.

“We’re definitely thinking outside the box. Linking agents together in a chain, with orchestration on top, takes it to another level,” reflects Tony Rigby. “The possibilities are endless. And for us, we’re only at the tip of the iceberg.”

What’s next: scale with purpose

With a mindset of exploration, adaptability and continuous learning, the organisation sees AI not as a goal, but as an evolving opportunity.

Having laid its foundations with Microsoft 365, Copilot and leveraging tools like Power Platform to streamline manual processes and reduce operational friction across the business, Amey is building on that success. The organisation has progressed to use Copilot Studio to create tailored, AI-powered agents. Now, Amey is focused on scaling adoption, deepening impact and expanding the reach of intelligent tools.

Damian Bell enthuses, “We want to build AI literacy across the organisation. Because when people see what’s been built, they start imagining what they could do – and they can do even more.”

“We’re now exploring which other parts of the business we can support with agents,” adds Fernanda Souza. “We’re eager to give people back their time, so instead of repetitive work, they can focus on building new skillsets, doing meaningful work and driving ideas forward.”

Looking ahead, Amey will continue to expand its use of Microsoft solutions, exploring new capabilities, collaborating with experts and embedding AI even deeper in the way it works.

“We’re stepping into the pro-developer space now, bringing in more Microsoft advanced tools,” says Damian Bell. “Every challenge we face is a chance to build something smarter. With Microsoft and FOIL AI, we’re not simply reacting – we’re shaping how problems get solved through agents that work in the real world.”

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