DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Water Research Foundation (WRF), a leading sponsor of research supporting the water community, is pleased to announce two new projects that will provide guidance on (1) capital improvement project (CIP) project delivery methods for drinking water and wastewater utilities and (2) incentives for green infrastructure on private property for combined sewer and stormwater utilities, stormwater program managers, and city planners.
The project, Project Delivery Performance Evaluation and Decision Support Tool for Water and Wastewater Capital Projects, will provide the first ever quantitative comparison of design build (DB), construction manager at risk (CMAR), and design-bid-build (DBB) project delivery methods for the water and wastewater sector and develop an electronic decision support tool based on the performance data. Results of this research will provide the water sector with statistically significant comparative results for delivery options for common project metrics (cost, schedule, and quality). The analytical evaluation of these results and development of the decision support tool will increase the water sector’s ability to confidently select the project delivery method that best suits the project specific construction needs.
The project, Incentives for Green Infrastructure Implementation on Private Property, will identify how green infrastructure and low-impact development can be incentivized on private property, beyond the minimum required by development and redevelopment ordinances. The outcome of this project will be a resource guide to help combined sewer and stormwater utilities develop or refine incentive programs to become more effective as an offset to CIP implementation.
“These projects will provide crucial guidance to drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities in the area of capital improvement and green infrastructure,” said Rob Renner, CEO of the Water Research Foundation. “The ultimate goal of these efforts is to help the water sector save money while continuing to protect public health and the environment.”
Both projects are funded under WRF’s Emerging Opportunities Program, which focuses on time-critical research on emergent, high priority issues. RFPs for these projects will be issued in June.
About the Water Research Foundation
The Water Research Foundation is the leading not-for-profit research cooperative that advances the science of water to protect public health and the environment. Governed by utilities, WRF plans, manages, and delivers scientifically sound research solutions on the most critical challenges facing the water community in the areas of drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, reuse, and other water management topics. Over the last 50 years, WRF has sponsored nearly 1,500 research projects valued at $500 million, and serves more than 1,000 subscribing organizations. For more information, go to www.WaterRF.org.