Water utilities
Principle 7
Monitor Progress and Increase Efficiency
Verify the quality of contractor work and ensure long-term sustainability.
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Establish strong protocols for construction oversight and administration
A detailed work record often confirms construction meets specifications and ensures lead service lines are no longer in service. Proactively inspecting and documenting activities during work can reduce the need for costly and disruptive post-construction inspections.
Document contractor work
Document contractor work by using photos and videos to create a verified account of lead and galvanized pipe removal. Documenting preconstruction and post-construction activities can also reduce risk to the utility and its contractors by maintaining support documentation to refute false claims regarding property damage. Utilities may use their computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) system or mapping system (e.g., ESRI or Diamond Maps) to collect and organize photos or videos from the field.
Monitor project performance
Monitor project performance by collecting detailed information in an asset management system. Carefully collecting such information will ensure that completed work is properly documented and available for future reference, proactively saving time and resources on future projects.
Perform rigorous construction oversight
Perform rigorous construction oversight via utility staff or third-party inspectors. Project oversight ensures the work is being completed properly in real time and can help increase public trust.
Consider post construction audits
Consider post construction audits to verify the work performed by contractors. This work may require re-excavation of certain sites to “spot check” that work has been performed according to specifications.
Toolbox
Documentation tools
Key Action 2
Drive down costs with continuous improvement
For those utilities with significant numbers of lead service lines, replacement programs may take several years or more to fully remove all lead pipes. During that time, water systems can continuously improve their program’s efficiency to stretch each dollar and optimize lead service line replacement programs.
Partner with neighboring communities
Partner with neighboring communities by engaging in cooperative purchasing agreements, joint procurement activities, or equipment-sharing arrangements. While setting up joint procurement between utilities requires some upfront effort, it can enable collaborative purchasing of materials and services and lead to lower costs through economies of scale.
Apply for larger federal funding packages
Apply for larger federal funding packages (see: Principle 2) by submitting applications for multi-year funding awards, if allowed by the state. Securing multi-year funding can help attract more interest from contractors given the additional security around multi-year resource commitments that can allow contractors to ramp up construction schedules.
Improve contracting terms
Improve contracting terms by following best practices for contract language that increases efficiencies (see: Principle 3, Key Action 1), accelerates the pace of replacement, and reduces per-pipe replacement costs. When crafting contracts you may consider including terms to:
- Ramp up contractor capacity by offering smaller bids to small contractors who may need to gain experience.
- Increase bid package sizes to lower per-pipe replacement costs through economies of scale.
- Incentivize contractors to finalize projects more efficiently by incorporating “pay for success” language.
Toolbox
LSLR contracting
Key Action 3
Celebrate milestones and boost community visibility
In addition to due diligence and internal updates of program activities and milestones, a utility can maintain momentum in its lead service line program by documenting successes and sharing them externally. Engaging with the community to collect customer success stories and positive feedback can improve receptiveness to the ongoing lead program.
Celebrate key milestones
Celebrate key milestones by publicly sharing news and media about project successes with the community (see: Principle 4). This sort of media attention can raise public awareness of the program and highlight progress, increasing the likelihood of customer participation and trust.
Share success stories
Share success stories by collecting and sharing resident testimonials. Real stories from residents in the community are a powerful way to elevate your program’s success and help you gain traction in your community. When community members hear positive experiences directly from their neighbors and the people they know, it increases their trust in the community and program enrollment rates.
