MAYORS
Principle 6
Monitor Progress and Increase Efficiency
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Establish strong protocols for construction oversight
Compiling a detailed work record is the best practice to confirm construction has been completed as per specification and to ensure lead service lines are no longer in service. If the work is not properly documented, it can require post-construction inspections that are time-intensive, costly, and cause disturbances to residents.
Urge your utility to document contractor work
Your water utility should document contractor work by using photos and/or video to create a verified account of lead service line removal. Documenting preconstruction and post-construction activities reduces risk to the utility and its contractors by maintaining support documentation to refute false claims regarding property damage.
Monitor project performance
Assess the progress of lead service line replacement (LSLR) projects by frequently checking in with your water utility. Water utilities should collect detailed information in an asset management system to document completed work for future reference.
Toolbox
Documentation tools
Key Action 2
Aim for continuous improvement & innovation
For those localities with significant numbers of lead service lines, replacement programs may take several years or more to get all of the lead pipes out. During that time, mayors can continuously improve their program’s efficiency, 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: Water Utilities’ Roadmap, Principle 2, Key Action 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: Water Utilities’ Roadmap, 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.
Consider public-private partnerships
Community-Based Public Private Partnerships (CBP3s) can be an effective model for increasing speed, cost-effectiveness, and equity through a de-risked delivery. Community-based private-public partnerships (CBP3s) are a collaborative model where government, private companies, and community-based organizations work together to meet public service needs. In a CBP3, the private partner would be responsible for financing, planning, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and/or rehabilitation and replacement of lead service line infrastructure.
By pooling resources, expertise, and funding from both public and private sectors, CBP3s have the potential to increase the ability to leverage public funds while minimizing impacts on a municipality’s debt capacity. Municipalities can get a start on figuring out whether a CBP3 approach would be an effective strategy by using this CBP3 calculator.
Toolbox
Key Action 3
Celebrate milestones and boost community visibility
In addition to due diligence and documenting activities internally, maintaining momentum in a lead service line program requires highlighting and celebrating successes. Engaging the community to gather feedback not only improves the program’s effectiveness but also fosters greater public support and participation over time.
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.
