State Lawmakers Aim to Reform Municipal Procurement of Water and Sewer Piping

State leaders have joined federal and local lawmakers calling for more open competition in the procurement of water and sewer piping. The U.S. Conference of Mayors estimates that renewing the nation's underground piping will cost $2.28 trillion over the next 20 years. With revenues for State Revolving Funds (SRFs) in serious decline, there is a tremendous need for municipalities to get more bang for the buck from their water and wastewater infrastructure projects. A new report by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) argues that municipal bidding processes must be more competitive and include non-corroding materials like PVC pipe, which will result in lower costs and more sustainable water infrastructure. A shift in pipe selection from iron materials to PVC could generate savings of $370 billion nationwide. “While innovative and cost-effective products and technologies are readily available, these products are often excluded from consideration.” The report cites the “habituation factor,” or “the tendency of government officials to select the materials they are comfortable with and have used for years.”

“The primary cause of premature pipe failure is corrosion, so the choice of piping material is critical to keeping long-term maintenance costs down and minimizing capital-replacement budgets… Competitive bidding that allows for the consideration of alternative, yet proven and accepted, piping materials can result in enormous savings,” says study author Bonner R. Cohen, Ph.D., a senior fellow at the National Center for Public Policy Research in Washington, D.C. Click here for report.

The Open and Fair Competition Act for Water and Wastewater Projects