Cities will gain from open competition in water infrastructure

In the wake of the severe water-contamination crisis that put Flint, Michigan's 100,000 residents at risk of lead poisoning, fixing the nation's decaying underground water infrastructure is a task that can no longer be ignored. Addressing the problem will require a serious discussion about how to spend water systems' limited resources so as to make the best use of the innovative products and technologies that are available today.

In his April 4 article in the Washington Examiner, "Cheap Pipes Will Cost Communities Over Time," Darren Bearson paints an inaccurate picture of efforts underway in state legislatures aimed at removing barriers to competitive bidding in underground water infrastructure projects. For example, the claim that bills pending in Ohio and Michigan would "force municipalities to solely consider cost on the front-end of the decision making…" is false.

They do nothing of the sort. Legislation introduced in Michigan, for example, simply requires that any public drinking water system receiving state funding not adopt or adhere to any existing ordinances that restrict or prohibit the use of pipe or pipe materials that meet the engineering specification for the project. It is then up to the project engineer to select the pipe and pipe material that best meet local needs. Thus, municipalities are not "forced" solely to consider cost, either at the beginning or at the end of the decision-making process.

Procurement specifications that date from the age of rotary phones and black and white TVs – if not earlier – cannot be relied upon to take advantage of the dramatic advancements in technology offered by modern piping materials. All PVC pipes serving American water systems are made domestically by one of the 100 PVC manufacturers in the U.S. And all piping used in water systems in the United States, including PVC pipe, must meet the strict specifications of the American Society for Testing and Materials and the American Water Works Association.

Open competition for piping in water infrastructure projects expands the choices from which engineers can choose and lowers costs. That's what's driving procurement-reform legislation in Michigan and Ohio, as well as similar efforts in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Arkansas.