The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) has released a report that shows how efficient procurement practices can reduce public infrastructure costs allowing local government to contain costs and reduce the need to increase consumer rates. Prepared by the USCM Mayors Water Council, the report titled Municipal Procurement Process Improvements Yield Cost-Effective Public Benefits, focuses on the short-comings of traditional procurement practices, and uses procurement of public water and wastewater pipes to illustrate the benefits of applying life-cycle analysis to identify pipe materials that offer cost savings and extend the useful design performance of the system.
The full report is available at:
http://usmayors.org/pressreleases/uploads/2013/0422-release-waterreport.pdf