INNOVATIVE CONTRACT OPERATIONS / DESIGN-BUILD-OPERATE PROCUREMENT PROVIDES COST-EFFECTIVE WASTEWATER TREATMENT IN THE CITY OF WOONSOCKET, RHODE ISLAND

Facing increased regulatory scrutiny and an aging wastewater treatment infrastructure, the City of Woonsocket, Rhode Island (the “City”), under the direction of Mayor Susan D. Menard, sought the advantages of partnering with a private company to help meet the City's wastewater treatment needs. Mayor Menard teamed with the City's Administration and Public Works Director Michael Annarummo and procurement consultant Malcolm Pirnie, Inc. to craft a new utility management strategy and seek a qualified vendor to design and build necessary capital improvements and operate the wastewater treatment facility for a period of 20 years.The City's wastewater treatment system includes a 16 million gallon per day wastewater treatment plant and seven pumping stations serving four regional communities: Woonsocket, Rhode Island; North Smithfield, Rhode Island; Bellingham, Massachusetts; and Blackstone, Massachusetts.From the perspective of the owner's agent, this paper and accompanying presentation provide an indepth discussion of the control and flexibility required for a successful privatization procurement process. The technical aspects of meeting enhanced effluent limits for ammonia and phosphorus at a plant with heavy industrial loads is explored. An innovative financing mechanism (a tax-exempt municipal lease-purchase agreement) is explained, and the approval process under Executive Order 12803 is described in detail.