Procurement of WTE systems

The procurement of a waste-to-energy (WTE) system by a community is one of the final steps on the long road of project implementation. Prior to embarking on this final path of system procurement, it is imperative for each community to have already addressed the difficult decisions, which are necessary to implement the project. Once the critical project decisions are settled, the procurement process for a WTE facility can begin. Communities have wide latitude in the approaches and procedures they can utilize in procuring WTE systems, although many statutes and local charters and ordinances may limit the choices available to some communities. Since a WTE facility is usually the most capital-intensive and complex public works project attempted by the majority of communities, great care must be taken at the outset by a community’s legal advisors to develop a procurement process that both meets the community’s needs and also follows state and local statutes. The procurement approach determines the manner by which engineering, design, construction, start-up, and operations services are acquired. The procurement procedure also dictates the method by which such services can be acquired under the legal mandates of the government.