Unlocking Value and Opportunities from Carbon Flows in Water Utilities (RFP 5430)

The Water Research Foundation is soliciting proposals for Unlocking Value and Opportunities from Carbon Flows in Water Utilities, RFP 5430, through its Research Priority Program. The project is funded by The Water Research Foundation and is intended to advance practical understanding of carbon flows across drinking water, stormwater, wastewater, and advanced treatment systems. The research will examine carbon in source water, stormwater, process emissions, process inputs, residuals, biosolids, and biogas, with the broader goal of helping utilities identify opportunities to recover, capture, convert, store, or avoid carbon while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving treatment performance, lowering costs, and potentially creating economic value. The project objectives include characterizing carbon flows and intervention points across water systems; identifying relevant carbon recovery, capture, conversion, storage, and avoidance opportunities; evaluating pathways for creating value through products, avoided costs, environmental attributes, and partnerships; assessing how opportunities differ across utility types and local conditions; and developing research-based insights that utilities can use to identify, prioritize, evaluate, and advance carbon management opportunities. The geographic focus of the research is the United States and Canada. The proposed research approach is intentionally flexible, but WRF identifies four suggested areas of work: carbon flow characterization, opportunity screening and prioritization, market and value chain assessment, and utility-informed validation and application. The validation work is expected to use at least three case studies across water matrices, including one addressing both water and wastewater. Expected project outputs include a targeted review of scientific and industry literature, quantitative carbon flow analyses and system diagrams, summary tables of carbon recovery and management opportunities, a prioritized shortlist of pathways, a utility decision-support framework or screening matrix, value pathway briefs, and a high-level techno-economic assessment of priority pathways. Case summaries should illustrate technology applicability and implementation constraints, and the research should address technical, financial, regulatory, and market risks. Additional communication deliverables include webcasts, conference presentation materials, and submission of one open access peer-reviewed journal paper. Proposals involving web- or software-based tools must also follow WRF's Technology Deliverables Guidance. Applicants may request up to $300,000 in WRF funds. The applicant must contribute additional resources equal to at least 33 percent of the WRF project award. For example, an applicant requesting $100,000 from WRF must contribute at least $33,000 in additional resources. Acceptable contributions include cost share, applicant in-kind contributions, or third-party in-kind contributions that comply with 2 CFR Part 200.306. Applicants may contribute more than the required amount, but WRF funding remains capped at $300,000. Proposals that do not meet the minimum contribution requirement will not be accepted. The anticipated period of performance is 24 months from the contract start date, and WRF policy limits schedule extensions to no more than nine months beyond the original contracted schedule. Proposals are accepted from both United States-based and non-United States-based entities, including educational institutions, research organizations, governmental agencies, consultants, and other for-profit entities. Researchers who are late on an ongoing WRF-sponsored study without an approved no-cost extension are not eligible to be named as participants in a proposal. WRF encourages participation by water utilities and other organizations through direct participation, in-kind contributions, or in-kind services, although proposers are responsible for negotiating such participation and are not required to include organizations identified by WRF. Proposal preparation must follow WRF's Guidelines for Research Priority Program Proposals, including applicable technical, financial, indirect cost, and administrative requirements. WRF will evaluate proposals based on Understanding the Problem and Responsiveness to RFP, worth up to 20 points; Technical and Scientific Merit, worth up to 30 points; Qualifications, Capabilities, and Management, worth up to 20 points; Communication Plan, Deliverables, and Applicability, worth up to 15 points; and Budget and Schedule, worth up to 15 points. Proposals must be submitted exclusively through WRF's Portal and fully submitted before 3:00 pm Mountain Time on October 5, 2026. The RFP was posted on August 17, 2026. Questions about the RFP's intent or WRF administrative, cost, and financial requirements may be directed to Harry Zhang at hzhang@waterrf.org or 571.384.2098. Questions about portal submission should be directed to WRF's Customer Care Form. No recurring application cycle or award notification date is stated in the RFP.

Prioritize Technical and Scientific Merit, which carries 30 of 100 evaluation points; clearly demonstrate understanding and responsiveness to the RFP; document team qualifications, capabilities, and management; provide a strong communication plan and applicable deliverables; present a credible budget and schedule; address technical maturity, economic value, climate benefits, regulatory readiness, implementation complexity, and scalability; include at least three utility case studies across water matrices, including one covering both water and wastewater.