5411 - Practical Playbook for Adaptive Utility Capital Improvement Planning Under Deep Uncertainty is a Research Priority Program

5411 - Practical Playbook for Adaptive Utility Capital Improvement Planning Under Deep Uncertainty is a Research Priority Program funding opportunity from The Water Research Foundation. WRF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization that funds, manages, and publishes research concerning drinking water, wastewater, reuse, and stormwater systems. The Research Priority Program addresses broadly relevant subscriber issues, challenges, and opportunities through competitively awarded research projects. For this solicitation, WRF has identified a funding level of $250,000. Under WRF's general proposal rules, the funding level stated for an RFP is the maximum amount WRF will provide toward accomplishing the project's objectives. The project is intended to help water utilities make capital improvement planning decisions when future conditions are deeply uncertain. The research must assess current utility practices for incorporating adaptive or flexible decision making into capital improvement planning at the portfolio or programmatic level and identify where deep uncertainty most strongly affects CIP decision points, including investment areas susceptible to lock-in or points of no return. The work must also document institutional processes, governance structures, and frameworks that have enabled utilities to embed adaptive and flexible investment strategies into their planning. The research is expected to quantify how adaptive capital strategies compare with traditional CIP approaches across plausible future conditions. The specified comparison areas include lifecycle costs, rate stability, financial risk exposure, and avoided or deferred capital investments. The project must establish practical criteria that utilities can use to determine which capital investments are suitable for adaptive approaches. A central deliverable is a practitioner-focused playbook containing case studies, decision trees, trigger points, vulnerability assessment tools, financial and risk insights, and governance guidance. The project must also produce tiered recommendations that allow utilities to adopt adaptive CIP practices incrementally rather than requiring a single comprehensive transition. WRF's general Research Priority Program requirements apply to proposal preparation. Applicants must submit proposals through WRF's My Portal using an organizational account; proposals submitted outside the online system are deemed ineligible. Proposal materials include a Project Abstract, Project Description, Applications Potential section, Quality Assurance and Quality Control section, Management Plan, Communication Plan, Budget Narrative, Schedule, curricula vitae or resumes for key team members, Current and Pending forms, required contribution documentation, Budget Form, financial and audit materials, applicable indirect cost documentation, the Financial Grant Management Capabilities Form, certification and assurance forms, and the appropriate tax form. Required proposal files must be submitted in PDF format and should not be password protected. The solicitation page also provides a PDF with instructions for submitting open RFP proposals and a video describing the submission process. WRF Research Priority Program RFPs require a contribution of at least 33% of the project award through cost share or third-party contribution. Where third-party contributions are included, commitment documentation must identify the type and estimated dollar value of the contribution and be signed by an authorized representative; the documented amounts must agree with the proposal budget. Cash payable directly to WRF requires the applicable Co-Funding Support Form. WRF also maintains a 15% ceiling on authorized indirect cost rates reimbursed with WRF funds, although indirect costs exceeding that ceiling may be applied toward cost-share requirements. WRF does not pay for the purchase of major research equipment. Proposals are evaluated on technical merit, cost analysis, and the applicant's financial and grant management capabilities. The Research Priority Program evaluation framework allocates up to 20 points for understanding the problem and responsiveness to the RFP, 30 points for technical and scientific merit, 20 points for qualifications, capabilities, and management, 15 points for the communication plan, deliverables, and applicability, and 15 points for budget and schedule. Review therefore emphasizes direct responsiveness to the stated objectives, a technically sound and innovative approach, appropriate quality assurance and quality control, qualified personnel with clear roles, practical utility engagement and communication, and a realistic budget and schedule. Applications are due October 5, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. Mountain Time. As of August 24, 2026, the solicitation is presented with an Apply option and the deadline remains in the future, so it is accepting applications. No separate LOI, concept paper, notice of intent, or other pre-application gating requirement is stated in the supplied project information. No application opening date, award notification date, project performance period, or recurring annual or other cycle is specified. The named WRF RFP contact is Jessica Metcalf at jmetcalf@waterrf.org. The solicitation also notes that utilities shown as Potential Participants on the project page have expressed interest in participating and that this information is updated frequently during the RFP cycle.

Directly address all seven project objectives and make the proposed playbook demonstrably practical for utility practitioners; show how the research will identify lock-in and points of no return rather than discussing uncertainty only conceptually; provide a technically credible method for comparing adaptive and traditional CIP approaches across plausible futures using lifecycle cost, rate stability, financial risk exposure, and avoided or deferred capital investment measures; clearly explain utility participation, case-study selection, governance analysis, vulnerability assessment methods, decision triggers, and how tiered recommendations will support incremental adoption; align the proposal with WRF's scoring criteria for responsiveness, technical merit, team capability, applicability and communication, and budget and schedule; document at least 33% cost share or third-party contribution with exact-dollar commitment documentation; ensure the Budget Narrative and Budget Form agree; do not exceed required page limits; obtain the organizational account early and submit only through My Portal