RFPs: Guidelines to Develop Best-In-Class Maintenance Strategies for Vertical Assets Program

Deadline: 05-Oct-2026

The Water Research Foundation (WRF) is inviting research proposals to develop best-in-class maintenance strategies for vertical assets in water and wastewater utilities. The research will help utilities improve asset reliability, availability, proactive maintenance, and lifecycle cost management while incorporating modern technologies, condition-based maintenance, analytics, and Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) approaches. Selected projects can receive up to $250,000 in WRF funding, with applicants required to provide a contribution of at least 33% of the project award. The anticipated project period is 24 months from the contract start date, and proposals are open to eligible U.S. and non-U.S. entities. What Is the Water Research Foundation Research Opportunity? The Water Research Foundation is seeking researchers and organizations to investigate how water utilities can establish more effective maintenance strategies for vertical infrastructure and equipment.

Vertical assets can include:

Water and wastewater treatment plant structures. Storage tanks. Pumps. Mechanical equipment. Structural equipment. Other vertically oriented or facility-based assets. The research is intended to help utilities move away from inconsistent or reactive maintenance approaches toward systematic, proactive, condition-based, and reliability-focused asset management. Why Is This Research Needed? Water utilities manage large and complex infrastructure systems, but maintenance approaches are not equally developed across all asset categories. Considerable progress has been made in managing horizontal assets, such as pipelines and distribution networks. However, vertical assets can lack standardized, comprehensive maintenance strategies. The proposed research aims to address these challenges by developing practical and up-to-date guidance that utilities can use in their asset management programs. What Are Vertical Assets in Water Utilities? Vertical assets are infrastructure and equipment located within or associated with water and wastewater treatment facilities and other utility facilities.

Examples include:

Pumps. Treatment plant structures. Storage tanks. Mechanical systems. Structural components. Facility equipment. Other critical treatment and operational assets. These assets can be essential to continuous water and wastewater service. Failure can result in reduced capacity, operational disruption, emergency maintenance, or shutdowns. What Will the Research Aim to Achieve? The project seeks to develop a structured understanding of how comprehensive maintenance strategies can improve the management of vertical assets.

Key objectives include:

Improving asset reliability. Increasing asset availability. Reducing unplanned maintenance. Reducing emergency shutdowns. Supporting proactive maintenance. Reducing reactive maintenance. Minimizing total lifecycle costs. Improving maintenance decision-making. Integrating modern technologies. Strengthening utility asset management programs. The research should produce practical knowledge that utilities can use when developing or improving their maintenance programs. What Is Reliability Centered Maintenance? Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) is a systematic approach for determining the most appropriate maintenance strategy for an asset based on its functions, failure modes, consequences of failure, and operational requirements. Rather than automatically maintaining every asset in the same way, RCM helps organizations determine: What can fail? How can it fail? What are the consequences? How likely is failure? What maintenance approach is appropriate? When should maintenance be performed? When is condition monitoring preferable? When should an asset be repaired or replaced? The research opportunity encourages applicants to apply leading approaches such as RCM to water and wastewater facilities. How Can Modern Technology Support Maintenance? The project is expected to consider cutting-edge technologies and analytics that can improve maintenance decision-making. The specific technologies should be selected based on their relevance to vertical water utility assets and the research objectives. What Is Condition-Based Maintenance? Condition-based maintenance (CBM) involves monitoring the actual condition or performance of an asset and using that information to determine when maintenance is required. Instead of relying solely on fixed maintenance schedules, utilities can use information such as: Equipment condition. Performance trends. Sensor readings. Inspection results. Failure indicators. Operational data. This can help utilities identify potential problems earlier and reduce unnecessary maintenance. Why Does Best-in-Class Maintenance Matter? A best-in-class maintenance strategy can help utilities balance reliability, performance, risk, and cost. A well-designed maintenance program can potentially: Reduce unexpected failures. Improve equipment availability. Extend asset life. Reduce emergency repairs. Improve workforce efficiency. Preserve institutional knowledge. Improve operational planning. Reduce total lifecycle expenditure. The project is therefore focused not simply on maintenance activities, but on developing a structured strategy for identifying and applying best practices. What Should the Research Address? Proposals should be designed around the central challenge of developing effective maintenance strategies for vertical assets.

Research may address questions such as:

What are the most effective maintenance strategies for different vertical asset types? How can utilities prioritize maintenance activities? Which RCM practices are most applicable to water and wastewater facilities? How can condition-based maintenance be incorporated? Which technologies provide useful asset condition information? How can utilities reduce reactive maintenance? How can maintenance decisions minimize lifecycle costs? How can utilities retain knowledge when exp