In 2001, under pressure from those who opposed the idea of a public-private partnership to manage its Advanced Wastewater Treatment (AWT) facilities, Indianapolis Mayor Steven Goldsmith agreed to have a global consulting firm review the city’s AWT operations.  The study concluded the city’s facilities were well run and that competitive contracting would save no more than 5%.

Nonetheless, Goldsmith directed his staff to solicit proposals from both the city employees and the world’s top wastewater management firms.  At the end of the competitive process, the winning vendor, United Water, was able to reduce the city’s costs by over 35%.