APPROACH:
To expand its ability to address local unmet infrastructure needs, the Community Engineering Corps commits to providing pro bono engineering services in 50 new communities by the end of 2016. With support from EWB-USA, the ASCE, AWWA, and its community partner organizations, the CEC will solicit new project needs and match them with volunteer services.
To solicit new projects domestically, the CEC will reach out to communities through governmental and non-governmental organizations, as it has internationally for 12 years. The CEC will also solicit through its established network of EWB-USA chapters at universities that may have existing domestic projects. As relationships with community partner organizations are formed, the CEC will solicit project needs from communities within their scope.
As communities are selected, the CEC will match teams of volunteer engineers with designated project needs, which may include solutions to water supply, sanitation, civil works (such as drainage facilities and roads), structural, and agricultural needs. These project teams will be culled from the CEC's existing 215,000-person volunteer base, including universities in which EWB currently has a presence; in total, the CEC expects that its volunteer needs will total 1,000, with 20 individuals allocated toward each project. Once teams are assembled, the community and volunteer group will develop a scope of work for project design, and the project team will begin the analysis and design process. The process of screening projects and matching them efficiently with volunteer project teams who possess the skills required is overseen by the CEC's paid staff. This staff also provides the quality management services that allows the CEC to meet the standard of care expected for its projects. The scope of services will vary depending on the needs of the community. One community may need feasibility level analysis of a water system in order to solicit funding; another may need final plans and specifications for building construction. The community will be an active participant in the design process by doing things such as contributing cultural competency, participating in design charettes, collecting data or other necessary tasks.
A project is considered as potentially complete once the scope of work that was developed by the CEC project team and the community and listed in the engineering services agreement is complete. However, no project is considered complete until it is sustainable within the community that is served.
ACTION PLAN:
The Community Engineering Corps is working on four main tasks to meet its goal of providing engineering services to 50 new communities by the end of 2016, though there is no 'completion date' envisioned for the program. The CEC hopes and expects that it will grow its assistance to communities in the US for the foreseeable future.
1. Developing the organization's internal infrastructure: To initiate and manage the 50 new projects that comprise its commitment, the CEC must have in place critical IT infrastructure. This infrastructure includes a website that facilitates communication with volunteers, potential partner communities and potential funding partners, as well as the establishment of a project tracking and file management system to effectively manage the status of projects and volunteers. The CEC plan to complete development of the website and project tracking system by 2014Q4.
2. Solicit volunteers: The design work that is completed for the CEC's partner communities is fully staffed by volunteer engineers and other technical professionals. Quality management of the design services provided is also completed primarily by volunteers, with guidance provided by paid staff. The CEC will solicit these volunteers from the membership of Engineers without Borders -USA, the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Water Works Association; in total, this base provides 215,000 potential volunteers for the Community Engineering Corps. Estimating a need of 20 volunteers for each of the 50 projects, the CEC's Commitment will require a total of 1,000 volunteers. Quality management committees will be formed and trained by 2014Q3, and volunteer recruitment will be an on-going activity as partner communities are selected.
3. Solicit projects: The CEC's work is entirely community-based. To solicit projects, the CEC develops relationships with partner communities that have projects requiring engineering expertise. The CEC connects with these communities initially through governmental and non-governmental organizations that work with these communities daily. During the implementation of its Commitment, the CEC is interested in receiving any requests for community-level partnerships. The CEC plans to engage 10 new community partners every six months.
4. Solicit financial partners: Fundraising will be completed by the CEC's project teams, as well as through the headquarters of the ASCE, AWWA and EWB-USA. The CEC will solicit from its existing network of funding partners and through expansion of that network. EWB-USA's existing funders include major U.S. corporations. The CEC's goal is to secure sufficient funding to hire a program director by 2014Q4. Engaging funding partners is an ongoing activity.
Across the United States, many communities face unmet infrastructure needs, in large part because they do not possess the financial resources necessary to access engineering expertise. As an example, rural communities may lack the capital and expertise to invest in and maintain critical water and sanitation infrastructure; similarly, in the wake of a devastating storm or earthquake, low-income communities may be unable to cover the cost of infrastructure repairs and community revitalization efforts. The dramatic need for basic infrastructure has been identified in developing nations for decades - at present, over 2 billion people lack access to basic water, sanitation, and transportation infrastructure - and was the impetus for the establishment of Engineers without Borders (EWB-USA), a non-profit organization that has provides pro bono engineering expertise to partner communities internationally since 2002. Currently, EWB-USA hosts 389 active projects in 39 countries. Until 2013, however, the majority of EWB-USA's resources had been directed internationally, despite growing needs at home.
In response to increasing domestic needs, the Community Engineering Corps (CEC), a working partnership between Engineers without Borders, the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the American Water Works Association, was founded. In 2013, EWB-USA carried out a pilot program to determine whether domestic projects could be successfully run using the EWB-USA model, which connects volunteer engineers with local needs via community partner organizations. When the pilot program proved successful, EWB-USA launched a full-scale domestic program in partnership with AWWA and ASCE; when combined, the aggregate volunteer capacity of the three organizations totals 215,000.
Since its formation in February 2014, the CEC has combatted local infrastructure deficits through the provision of solutions to water supply, sanitation, civil works (such as drainage facilities and roads), structural, and agricultural needs that communities have identified. All projects are solicited through community partner organizations, and infrastructure needs are identified by communities, the CEC understands that the communities that it works with know what their problems are. Once projects are selected, they are formalized through a pre-defined scope of work, and assessed by adherence to that scope. By providing volunteer engineering expertise and ensuring that projects meet their standard of care through an internal quality control process, the CEC is able to meet critical infrastructure needs in communities that would be unable to do so independently. The CEC currently has five active projects, including: 1) a retaining wall design for a community garden in Hawaii; 2) water supply and sanitation solutions for isolated homes on the Navajo reservation; 3) feasibility level analysis for water and wastewater solutions for a tribal college; 4) design of a community building on the Spirit Lake reservation; and 5) civil engineering services to help a New Orleans community to transform a blighted railway easement located within the community into useable community space. The size and scope of the communities that the CEC partners with ranges from a small tribal community of 200 to a larger, denser urban neighborhood. As the CEC expands its programming, it seeks to partner with new community organizations that will allow it to more effectively address domestic infrastructure needs.
March 2016
The Community Engineering Corps is seeking three types of partners:
1. Under-served communities that need engineering assistance to solve infrastructure issues that they cannot solve using their own resources.
2. Volunteer engineers and other technical professionals who would like to use their skills to help the partner communities.
3. Financial partners who can assist with funding the staff that manages the quality control measures used to ensure quality projects are carried out by the Community Engineering Corps.
CEC provides pro bono engineering services to underserved communities within the United States. If any partner organizations have connections with communities that could use engineering assistance, CEC is happy to discuss partnerships or build a collaborative relationship to cross-promote services to communities. CEC can also share information on how to build a multi-organization, volunteer-based program.
