Pay For Performance Remediation

Pay-for-Performance (PfP) remediation aligns ERFS goals with the site owner’s goals – to reach the project endpoint rapidly and efficiently. ERFS’ PfP proposals and contracts define the soil and groundwater treatment area/volume, the desired remediation endpoint, a lump sum dollar amount for project completion, and a breakdown of payments assigned to project progress milestones. ERFS has completed PfP contracts for DoD, Superfund, private industry, bulk storage, and retail fuel sites, as well as under and around residential sites.

ERFS performs over 75% of our work under PfP contracts and has been doing work this way since 1998. Costs are determined using an actuarial methodology which weighs risk factors such as soil type, depth interval, type and severity of contamination, desired goals/endpoints, and general site setting. Weighting factors are determined based on ERFS’ many years of experience with many types of sites and projects.

PfP can be conducted at sites with varying soil or bedrock types, at shallow or deep vertical intervals, over very small or very large areas, and for a wide range of contaminant severity and type. ERFS has performed PfP projects in bedrock, tight clays, and loose sands while treating both soil and groundwater.

ERFS has been successful treating free product (LNAPL or DNAPL) very high contaminant concentrations and very low concentrations, reaching NFA at dozens of sites around the United States. Petroleum contaminants have included petroleum solvents, mineral spirits, gasoline, jet fuel, diesel, and heating oil (Nos. 2, 4, and 6). ERFS has also treated dry cleaning fluids, industrial solvents, and mixed wastes containing chlorinated solvents. ERFS also has experience with PCBs, chlorinated ethers, and inorganics like lead, chromium, and arsenic.

PfP remediation approaches can be developed to address source areas or the entire plume area. Project endpoints depend on the site owner’s exit strategy for the site. This can range from simple removal of free product to 90-95% total contaminant reduction, achieving closure levels for all contaminants in all locations. PfP contracting can also be used to finish close out of active remediation sites, saving thousands in O&M costs.

Under PfP contracting, ERFS includes all necessary injection points, all chemical and/or biological remediation reagents, labor, travel, and equipment to meet the project goals. Typically, the incumbent consulting engineer continues to manage overall site activities, interface with regulators, prepare all deliverables, and collect all samples for laboratory analysis.

PfP contracting matches the owner’s goals with the cleanup contractor’s goals -- to finish the project on-time and on-budget. PfP can be applied in many scenarios and can fit into many strategies for site closure while providing risk and cost controls to the site owner.