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Planning Smarter Together: Budgeting & Cost Certainty in Planning and Project Delivery

July 28, 2026 @ 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm

About Session

Have you ever been left scratching your head and wondering, “Why is this project over budget? What could have been done better to align project budget and cost?” If the answers to these questions are yes, then get ready for an impactful conversation. This engaging session features diverse perspectives from utilities and project stakeholders, unpacking budgets from start to finish—including how capital improvement plan budgets are created and how project budgets are managed throughout the collaborative delivery project life cycle. Presenters will explore how early stakeholder engagement, decisions, assumptions, and estimating methods influence project outcomes and how the collaborative project delivery process can support improved collaboration among utilities and project partners, leading to earlier identification and resolution of challenges and greater cost certainty. Attendees will leave with actionable insights and practical strategies to reduce surprises and better align budgets with real world project costs.

Featured WCDA Education Content: Implementing Collaborative Delivery

Speaker

Moderator: Cristina Ahmadpour, Isle: Panelists: Kyle Kruger, PE, Garver; Jeremy McVey, DBIA, Haskell; Aditya Ramamurthy, Raftelis; Nicole Poncelet-Johnson, Fort Collins Utilities