US Army Corps of Engineers • Engineer Research and Development Center

UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIEDDISCOVER | DEVELOP | DELIVER

Michael J. Donahue, Ph.D.Vice President and Director,National Coastal and Ecosystem Restoration Practice AECOM

USACE Innovation SummitSeptember 17, 2019

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The “Push” and “Pull” of Innovation

US Army Corps of Engineers • Engineer Research and Development Center

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What is innovation?• Dictionary Definition:

“1) the introduction of something new; 2) a new idea, method, or device: novelty.” (Merriam Webster)

• As related to USACE:

The employment of new ideas, approaches and technologies to deliver outstanding programs and projects that meet the nation’s needs in a timely, efficient and cost-effective manner.

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US Army Corps of Engineers • Engineer Research and Development Center

UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED

What are the major obstacles to innovation?• “Institutional inertia” commonly associated with large public institutions; a hesitancy to

depart from the status quo (i.e., comfort zone).

• Risks associated with employing new ideas, approaches and technologies that do not have an extensive track record of proven success; fear of the unknown.”

• Legislation, regulations and policies that lag behind and discourage/prohibit innovation.

• Clients/partners that are hesitant to “try something new.”

• Limited R&D budgets, staff capacity and expertise, and pilot projects to test and document the viability of innovations.

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US Army Corps of Engineers • Engineer Research and Development Center

UNCLASSIFIED

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What are the key factors that facilitate innovation?• Motivation: “fear of failure.”

• Leadership, along with the political support and funding required to test and employ new ideas, approaches and technologies.

• Pilot projects to demonstrate, measure, publicize and “mainstream” innovations.

• Laws, regulations and policies that provide USACE with the latitude to employ innovative approaches and, in turn, allow its contractors to do the same.

• The ability and motivation to anticipate and address (rather than merely respond) to natural and anthropogenic crises (i.e., avoiding the “crisis response” mode often present at the legislator/ policy maker level).

• Securing a “competitive advantage”, in either the public or private sector, by demonstrating cost efficiency and effectiveness of innovations.

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US Army Corps of Engineers • Engineer Research and Development Center

UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED

How can we measure innovation?• On a program/project-specific level, require the development and assessment of

alternatives that include innovative approaches (i.e., planning studies, design/engineering, O&M).

- Provide contractors with the necessary latitude to identify innovations;- Specify quantitative metrics that allow for comparisons with “conventional”

approaches (including cost, time, feasibility, maintenance and performance); and

- Select a preferred alternative on the basis of overall scoring, with conventionaland innovative approaches given equal consideration.

• Employ pilot studies subject to the same metrics as those identified above, to test innovative ideas, approaches and technologies.

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US Army Corps of Engineers • Engineer Research and Development Center

UNCLASSIFIED

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How can R&D-push and user-pull be coordinated?- Establish a new initiative within ERDC or, more generally, USACE: an advisory

committee comprised of A-E firms and public sector entities, as appropriate, to advise USACE leadership on opportunities to incorporate innovations into USACE processes.

- Institutionalize this “Innovation Summit” as an annual event to showcase success stories and share best practices.

- Establish “innovation” as a selection criteria for IDIQ/project-specific contracts and require contractors to identify and describe relevant projects accordingly.

- Actively work with relevant professional associations (e.g., ASCE, WEF, SAME) to incorporate innovation-focused themes into meetings and workshops.

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US Army Corps of Engineers • Engineer Research and Development Center

UNCLASSIFIED

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What are the key challenges and opportunities for USACE?• Overcome the obstacles previously noted (i.e., “institutional inertia”, risk of employing

“something new”, legislative/regulatory constraints, client hesitancy, limitations in R&D budgets/staff/expertise).

• Every program/project is unique; provide flexibility that fosters innovation in approach and/or technology applied. Selected USACE success stories where AECOM assisted:

- Mosul Dam Repairs- partnership arrangements with USACE - Louisiana Levees and Floodwalls, Olmstead Dam- design, construction and

cost-saving innovations - Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion- constructability and modeling innovations - PFAS Investigations- Army National Guard Facilities Nationwide (sampling

innovations) and USAF (patented technology applications) - Engineering with Nature- partnership with the Natural Infrastructure Initiative

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