The Confluence Conference is a unique gathering for meaningful dialogue about water resources in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.
The Georgia Association of Water Professionals (GAWP) has cancelled Confluence 2026. The event was scheduled for December 4 and 5, 2025, in Savannah, Georgia.
GAWP stated in its announcement, “Unfortunately, the government shutdown has impacted many of our speakers and attendees, compromising the engaging experience we had planned for you.”
The Confluence Conference is a unique gathering for meaningful dialogue about water resources in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, held every two years. It's a great opportunity to find out what is going on with our regional neighbors. Each state hosts the conference on a rotating basis.
This year's program agenda featured a keynote from Katie Butler, EPA Regional 4 Water Division Director, and a three-state regulatory update facilitated by JD Solomon.
JD Solomon Inc. provides solutions for program development, asset management, and facilitation at the nexus of facilities, infrastructure, and the environment. Visit our Environmentalpage for more information.
The ability to control costs, stay agile, and use procurement strategically will separate industry leaders from the rest.
Cost escalation and procurement innovation are reshaping infrastructure development. And the trends show no signs of slowing. The innovations in construction procurement are signals of a deeper industry transformation in how we plan, build, and manage our built assets. Successful engineering and construction companies are ditching their old ways. Procurement is now a strategic function.
Cost Escalation: A Persistent Pressure
Over the past few years, infrastructure projects have faced relentless cost pressures. In 2025, some material prices stabilized. However, tariffs on steel and aluminum, along with ongoing labor shortages, continue to drive up expenses.
Construction activity is recovering, but inflation pressures vary by sector. Wage growth has slowed, yet skilled labor stays scarce.
Owners and developers are reassessing traditional budgeting models. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has published strategies to improve escalation forecasting, emphasizing dynamic models that include CPI fluctuations and geopolitical risks.
Procurement Innovation: From Reactive to Strategic
Persistent cost escalation is forcing a strategic pivot: procurement must move beyond a tactical role. In 2025, Forbes identifies five trends that C-suites must prioritize to drive procurement innovation:
Digital acceleration: Organizations are rapidly adopting cloud-based platforms and AI-driven analytics to streamline sourcing and vendor management.
Legacy system modernization: Outdated procurement tools are being replaced with agile, integrated solutions that support real-time decision-making.
Supplier diversification: To mitigate risk, firms are expanding their supplier base and investing in local sourcing strategies.
Sustainability alignment: ESG criteria are increasingly embedded in procurement decisions, influencing vendor selection and contract terms.
Collaborative contracting: New models like alliance contracting and progressive design-build are gaining traction, fostering transparency and shared risk.
These innovations make procurement a strategic advantage. As infrastructure projects become more complex, companies that prioritize modern procurement approaches are better equipped for resilience and can create more value for their organizations.
Cost escalation is likely to remain a defining feature of capital programs. While some materials may see price relief, labor constraints and policy shifts will continue to exert upward pressure. Energy volatility is predicted to be lower, but could introduce new cost variables.
On the other hand, procurement innovation is poised for sustained growth. The convergence of digital tools and performance-based contracting has created a new procurement paradigm. Organizations that embrace these changes will be better positioned to mitigate market uncertainty.
Engineering and construction companies are embedding rare-event risk modeling into procurement planning—think climate resilience, cyber threats, and supply chain shocks.
I have spoken with leaders of a few national engineering and consulting firms about how they are reshaping their procurement activities.
Procurement As A Client Service
I like Kiewit’s saying that “projects don’t go wrong—they start wrong.” They, along with other large firms like Black & Veatch and Jacobs, are getting infrastructure clients involved in procurement at the early stages of planning, more as a service integrated into internal processes. Procurement-as-a-Service (PaaS) is more than a trend.
Leveraging Vendor Relationships
This one is a little bit like Wal-Mart demanding that vendors keep escalation effects low. Most big firms say they are doing it, and all want to do it well. A few are succeeding.
AI and Cybersecurity Tools
Most of the big companies are emphasizing their AI capabilities. That’s true because most of the AI LLM (large language model) tools are really good at searches and trend analysis. Jacobs is really emphasizing the link between AI and cybersecurity. Protecting mid-stream and downstream procurement processes is of growing importance.
Shared-Risk Models
Bechtel and Flour are good examples of innovating with shared-risk contracting models for large projects, especially in nuclear and energy projects. Shared risk models have been fairly common over the past 5 years in alternative project delivery for managing cost uncertainty while accelerating delivery.
Construction Procurement Innovation Continues
In summary, construction procurement is undergoing a transformation that is essential for future infrastructure success. The ability to control costs, stay agile, and use procurement strategically will separate industry leaders from the rest.
JD Solomon Inc. provides solutions for program development, asset management, and facilitation at the nexus of facilities, infrastructure, and the environment. Visit our Program Development page for more information on business cases, third-party assessments, phasing projects, and related services.
Make your next facilitated session with technical specials a success!
Facilitators need clear communication when presenting to technical specialists. Yet as specialists ourselves, most of us haven't been trained for these high-stakes collaborations. We know our material inside and out, but struggle to make it resonate with subject matter experts who are highly competent and often suspicious of intentions. The Tackle Shop, now at JD Solomon Inc., offers practical tools and guidance to help bridge the communication gap and ensure facilitated sessions are effective.
Types of Facilitated Sessions with Technical Specialists
Here are the 10 types of facilitated technical sessions described in JD Solomon’s bookFacilitating with FINESSE: A Practical Guide to Business Solutions:
Root Cause Analysis
Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
Tree Diagrams
Block Diagrams
Capital Program Prioritization
Business Cases
Reliability Assessments
Risk Management Plans
Master Plans
Strategic Plans
Six Practical Solutions from Communicating with FINESSE
The Tackle Shop provides the FINESSE checklists, third-party reviews, practical guides, and training to prepare and deliver for your next presentation to senior leaders.
The FINESSE Checklist
The FINESSE Checklist helps you prepare presentations by summarizing key information from the FINESSE Fishbone Diagram. It focuses on 3 to 5 main points in each section, making it easier to build your presentation for significant decisions.
The FINESSE Accessibility Checklist
This checklist ensures that your presentations and reports are accessible to people with visual and hearing impairments. It highlights key accessibility issues and provides 3 to 5 important aspects to focus on. Making your work accessible benefits those with impairments and enhances understanding for everyone.
Third-Party Presentation Reviews
Enhance your confidence by having CWF conduct a third-party review of your presentation. You'll receive helpful feedback to prepare you for presenting to senior management or your board of directors. Fast turnaround times are available with prior notice.
Communicating Reliability, Risk, & Resiliency to Decision Makers
A practical guide that bridges the gap between technical experts and senior leaders by showing how to present complex reliability and risk information in clear, compelling ways. The book emphasizes communication strategies, real-world examples, and tools to help professionals gain credibility, foster understanding, and drive better organizational decisions.
Facilitating with FINESSE
This practical guide offers a structured approach to leading groups through problem-solving and decision-making, striking a balance between process discipline and people skills. Using the FINESSE framework, the book offers practical techniques, examples, and insights to help facilitators guide teams toward clear, effective, and lasting solutions.
Training
Popular half-day and full-day training sessions are provided in effective communication, facilitation, decision-making, and each of the seven bones of FINESSE. The focus is on translating complex technical, financial, and risk information into messages that leaders and stakeholders can easily understand.
JD Solomon's FINESSE Fishbone Diagram
The FINESSE Fishbone Diagram is a powerful tool for addressing communication challenges in major decisions. It breaks down issues into manageable parts and categorizes relevant tips for each section. By identifying where problems arise, you can implement targeted solutions for big business presentations. This diagram serves as a guide for clearer communication, whether you're in a boardroom or discussing complex issues with senior managers.
FINESSE stands for Frame, Illustrate, Noise Reduction, Empathy, Structure, Synergy, and Ethics.
The Mental Model CATER
CATER is a mental model that identifies five practical ways to improve team facilitation:
C — Communicate in pre-session exchanges. Plan and collect information from participants before the session (interviews, surveys, etc.) so everyone arrives with a comparable context.
A — Ask powerful questions. Use introductory and clarifying questions that provoke active thought, debate, and useful outcomes. Weak questions do the opposite.
T — Anticipate trouble. Expect disruption and be prepared to move the group through trouble; great facilitators embrace and plan for it.
E — Use engaging exercises. Design activities that captivate participants — exercises must reach a level of engagement that drives results.
R — Manage the rhythm. Monitor and manage tempo: sessions have “ups” and “downs”; skilled facilitators spot subtle tempo/attitude changes and time interventions accordingly.
Practical Solutions for Technical Facilitation
By utilizing the resources available in the Tackle Shop, you can greatly improve your communication for big decisions. The FINESSE Fishbone Diagram and the mental model CATER are approaches that empower you to facilitate with confidence. Ensure your next facilitated session is a success! Facilitate with FINESSE!
JD Solomon Inc. provides solutions for facilitation, asset management, and program development at the nexus of facilities, infrastructure, and the environment. Founded by JD Solomon, Communicating with FINESSE is the community of technical professionals dedicated to being highly effective communicators and facilitators.
