Private participation in water & wastewater takes many forms, from system ownership and concessions to third-party operations & maintenance (O&M) contracts. Enabled by lower barriers to entry across a fragmented addressable market, third-party O&M providers represent the bulk of private participation in the U.S. The third-party O&M services segment has garnered significant attention over the past few years due to lingering pandemic-related workforce disruptions (e.g., remote workers, rising labor rates), regulatory calls for advanced treatment solutions, and shifts in the competitive landscape.
Further, the mounting financial, regulatory, and environmental pressures on utilities bolster considerations for outsourcing, including O&M. Third-party service providers are well positioned to leverage their operational and technical expertise, geographic coverage, and their arsenal of trained workers in this evolving market.
Bluefield has identified more than 2,000 O&M contracts from the 1970s that represent the foundation for market sizing by contracts, system sizes by population, and values. They also enable market share and competitive positioning of the leading O&M service providers in the U.S.
Table of Contents
Section 1: Private Participation and O&M Landscape
- Research Methodology
- Breaking Down Private Participation in Water
- Key Decision Drivers & Inhibitors for Third-Party Operators
- Water and Wastewater Utility Workforce Overview
- Ranking U.S. Regions by Favorability
Section 2: Sizing the O&M Market
- U.S. Population Served by a Third-Party O&M Contractor
- O&M Contract Value per Person
- Value of O&M Market by System Size
- Market Evolution by Segment Size, 2000–2023
Section 3: Competitive Landscape and M&A Trends
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O&M Service Provider Presence by Geography
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Evolution of Competitive Landscape via Select M&A Deals
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Strategic O&M Players Across the Value Chain
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Leading O&M Providers by Total Population Served
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O&M Competitive Landscape
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M&A Trends in O&M
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Recent M&A Activity Among O&M Players
Section 4: Strategic Player Profiles
- Veolia North America
- Jacobs
- Inframark
- California Water Services Group
- Woodard & Curran
- U.S. Water Services
- H2O Innovation
- PERC Water Corporation
- American Water Works Company
- Municipal Operations & Consulting
- ClearWater Solutions
- Municipal District Services
- Alliance Water Resources
- Corix Utilities
- Weston & Sampson
- Crossroads Utility Services
- Middlesex Water Company
- Water District Management
