The city of Fort Worth expects to save $65 to $58 million in program costs for $2 billion in planned infrastructure projects over the next five years under a new integrated program management system.

The city worked with a consulting team led by CH2M HILL, Englewood, Colo, to streamline project delivery. Fort Worth expects to deliver projects six months earlier with its new IPM.

The city’s project delivery capacity has now increased by 50%, from $240 million to $480 million annually. “The city needs more project managers, but cannot afford to hire them in the current economic climate,” says William Versket, director of the city’s department of transportation and public works. So knowing where to allocate project management time will help move projects forward, he says.

“Fort Worth re-engineered its project delivery processes and procedures,” says city spokesperson Kevin Neal. The net result has been doubling the city’s annual capital project delivery capacity, he says. The new Fire Station No. 5, which broke ground this week, is among numerous projects that will be monitored by the IPM initiative, he adds.

The beefed up IPM program puts access to project and program status information at the fingertips of the city’s decision makers, including tools such as Internet-accessed “dashboards,” which  show projected cash outlay for each department’s projects, which helps determine additional funding needs and improve timing of bond sales.