Choosing the Right PFAS Technology: Aligning Internal Process and Stakeholders

When your organization is looking to make a large system purchase – especially one as critical as PFAS destruction or removal – it’s helpful to conduct an internal stakeholder analysis and identify any roadblocks in advance to avoid and mitigate potential setbacks.

Build an Evaluation Plan

First, create a document and outline all steps you will need to go through with key decision-makers at your organization. Conduct individual interviews with each stakeholder and address their questions or concerns with help from your technology provider. Your technology provider can eventually take ownership of this task, but your initial participation will be integral to building trust and forging a successful partnership.

Make the Business Case

Once you are ready, leverage your preferred system provider to make the case for the system you have selected. If you need help putting together a document or presentation, they may be able to provide substantial assistance. It’s always best to rely on your technology provider - they know their product best and can help make the business case with you. For more help, review the ROI indicators.

Implementation Strategy - Getting Key Stakeholders On board with a New Technology 

Stakeholder	Key Questions/Considerations
Engineering	What performance metrics are critical for system performance? What electrical, mechanical, and footprint specifications apply to this equipment? What percent removal or destruction of PFAS can be achieved?
Executive	Ask to sponsor and tie to business goals such as bottom line and sustainability. Determine who needs to approve a potential project and solution implementation. Does a certain amount of budget spend require c-suite approval?
Finance	Double-check your budget and obtain project approval if needed. It may require multiple sign offs from both finance and other departments or stakeholders. Demonstrate the savings, compliance, risk reduction, and process improvements your organization can achieve with this new technology.
Legal	Review and execute a contract with the PFAS technology provider. Demonstrate risk reduction and positive impacts on insurance.
Marketing/PR	What value can PFAS compliance or destruction bring from a PR/sustainability perspective? What implications could this have for your company brand and image?
Procurement	What are the internal RFQ/RFP processes and purchasing guidelines?

Identify and Revisit Roadblocks

As you build an annual budget and roadmap, revisit potential roadblocks to implementing a PFAS solution. We also recommend allocating an additional amount (roughly 10-20% of technology spend) for PFAS working capital for system enhancements or maintenance. By taking these steps now, you will be ready to proactively address your PFAS issue in the coming year.

KPI Tracking and Ongoing Considerations

Going forward, It will be critical to monitor the progress of your PFAS destruction solution and maintain a detailed KPI tracking system over time. Make sure to review the KPIs created in Step 2 – over time, you may need to incorporate additional metrics as your business adjusts and acclimates to the new technology.

It's vital to do an internal stakeholder analysis and identify any potential obstacles in advance when your firm is seeking to make a major system acquisition, especially one as important as PFAS destruction or removal, in order to minimize and reduce potential setbacks.

For a more in depth review of this topic, download our technologies for PFAS in landfills whitepaper: