TBL-CBA Traps #5: Asking “Are We Doing the Right Project?” but Forgetting “Are We Doing the Project Right?”

by John Parker | Apr 30, 2018 | Economics, Sustainability

Number 5 in our TBL-CBA traps series.

5. Asking “Are We Doing the Right Project?” but Forgetting “Are We Doing the Project Right?”

Once the project has been greenlighted, a million and one design decisions remain to be made by engineers, architects, sustainability professionals, planners, project manager, and designers that determine what exactly gets built and how. TBL-CBA should be used for these small decisions, not just the make or break choices, to keep the evolving design in line with the investment thesis. TBL-CBA should be used early and often throughout the planning, design, procurement, and construction phases as the project changes. For example. after a decision has been made to build a bus rapid transit line – where it will stop, what the stations will look like, and how it will be integrated with other transportation networks – TBL-CBA can be used to decide whether to collect water at the bus depot with a green roof or a cistern, and whether it makes economic sense to reuse the water for washing the buses.