For Water & Environmental Engineers

Water and Environmental Programs Engineering

Providing quality water service and safe, efficient waste disposal for rural areas requires thoughtful application of technology. Rural Development (RD) draws upon engineering resources in two ways to enhance the delivery of the Water and Environmental Programs.

First, RD has staff engineers in State Offices that interface with applicants, their consulting engineers, and other agencies. In the interest of developing the best possible projects, RD staff engineers are responsible for reviewing project documents and concurring in the technical aspects of Water and Waste Disposal projects funded under Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an agency of Rural Development.

Second, RD maintains a working partnership with the consulting engineers. Consulting engineers often make first contact with applicants and provide basic information about RD programs. This partnership has resulted in thousands of successful water and waste projects. The purpose of our web pages is to provide current, useful engineering information to applicants, consulting engineers, and RD staff.

For questions regarding engineering policy at the national level, please contact Ben Shuman, PE, Senior Engineer, or 202-720-1784 or Nicole Schindler, Senior Engineer, 202-720-7817. For questions about specific projects or applications please contact your Rural Development State Office.

Engineering Resources

USDA Forms & Exhibits Required to Complete Construction Contract Documents Package

  • RD 400-6, Compliance Statement
  • RD Instruction 1940-Q, Exhibit A-1 (Use only Exhibit A-1 in documents),Certification for Contracts, Grants, and Loans
  • AD-1048, Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion - Lower Tier Covered Transactions
  • RD 1924-7, Change Order for use with Short Form Construction Contract Bulletin 1780-15,
  • RD 1924-18, Partial Payment Estimate for use with Short Form Construction Contract Bulletin 1780-15
  • Temporary Construction Sign Layout Guidelines

Other Forms, Posters and References Helpful During the Project Construction Period (RD not responsible for content or reliability of these sites)