The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), has funded billions of dollars in roads, bridges, public transit and other critical infrastructure across the country. Taking an outcomes-driven approach to these infrastructure projects starts with clear definitions of success, thoughtful design, robust plans for measuring impact and a commitment to continuous improvement. This approach enables city leaders to communicate their long-term impact and value to the community.
1. Define outcomes
Develop clear outcome goals that are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. These outcomes should reflect how the project benefits the community. For example, they may include increasing access to and ridership on public transportation, reducing commute times, improving stormwater and flooding resilience, reducing carbon emissions or improving pedestrian safety. Indirect outcomes like job creation, economic development and economic mobility can also be considered to understand the broader impact of projects. This resource provides helpful guidance on how to craft effective SMART goals that can serve as a north star for project design and progress.
2. Incorporate data needs into the project design phase
Strong data infrastructure is the foundation for data collection and analysis. This is why incorporating data needs into the project design phase is essential for ensuring that a project can be effectively monitored, evaluated and managed. Early in the planning process, project teams should identify the types of data infrastructure that are required to measure progress toward defined goals and outcomes. For example, if you want to assess rider satisfaction for a new public transit hub, you will need a user survey and a way to reach users. This resource is a helpful guide to the kinds of questions that teams should be answering in this phase to understand their data infrastructure needs.
Using federal funds for data infrastructure on IIJA projects
Federal funds can be used to support data and evaluation capacity. Unless a program contains unique restrictions, federal grant funds may be used for data and evaluation activities as long as the activities are relevant to the grant. To secure federal funds for these purposes, describe specific activities for data and evaluation in your federal grant application and include the necessary funds in your proposed budget. Including data and evaluation as part of your grant proposal helps to identify resources in advance, which reduces the need to scramble to find funds or navigate difficult trade-offs after the project is approved.
Data, analysis and evaluation staff costs can be paid for with federal funds. Federal funds can pay for the staff needed to implement data and evaluation-related activities. This includes in-house staff and contract staff who have roles related to gathering, storing and securing data as well as analyzing, sharing, and publishing it.
Source: Adapted from Results for America, How Local Governments Can Use the Updated Federal Uniform Grants Guidance to Support Evidence-Based Policy and Spending. The Local Infrastructure Hub also has more information about how to Maximize Federal Grants with Data and Evidence.
3. Implement and monitor
As project implementation gets underway, data can be used to determine progress toward interim benchmarks and to support decision-making and real-time adjustments. Early outcomes can also be valuable communication opportunities, especially for long-term projects that may take years to complete. For example, the creation of construction jobs is a common early outcome of infrastructure projects, allowing city leaders to point to a community benefit before project completion.
4. Evaluate results
Project evaluation should assess whether you met your original goals but can also incorporate information about a broader set of progress indicators, lessons learned from the implementation process and qualitative results like community feedback. Cities are allowed to use their federal funding for evaluation projects, including for hiring a contractor or consultant to conduct an evaluation.
5. Use results to inform future projects
Evidence-based policymaking is a cycle: results from previous projects can inform future project strategy. For example, cities can use evaluation results from a pilot to submit a competitive grant application that proposes scaling the program citywide. Outcome data gives decision-makers the ability to further invest in projects with a track record of success.
Project evaluation can also include recommendations for how to improve the implementation process. Whether the project got off track, ran over budget or received pushback from residents, a data-driven understanding of how the project was implemented and why outcomes deviated from what was intended can help city leaders develop better systems and processes to prevent the problem from recurring.
By embedding this cycle into a broader framework of continuous learning and improvement, local governments can ensure that evidence not only informs isolated projects but also becomes a standard part of decision-making across departments and policy areas.