Customer case study · Water utilities
Palmdale Water District Modernizes Capital Program Management with CIPO
From spreadsheets and siloed communication to a unified owner platform.
25+
Active projects managed in CIPO
$246M
Five-year capital plan
One platform
Capital improvement and developer programs
Agency Snapshot
Palmdale Water District (PWD) is a public water agency serving the Palmdale area of Los Angeles County, California. As a public agency owner managing both capital improvement projects and local developer projects, PWD oversees the design, construction, and long-term performance of water infrastructure across its service area.
Industry: Water Utility | Location: Palmdale, California | CIP size: $250 million
The Challenge
Before CIPO, Palmdale Water District managed its capital and developer projects through a combination of spreadsheets, paper records, and email-based workflows. The lack of a centralized platform created gaps in visibility, slowed decision-making, and made it difficult to keep everyone aligned.
- Fragmented information
- Unrecorded decisions
- Limited coordination
Why CIPO
PWD evaluated multiple platforms, including contractor-centric software widely used in the industry. The deciding factor was not features but design philosophy. Contractor-first platforms put the contractor at the center of the process.
PWD needed a platform built around the owner’s perspective, where the district sets the standards, controls the workflows, and owns the data.
CIPO’s owner-first design, configurability, and the ability for PWD’s team to build and modify modules without vendor dependency made it the clear choice.
The Solution: A Unified Owner Platform
PWD implemented CIPO as its centralized platform for both capital improvement and developer programs. Beyond core modules—submittals, RFIs, daily reports, correspondence, and change management—PWD’s own team built custom workflows tailored to its unique operational needs.
The Results
Palmdale Water District now manages 25+ active projects and a $246M five-year capital plan in a single, unified owner platform. CIPO has improved visibility, strengthened collaboration, and increased efficiency across the district’s capital and developer programs.
The Impact
Since implementing CIPO, Palmdale Water District has seen meaningful improvements across communication, accountability, and program delivery.
Unified Communication Across the District
For the first time, PWD has a single platform through which the district communicates with contractors, consultants, and inspectors. All project communication flows through CIPO, giving every stakeholder a shared, documented record of what was said, requested, approved, and completed.
Improved Transparency and Cross-Team Collaboration
Teams that previously operated in silos now have real-time visibility into project activity. When a team member is out, anyone can step in and get up to speed immediately by reviewing the project record in CIPO, eliminating the dependency on any single person’s knowledge.
Self-Sufficient Platform Administration
PWD’s team builds, modifies, and maintains its own CIPO modules without waiting for vendor support. This self-sufficiency lets PWD continuously adapt the platform to new program types and operational needs, making CIPO a living system that grows with the district rather than a static tool.
Warranty Inspection Enforcement: A First for PWD
CIPO’s automated notification system now flags warranty inspection deadlines proactively, ensuring that requirements written into contracts are fulfilled. For PWD, this was the first time this compliance requirement was systematically enforced.
Owner-Configured. Not Vendor-Dependent.
PWD builds, modifies, and maintains its own CIPO modules, allowing the platform to evolve with the district without relying on vendor development.
What PWD Says
“There’s a lot more communication between groups now than there was before. The transparency, the collaboration — making sure the district has a unified message to the contractor.”
See What CIPO Could Look Like for Your Capital Program.
Explore how an owner-first platform can connect your teams, streamline workflows, and strengthen visibility across capital and developer programs.