With a desire to improve publicly-owned construction projects, the group known as Small Community Outreach and Education (SCORE) investigated why construction projects go bad and how these problems can be avoided.

About SCORE
The mission of the Tennessee SCORE program is to provide water and wastewater information and technical assistance to small communities.

Originally an EPA-funded program administered by TDEC's Division of Community Assistance, the SCORE group was comprised of personnel from the Division of Community Assistance, development districts, Department of Economic and Community Development, Rural Development, Municipal Technical Advisory Service, and Tennessee Association of Utility Districts, with all costs being absorbed by these organizations.

In 1998 the group examined the question "Why do construction projects go bad in the end?" SCORE focused primarily on local government water and wastewater utility construction, but these problems also occur in other types of construction. Various people have presented opinions from their areas of expertise. The following summaries were compiled based on materials the presenters provided or on notes taken during quarterly SCORE meetings in 1998 and 1999.

2014 contributions to this section were provided by Wayne Loveday, Knoxville Utility Board, Retired