Economics Tools and Software

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Regional Economic System (RECONS)

RECONS HomepageThe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Regional Economic System (RECONS) is a USACE-certified regional economic modeling tool. It is designed to provide accurate and defensible estimates of regional economic impacts and contributions associated with Corps projects, programs, and infrastructure across all Civil Works business lines. Regional economic impacts and contributions are measured as economic output, jobs, income, and value added. Estimates are provided simultaneously for three geographic impact areas: local, state, and national.

RECONS was designed for four primary purposes:

  • Provide an efficient and consistent approach to conduct economic impact analyses including the effects of either increased and decreased expenditures by the USACE (e.g., Civil Works spending by projects, business lines);
  • Enable users to conduct valid and reliable economic impact analyses without having the degree of knowledge or experience of Input-Output analysis required by IMPLAN or other comprehensive I-O models;
  • Enable users to simultaneously estimate economic impacts at different geographic scopes (e.g., local, state, national) and to aggregate impacts across projects, districts and divisions; and
  • Increase rigor and consistency (e.g., spending profiles, identification of impact areas) in the manner in which economic impact analyses are conducted by USACE.

RECONS is user-friendly and the only USACE certified Regional Economic Development (RED) model for agency-wide use. RECONS automates calculations of the effect of Corps projects, programs, and infrastructure affect regional economies across the nation. This information helps demonstrate the importance of existing and potential Corps investments to decision-makers, project stakeholders and communities. 

The model comprises two sets of modules: (1) Civil Works Spending Modules; and (2) USACE Programs & Infrastructure Modules.

The Civil Works Spending Modules are used to estimate the regional economic impacts and contributions of project expenditures within the eight USACE Civil Works business lines. Project expenditures include studies, construction, and operations and maintenance activities. These activities and expenditures support economic output, jobs, earnings, and value added in the region. The Civil Works Spending Modules allow the user to specify the project location and work activity to estimate the economic output, jobs, income, and value added for three levels of geography: local, state, and national impact areas.

The USACE Programs & Infrastructure Modules are used to estimate the long-term regional economic impacts and contributions of activities that are induced by USACE programs and infrastructure. These modules are used to estimate impacts and contributions associated with remediated Formally Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) sites (allowing for economic activities, such as agriculture, waste disposal, or warehousing); navigation infrastructure (transportation and related activities), and recreation projects (visitor spending). These activities and expenditures support economic output, jobs, earnings, and value added. Results are shown for three levels of geography: local, state, and national impact areas.

For contractors requiring access to RECONS, please download and complete the Request for Temporary Access form. Submission instructions are included in the form.

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