Pipeline construction is an integral process that involves pre-construction planning, the actual construction phase, and post-construction. Each phase requires a dedicated team of highly trained employees including engineers, construction workers, general contractors, and project managers.

The planning phase of pipeline construction involves working with engineers to design the system. Multiple decisions must be made to ensure the project will not have negative impacts on the environment or community. The pipeline project planning team will need to acquire permits, secure easement rights, meet local, state, and federal requirements, and obtain project proposals from various pipeline construction companies.

Pipeline pricing affects the pipeline construction industry's bottom line. Recently, a major resin supplier to the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe industry declared "force majeure." This is an unexpected and disruptive event, such as an act of God, inevitable accident or unavoidable casualty that may operate to excuse a party from a contract. Recently, such an instance adversely affected material availability for plastic pipeline production, causing increasing pricing in pipe materials because this resin is a key component used for making sewer, water pipeline and storm drainage system PVC-specific pipelines and to some extent, high density polyethylene (HDPE) pipelines.