A stiffener ring, and associated method and program product. A stiffener ring is provided having a generally annular shape for supporting a rebar cage, including: a plurality of primary cutouts spaced about an exterior edge of the stiffener ring, wherein each primary cutout is configured to receive a transversely mounted steel bar; a plurality of secondary cutouts spaced about an edge of the stiffener ring, wherein each of the secondary cutouts is configured to received an instrumentation pipe; and a set of flow holes cut into the stiffener ring to facilitate a flow of concrete through the stiffener ring.