Financing & Management
AMSA Competitiveness Report and Workshops
Background: AMSA and the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) have joined to produce a new publication, Thinking, Getting & Staying Competitive: A Public Sector Handbook. The Handbook serves as a companion piece to AMSA's previously released publications, "Evaluating Privatization: An AMSA Checklist," and "Managed Competition: Developing and Responding to RFQs & RFPs." The Handbook, released during AMSA's Winter Conference, illustrates a "how to" approach to becoming competitive by highlighting proven strategies for becoming competitive and profiling several utilities that have developed these strategies.
Status: AMSA and AMWA will sponsor several "how to" workshops based on the publication, which will feature panel and interactive sessions and will provide members and non-members with the opportunity to network with water and wastewater officials in their regions. The Thinking, Getting & Staying Competitive: Workshops for the Evolving Public Utility debuted last month in Providence, RI and Philadelphia, Penn. to rave reviews. The workshops feature a mix of lectures and breakout sessions to teach and then reinforce competitive concepts, including teamwork, labor/management relations and effective use of technology. Member agencies are encouraged to send multi-level staff teams to the Workshops to gain maximum benefit from the workshops. The day and a half workshops are scheduled for: Sept. 15-16, Chicago; Sept. 17-18, Kansas City, MO; Nov. 17-18, Atlanta, GA; Nov. 19-20, Houston, TX. Online registration is available on AMSA’s web site at http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org. CONTACT: Christy Kettell, AMSA 202/833-3692.
AMSA Preparing for 1999 Financial Survey
AMSA's Financing and Management Committee has completed a review of the Association's Financial Survey form, incorporating information on staffing and salaries, as well as including questions on limited benchmarking information. The Committee is planning to request Board funding approval to hire a consultant to perform the 1999 survey and follow-up analysis. Requests for proposals will be solicited in late July, and a formal technical action fund request will be forwarded to the Board during the September leadership meeting. CONTACT: Mark Hoeke, AMSA 202/833-9106.
AMSA/AMWA Join Forces to Publish SourceGuide
AMSA and the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) will collaborate on the upcoming publication of the fourth in a series of AMSA management publications, a SourceGuide. The SourceGuide will provide information and examples of innovative and successful programs underway at numerous utilities. Names of contacts and phone numbers will be included to make more detailed information readily accessible and facilitate communication regarding competitiveness methods. The SourceGuide is scheduled for release in February 1999 and will be available in both print and on AMSA's web site, http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org. CONTACT: Paula Dannenfeldt, AMSA 202/833-4654.