Competitive Management Issues

AMSA and the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) released the fourth in a series of management initiatives titled, “Innovative Management Practices for Public Utilities: An AMSA/AMWA Resource Guide.” Debuting at AMSA's winter conference in February, the new on-line resource guide provides continuously updated information and examples of innovative and successful programs underway at numerous utilities. In particular, the on-line resource guide focuses on support and management practices, which are extensively studied and reviewed by the business sector, but have received less attention by water and wastewater utilities due to their traditional emphasis on improving operation and maintenance practices. On-line survey responses form the a searchable database of competitive management practices that will be continuously updated as utilities from across the county supply new information on problems, solutions and the value added to their agency as a result of improving management practices. The Resource Guide can be accessed on AMSA's web site.

The Board of Directors' of AMSA and AMWA have also approved a new management initiative focusing in greater depth on support services. The new joint AMSA/AMWA management initiative, Benchmarking Performance of Utility Support Services: A Public Sector Handbook, is intended to be a companion document to Thinking, Getting, and Staying Competitive handbook. Whereas the Thinking, Getting & Staying Competitive handbook focused on competitiveness in O&M practices with limited participation from utility administration functions (i.e. support services), this handbook will focus on the administrative side of utilities, with important, but limited participation from the O&M side. This handbook will describe and document with utility examples, methods to improve any support service in ways that improve the efficiency or effectiveness of utility core processes. A project schedule is currently underdevelopment, with an October 1999 release date anticipated. CONTACT: John Millett, AMSA 202/833-4651