City Looks to Streamline Maintenance and Operations
We've been talking for years about transforming the city's internal structure to become more efficient. One area I identified as a potential cost-saver is in the city's operations & maintenance (O&M). As a result, I recently announced the MOA's intent to award a contract to CH2M HILL for a thorough assessment of Muni operations.
CH2M HILL will be responsible for developing an implementation plan for each O&M function and for prioritizing projects based on anticipated savings. The work will be phased, with the contractor first identifying "quick wins" that would save the MOA money immediately. Once plans are developed, CH2M HILL will present recommendations, estimated implementation timelines, associated costs, and benefits to Municipal leaders.
We’ve looked at every city department’s functions for ways to do business better as a matter of necessity: tight budgets in recent years demanded that we learn to work with less. Working with an outside organization with a stellar reputation like CH2M HILL allows us to take an impartial view of how we can further streamline our operations and become even more efficient in how we deliver service.
The contractor’s scope of work includes fleet maintenance, which is responsible for acquiring, managing, maintaining, and disposing of more than 1,100 vehicles and equipment units, including police vehicles and heavy equipment for road maintenance, as well as fleet maintenance for the Fire Department and Public Transportation.
The contractor also will look at ways to consolidate the MOA’s facilities maintenance, which has responsibility for more than 164 municipal buildings and 211 parks. In addition, CH2M HILL will examine the city’s Project Management and Engineering (PM&E) division that provides scoping, design, engineering, and project management services for road, safety, drainage, and parks and trails projects.
I am confident that the contractor’s recommendations will provide a roadmap for delivering the same excellent service with substantial savings to the taxpayer.
In addition to examining O&M, we’re also planning to transform the MOA into a paperless business environment. After an extensive eight-month evaluation of new software programs, city officials have selected SAP to replace its current PeopleSoft application.
The MOA’s purpose in selecting new software is part of our overall efficiency initiative. SAP will allow city departments to conduct business in a paperless environment, which in turn allows business functions to proceed faster and more efficiently, in addition to reducing the use of paper.