Search Reclamation
|
Back To Comments Home
|
|
| Comment | Submit Date |
|---|---|
| Team 12 – “Right Sizing” Comments: The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has worked diligently over the past 20 years or so to develop a strong, effective and successful working relationship with the Lower Colorado Region at Hoover Dam. Built on the foundation created by the Hoover Power Act of 1984 and the Boulder Canyon Project Implementation Agreement, the culture of collaboration that has developed between the power customers and Reclamation staff is, to my knowledge, unparalleled anywhere else within the Bureau. The Lower Colorado Region should be considered as the model that Reclamation should strive for with the M4E process in regards to customer relationships. A significant reason for the cooperative relationship between the Hoover power customers and local program and area office staff is the open and frank discussions that take place within the Technical Review Committee, Engineering and Operations Committee and the Coordinating Committee. A major focus of these committees is what work needs to be accomplished over the next ten years and who will do the work, whether local area staff, resources from the Technical Services Centers or an outside contractor. Team 12’s two alternative approaches to workload distribution would effectively move the decision of the most efficient method of completing necessary work away from the local or program office. These alternatives would either require certain work to be performed by the Technical Service Centers or impose administrative processes and time delays that would essentially eliminate the option of using outside contractors. Metropolitan does not support this direction and believes it will adversely impact the cooperative, collaborative relation between Reclamation and the power customers in the Lower Colorado Region. Metropolitan and other power contractors have worked with the Hoover area managers and staff to develop a full range of options available to accomplish operation, maintenance and replacement activities. These options include performing the work with internal staff, bringing in assistance from the Technical Service Centers or using outside contractors after receiving bids to perform the work. The ability and willingness of Reclamation to evaluate and utilize the most effective way to accomplish required tasks is appreciated by Metropolitan and gives the power contractors confidence in the workload distribution decisions. The decision on allocation of work needs to remain with the local staff where the power contractors can review such decisions for consistency, transparency and accountability. Metropolitan urges the Team 12 members to develop an alternative that preserves the full use of workload management options by the local staff or program offices and enhances customer involvement in the decision process. The Lower Colorado Region is a model of cooperation and collaboration between Reclamation and power contactors and the M4E process should strive to strengthen that relationship, not weaken it. |
10/08/2007 |