Budget 101 - Public Works (Part 2)

You asked, and we’re ready to answer. Each Thursday, we’ll be looking at some of the themes and specific questions raised in our budget survey, which took place last November.

Just like last week, the Public Works and Engineering department is our focus today—since there were so many great questions and suggestions in this section, we broke this department into two posts. Check our previous post for the public works side of the department.

In our budget survey, many commenters agreed with the Public Works and Engineering budget. Three commenters requested improvements to snow removal. Several miscellaneous comments were also made regarding things like electric vehicles and paving. Below, we’ve addressed some questions regarding the engineering side of this department, looking at reduction of redundancies and how capital projects are tracked. Please note that questions have been edited for clarity.

Find ways to reduce expenditures and reduce redundancies and repetitive processes. Through your staff, discover more streamlined processes that save money.

And

Focus on cost-saving ideas, reducing redundancies, streamlining processes, and examining what we really need vs. what has always been. Operational staff always have brilliant ideas for savings and redundancy elimination; you just have to have a group brainstorming session to get the ideas flowing.

We are constantly looking for ways to reduce expenditures and spend funds most effectively. One strategy is undertaking as much in-house engineering work as we can. This is made possible by having a multi-talented engineering team with a wealth of experience. For many of our capital works projects, the in-house work completed includes surveying, drafting, storm/water/sanitary system capacity assessments, designs, procurement, contract management, field inspection, and quality assurance. In addition to in-house lead engineering projects, we also offer our services for consultant-led projects to assist with whatever tasks fall within our scope of expertise, such as logging test pit records at the landfill and contract administration on Birch Hill.

To reduce redundancy, we have been actively working on formalizing repetitive processes by creating procedures manuals. Our team members are encouraged to critically think about the way they execute tasks and bring forward suggestions for improvements. This record-keeping and process formalization will facilitate efficiency in our team, improve the way we execute tasks year-to-year, and create a platform for improvement.

Some additional related initiatives include:

• Collaborating with operational staff to ensure designs have a low impact on maintenance activities.
• Reviewing road and drainage products. Some examples include evaluating various pothole patching products (2 types of cold patch and thermoplast chipfill, etc), incorporating new root removal products, and assessing various road sands.
• Reusing old parts and materials for building projects. Recently for our leachate treatment system, we repurposed a 20-foot sea can, doors, pipes, miscellaneous steel, and more to offset project costs.
• Completing cost-benefit analysis for owning or leasing equipment vs. hiring contractors.
• Collaborating with Leisure Services and other departments to look at equipment needs and remove redundancy.
• Enhancing our safety program to improve safety and lessen potential costs associated with WorkSafeBC claims.
• Removing re-distributors from the supply chain for parts for the sewage treatment plant.
• Auctioning old vehicles and equipment taking up space in our yard.
• Making energy improvements at buildings, both in the mechanical systems and building envelope.
• Leveraging in-house engineering capacity to focus on consultant studies and designs.
• Engaging local consultants and contractors where possible to reduce travel and LOA costs.
• Employing new software to streamline remote working, including conference room enhancements.

From Jonathan Lambert, Director of Engineering and Public Works:

I appreciate the comments made regarding cost-saving ideas, reducing redundancies, and streamlining processes. I also completely agree with the comment made that “Operational staff always have brilliant ideas for savings and redundancy elimination.” Efficiency is at the forefront of every decision we make, and we routinely engage and brainstorm ideas with operational staff. The hundreds of years of experience our City crews obtain is invaluable to improve processes and come up with solutions to problems.

I am fortunate to work with a truly dedicated team who take ownership of their responsibilities to the City and who are proud to contribute to keeping the city roads, water, sewer, lights, vehicle and equipment, buildings, and other services running. During this period of growth, our engineering department is also fully engaged in many capital projects and committed to realizing the best value for our City. In the coming years, our Engineering and Public Works departments are working closely together to undertake more in-house construction projects to realize both cost and schedule benefits.

Is there a way to identify the share of administration and engineering dedicated to capital projects?

Yes, hours spent by engineering staff are recorded under specific project codes and can be correlated to the phase of a capital project. We have plans to further break down these phases in recording to allow for review, improvements, and progress tracking for both projects and skill development.

Do you have other questions about this department? Post them below.

Our next installment will be next Thursday, when we’ll look at the next department on the list. Stay tuned!