TRANSMITTAL LETTER FOR BOARD MEETING OF NOVEMBER 1, 2018
COMMITTEE ON PROCUREMENT
Mr. John P. Murray, Acting Executive Director
Title
Authorization for payment to the Water and Wastewater Leadership Center for tuition fees for two (2) participants to attend a 10-day residential leadership development program in an amount not to exceed $26,300.00, Account 101-25000-601100
Body
Dear Sir:
Authorization is requested to issue a direct voucher payment to the Water and Wastewater Leadership Center for two (2) employees to attend a 10-day residential leadership development program in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in an amount not to exceed $26,300.00.
The 2019 Leadership Center’s program will take place April 28 - May 10, 2019. An application fee of $1,000.00 is required with each program application, and will be applied to the tuition cost of $13,150.00 per applicant upon acceptance to the program. The total tuition, including application fees is $26,300.00 for two (2) registrants. This includes 10 full days of instruction, all course materials, residential accommodations, most meals, and access to a comprehensive online resource center that may be accessed at any time during or after the program.
Leadership has become a topic of great interest for water and wastewater utility management. To address this issue, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA), the American Water Works Association (AWWA), the Water Environment Federation (WEF), and National Association of Water Companies (NAWC) and the American Public Works Association (APWA) developed a joint venture Water and Wastewater Leadership Center for utility leaders.
Established in 2000, the goals of the Leadership Center are to prepare and develop leaders and management executives in water and wastewater utilities throughout the United States, so these organizations can meet the public’s current and future demands for the highest level of service, quality, and efficiency. Leadership Center participants will learn a wide variety of leadership and management skills throughout this intensive professional training program. Participants will learn to think and act like a leader; enhance their ability to make decisions and lead confidently; develop strategic thinking skills; learn to provide leadership in challenging situations; understand the changing global economic environment; enlarge their perspective of what is possible for their utility; increase the focus on results, productivity and higher levels of achievement; and broaden their understanding of the evolving wastewater utility industry and its changing business environment.
As the Water and Wastewater Leadership Center is the sole source for this training program and is not available through any other means, it is requested that attendance and payment be approved without competitive bidding in accordance with Section 11.4 of the Purchasing Act.
In view of the foregoing, it is recommended that the Board of Commissioners authorize payment, by direct voucher, to the Water and Wastewater Leadership Center in an amount not to exceed $2,000.00 for the deposit. Funds are available in Account 101-25000-601100 for the deposit. Funds in Account 101-25000-601100 in an amount of $24,300.00 for the balance of the tuition in 2019 are contingent on the Board of Commissioners’ approval of the District’s budget for 2019.
Requested, Beverly K. Sanders, Director of Human Resources, BKS:RJB
Recommended, Darlene A. LoCascio, Director of Procurement and Materials Management
Respectfully Submitted, Barbara J. McGowan, Chairman Committee on Procurement
Disposition of this agenda item will be documented in the official Regular Board Meeting Minutes of the Board of Commissioners for November 1, 2018