DC Water Authority
5000 Overlook Ave. SW
Washington, District of Columbia
DC Water Capital Improvement Program
DC Water Capital Improvement Program
Location
Owner/Client
DC Water Authority
Project
DC Water Works
Job/Call Center
DC Water initiated a $20+ billion Capital Improvement Program (CIP), when completed, will significantly enhance the District of Columbia’s water and sewer facilities infrastructure. This budget reflects the continuation of major capital asset investment in programs and projects that will improve the condition of our local waterways, create clean energy, and reduce operating costs in future years.
The CIP includes all mandated projects as well as rehabilitation of assets required to meet permit and other regulatory requirements and all service needs. Further the plan includes a five year Asset Management Program with $20 million of funding in the Wastewater, Water and Sewer Service Areas. The purpose of this project is to fully leverage technology to operate, maintain, upgrade and dispose of assets to achieve the greatest efficiencies as well as asset cycle value. Along with substantial contracting opportunities for protected class firms were significant employment opportunities for local residents.
L. S. Caldwell & Associates, Inc. (LSC) was retained by DC Water to create and implement a Job/Call Center to act as an outreach post and clearing house for DC Water contractors to conduct interviews and local residents to visit on and offsite to meet with contractors. The original trailer onsite was extremely successful and inundated with calls from potential applicants however the very success and location of the trailer proved to be a potential issue.
LSC was charged with creating three additional Job/Call Centers offsite:
- DC Water downtown location on H Street (Ward 3)
- Greater Washington Urban League (Ward 1)
- Anacostia Economic Development Corporation (Ward 8)
LSC was tasked with developing and implementing a Job/Call Center and Satellite Centers:
- Outfitting an onsite trailer with furnishing and equipment
- Identifying Economic Development Organizations to partner with DC Water and act as Satellite Employment Job Centers
- Identifying staff and training to assist in matching opportunities to DC Water jobs
- Responsible for taking all employment calls and responding to DC Water and DC Water contractor employment opportunities.
- Developing processes and procedures for Job/Call Center employees and information responses
- Identifying language systems to support assisting non-English speaking customers
- Creating system logs to document required call response metrics
- Total Call Volume by Inbound/Outbound calls
- Average number of daily Interviews
- Number of job placements
- Initial communication with customers
- Prompt response to inquiries fielded through various channels
- Ensure all inquiries are completely responded to within twenty-four (24) hours receipt of complete application submission
- Fulfilling daily and monthly reporting requirements and conducting continuous quality reviews, monitoring, and evaluation to ensure compliance with the District’s laws, regulations, and established business rules.
- Identification of issues/recommending solutions
- Submitting monthly reports
- Developing a Resource Book to refer potential applicants to supportive services.
LSC was also tasked with the development and implementation of “DC Water Works! A Local Hiring Initiative” Workforce Development Program. DC Water Works! is a comprehensive employment program designed to drive local hiring opportunities with DC Water across User Jurisdictions with a specific focus on the District of Columbia. DC Water Works! aimed to utilize a pipeline of all DC Water projects, inclusive of CIP, that are projected over the next twenty years to total approximately $20 billion. These projects will be used to drive economic development through job creation across User Jurisdictions consisting of the District of Columbia, Prince George’s County, Montgomery County, Loudon County, and Fairfax County.
