Director, Procurement Services;
D.C. Water and Sewer Authority

Background

Over ten years ago, the governments of the District of Columbia and United States in collaboration created the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DCWASA), a semi-autonomous, multi-jurisdictional, regional entity.  The Authority provides drinking water, wastewater collection, and treatment to more than half a million residential, commercial, and governmental customers in the District of Columbia, and also collects and treats wastewater for 1.6 million customers in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland and Fairfax and Loudoun counties in Virginia.  DCWASA employs approximately 1,200 people who work at various facilities throughout a service area of approximately 725 square miles.  The Authority delivers water to over 130,000 locations in Washington, D.C. and provides nearly 135 million gallons of drinking water a day for use by individuals and businesses.  To distribute water and support the distribution system, DCWASA operates approximately 1,300 miles of pipes, five pumping stations, five reservoirs, four elevated water storage tanks, 36,000 valves, and 8,700 hydrants.  The fees collected from DCWASA's two million customers generate the revenue to pay for its operating costs and finance its 5 billion dollar capital program.

 The Authority is governed by its Board of Directors. A General Manager, who reports to the eleven-member Board of Directors, controls the day-to-day operations of DCWASA.  The Board has six members representing the District of Columbia and five members representing the adjoining jurisdictions of Prince George’s County and Montgomery County in Maryland and Fairfax County in Virginia.  All Board members participate in decisions directly affecting the management of DCWASA’s joint-use facilities.  The General Manager has three principal divisional leaders: (1) a Chief Financial Officer/Deputy General Manager who supervises finances, budgets, IT, water measurement and billing, and risk management; (2) a Chief Engineer responsible for the overall management of activities and programs in the departments of wastewater treatment, sewer services, maintenance services, water services, and engineering and technical services; and (3) an Assistant General Manager who oversees human resources, procurement services, fleet management, facilities and securities, and occupational health and safety.

 DCWASA provides retail water and wastewater services to its residential and commercial customers in the District, with rates set by the Authority’s Board of Directors.  The Authority buys its drinking water from the Washington Aqueduct, a division of the Army Corps of Engineers. The Aqueduct treats the water and DCWASA distributes it throughout the District.

Current Situation

The Director of Procurement Services reports directly to the Assistant General Manager of Administrative Services and oversees three main divisions for the Authority:  Procurement Operations, Contract Administration, and Warehouse & Operations.  The Division of Procurement Operations manages the Authority’s purchasing process, including vendor bid listing, advertisement and solicitation process, website information, and DCWASA’s credit card purchasing program.  Procurement Operations manages the pre-award procurement process, including bids and proposal solicitation, contract negotiations, and contract modifications.  This division monitors all of the Authority’s contracts, plans for future procurements, and manages LSDBE oversight and reporting.  Procurement Operations has 15 positions.  The Division of Warehouse & Operations provides an array of management services, namely managing the warehouse and inventory, including direction and guidance of inventory policies and procedures and the disposal of excess and obsolete inventory.  This division also manages the materiel control system (inventory reconciliation, inventory closing process), the Fixed Asset Program, the uniform and safety shoe program, spot, cycle, and annual physical inventory, and establishes minimum and maximum inventory levels.  This division has 17 positions.  The Division of Contract Administration is responsible for managing the post-award procurement process, investigates all wage/labor issues, and oversees and reports on First Source and other laws, rules, and regulations.  There are 4 positions in Contract Administration.

Procurement Services uses two principal IT systems for managing assets and business services, respectively Maximo and Lawson.  These two systems are not compatible, and do not lend any support to the overall capital contracting process (approximately $2.1 billion).  The new Director of Procurement Services must have a practical knowledge of the standard industry IT procurement software in large complex organizations to oversee the testing and development of an improved procurement and logistics system which will integrate efficiently the materiel management, accounting, and the capital contracting process for the department.

 Specific Role

 The Director of Procurement Services serves as the Authority’s principal contracting advisor.  The Director is responsible for providing the Authority with an overall efficient, skillful, and timely procurement process.  The Director coordinates the daily duties of the procurement support staff and prepares program guidelines, status reports, and presentations for the Board of Directors and the executive staff.  This official coordinates with the departments in the Authority and assesses purchasing needs and facilitates the contract process.  The Director will oversee the department’s budget of over $2.3 million for FY 2006 (revised).  A representative description of some of the essential duties and responsibilities of the Director include: 

• Researches, develops, establishes, and manages the Authority’s procurement programs and related activities;
• Coordinates, plans, and implements the contractual strategies for the total procurement programs;
• Drafts regulations that govern the procurement program as well as policy and procedures for the Authority to operate by;
• Regularly meets with all division heads to convey policies, confirm requests, to advise on anticipated requirements, and to foster better communications and improvement of service;
• Regularly performs compliance duties by rigorously checking all contracts, monitoring contractor and vendor performance, monitors and reports on minority contractor and vendor programs;
• Monitors and evaluates the progress of Procurement Services towards meeting goals and makes adjustments in objectives, work plans, schedules and commitments of resources;
• Manages the Authority’s local disadvantaged small business enterprise zone programs to meet the Board of Director’s commitments;
• Maintains account databases and may develop requirements and be involved in the automation/test of procurement and logistics software;
• Provides daily planning and administration, through subordinates, in the selection, assignment, supervision, promotion, discipline, and training of personnel with the department related to the department’s programmatic areas.

 In addition, through effective operational leadership, the Director emphasizes work quality, productivity, and timely service.  This official maintains effective communications and productive cooperation with the vendors, contractors, other agencies, and other DCWASA departments, in order to maintain a high level of work quality.  The management responsibility includes the development of specific annual performance objectives (made jointly with the Assistant General Manager) for quality, timeliness, and efficient service, by evaluating performance objectives of the entire program and implementing appropriate measures when disciplinary action is warranted.

 The Assistant General Manager may assign other duties and projects to the Director that is necessary to improve the performance and service of the Authority.

   Major Objectives  

The Authority expects the new Director of Procurement Services to accomplish the following major objectives over the next 12-18 months: 

• Assess the overall performance of the department and determine best practices to improve productivity and responsiveness;
• Hire and develop a highly qualified and competent staff;
• Provide the Authority with an overall efficient, skillful, and timely procurement process which is legally compliant and well-respected;
• Develop a long-term contract strategy which will refine and make efficient the current contract management system;
• Keep clear and open lines of communication between management, midlevel supervisors, department staff, contractors, and vendors.

  Professional Qualifications

The following qualifications are desirable in the new Director:

• Bachelor’s degree in business management or related field from an accredited educational institution;

• Ten years managerial experience in the procurement of goods and services and the award and administration of large complex professional services and construction contracts;
• Practical understanding of standard industry procurement software and databases and possesses a working knowledge of applicable software programs, such as word processing, spreadsheets, e-mail, asset management (Maximo), and other business software (Lawson).

 The following qualification is preferred in the new Director: 

• Certified Public Purchasing Officer (CPPO) and/or Certified Associate Contracting Manager (CACM).

 Personal Characteristics

 The following characteristics are preferred in the new Director: 

• Strong analytical, planning, and organizational skills;
• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills, characterized by compassion but tempered by focus and discipline;
• Strong verbal and written skills with equally strong presentation/standup skills;
• Leadership ability that inspires people to achieve;
• Interest in innovative best practices regarding procurement services;
• Comfortable working within a team context with diverse members;
• Healthy respect for colleagues, employees, and superiors;
• Goal-oriented, project-oriented, and achievement-oriented;
• Strong sense of integrity.

Compensation 

Compensation will be commensurate with skill and market.  DCWASA offers a generous and comprehensive benefits package and opportunities for training and career development.  Every employee at DCWASA is required to complete a pre-employment physical examination and drug-screening test.  In addition, the incumbent serves as an essential employee, which means that the incumbent is required to work when the Authority has closed due to public emergencies, critical or hazardous conditions, or inclement weather.

 Please forward resumes immediately to: