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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTilson & Associates LLC; 2011-07-25; UTIL832UTIL832 AGREEMENT FOR SANITARY SEWER SYSTEM OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION SERVICES {TILSON & ASSOCIATES, LLC) THIS AGREEMENT is made and entered into as of the &2/S day of CTcWcr* , 2011, by and between the CITY OF CARLSBAD, a municipal corporation, ("City"), and TILSON & ASSOCIATES, LLC, a limited liability company, ("Contractor"). RECITALS City requires the professional services of a sanitary sewer system consultant that is experienced in sanitary sewer system operation and maintenance assessment and evaluation services. Contractor has the necessary experience in providing these professional services, has submitted a proposal to City and has affirmed its willingness and ability to perform such work. NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of these recitals and the mutual covenants contained herein, City and Contractor agree as follows: 1. SCOPE OF WORK City retains Contractor to perform, and Contractor agrees to render, those services (the "Services") that are defined in Exhibit "A", Scope of Services, and in Exhibit "B", Proposal, attached and incorporated by this reference in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement. 2. TERM This Agreement will be effective for a period of thirty (30) working days from the date first above written. 3. COMPENSATION The total fee payable for the Services to be performed will be ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00). No other compensation for the Services will be allowed except for items covered by subsequent amendments to this Agreement. City reserves the right to withhold a ten percent (10%) retention until City has accepted the work and/or the Services specified in Exhibit "A." 4. STATUS OF CONTRACTOR Contractor will perform the Services as an independent contractor and in pursuit of Contractor's independent calling, and not as an employee of City. Contractor will be under the control of City only as to the results to be accomplished. 5. INDEMNIFICATION Contractor agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the City and its officers, officials, employees and volunteers from and against all claims, damages, losses and expenses including attorneys fees arising out of the performance of the work described herein caused by any negligence, recklessness, or willful misconduct of the Contractor, any subcontractor, anyone directly or indirectly employed by any of them or anyone for whose acts any of them may be liable The parties expressly agree that any payment, attorney's fee, costs or expense City incurs or makes to or on behalf of an injured employee under the City's self-administered workers' City Attorney Approved Version 5/12/11 compensation is included as a loss, expense or cost for the purposes of this section, and that this section will survive the expiration or early termination of this Agreement. 6. INSURANCE Contractor will obtain and maintain policies of commercial general liability insurance, automobile liability insurance, a combined policy of workers' compensation, employers liability insurance, and professional liability insurance from an insurance company authorized to transact the business of insurance in the State of California which has a current rating in the Best's Key Rating guide of at least A-:VII OR with a surplus line insurer on the State of California's List of Eligible Surplus Line Insurers (LESLI) with a rating in the latest Best's Key Rating Guide of at least "A:X", in an amount of not less than one million dollars ($1,000,000) each, unless otherwise authorized and approved by the City Attorney or the City Manager. Contractor will obtain occurrence coverage, excluding Professional Liability, which will be written as claims- made coverage. The insurance will be in force during the life of this Agreement and will not be canceled without thirty (30) days prior written notice to the City by certified mail. City will be named as an additional insured on General liability. Contractor will furnish certificates of insurance to the Contract Department, with endorsements to City prior to City's execution of this Agreement. 7. CONFLICT OF INTEREST Contractor shall file a Conflict of Interest Statement with the City Clerk in accordance with the requirements of the City of Carlsbad Conflict of Interest Code. The Contractor shall report investments or interests in all four categories. 8- COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS Contractor will comply with all applicable local, state and federal laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination and harassment and will obtain and maintain a City of Carlsbad Business License for the term of this Agreement. 9. TERMINATION City or Contractor may terminate this Agreement at any time after a discussion, and written notice to the other party. City will pay Contractor's costs for services delivered up to the time of termination, if the services have been delivered in accordance with the Agreement. 10. CLAIMS AND LAWSUITS By signing this Agreement, Contractor agrees it may be subject to civil penalties for the filing of false claims as set forth in the California False Claims Act, Government Code sections 12650, et seq.. and Carlsbad Municipal Code Sections 3.32.025, et seq. Contractor further acknowledges that debarment by another jurisdiction is grounds for the City of Carlsbad to terminate this Agreement. 11. JURISDICTIONS AND VENUE Contractor agrees and stipulates that the proper venue and jurisdiction for resolution of any disputes between the parties arising out of this Agreement is the State Superior Court, San Diego County, California. 12. ASSIGNMENT Contractor may assign neither this Agreement nor any part of it, nor any monies due or to become due under it, without the prior written consent of City. City Attorney Approved Version 5/12/11 13. AMENDMENTS This Agreement may be amended by mutual consent of City and Contractor. Any amendment will be in writing, signed by both parties, with a statement of estimated changes in charges or time schedule. 14. AUTHORITY The individuals executing this Agreement and the instruments referenced in it on behalf of Contractor each represent and warrant that they have the legal power, right and actual authority to bind Contractor to the terms and conditions of this Agreement. CONTRACTOR TILSON & ASSOCIATES, LLC, a limited liability compam CITY OF CARLSBAD, a municipal corporation of the State of California By: here) 'Stephen B. Tilson President/Sole Proprietor City Manager or Mayor or Director (print name/title) ATTEST: By: (sign here) ,B__^_J:sArW27 LORRAINE M. WOOD fl City Clerk (I (print name/title) If required by City, proper notarial acknowledgment of execution by contractor must be attached. If a corporation. Agreement must be signed by one corporate officer from each of the following two groups: Group A. Chairman, President, or Vice-President Group B. Secretary, Assistant Secretary, CFO or Assistant Treasurer Otherwise, the corporation must attach a resolution certified by the secretary or assistant secretary under corporate seal empowering the officer(s) signing to bind the corporation. APPROVED AS TO FORM: RONALD R. BALL, City Attorney By:. Assistant CifyAttorney City Attorney Approved Version 5/12/11 State of Connecticut County of Litchfield ss: Torrington On this the first day of July, 201 1 , before me, Carol L. Anderson, the undersigned officer, personally appeared S\(?pY\ev\ ^."]7/6dh wno acknowledged himself to be the Pr^5 Ipf^t _ of TJ/3<fVi ^ YfoSOCsLLC. a corporation, and that he as such tyrfs\ df^\~lr , being authorized so to do executed the foregoing instrument for the same for the purposes therein contained, by signing the name of the corporation by himself as In witness whereof I hereunto set my hand Carol L. Anderson Notary Public My commission expires April 30, 2016 EXHIBIT "A" SCOPE OF SERVICES Field Operational and Maintenance Management Evaluation Before initiating any changes or additions to operational protocols and management strategies, the Carlsbad sanitary sewer operation department (Utility) needs to assess what level of service in system performance is desired, what the goals of their maintenance program should be, analyses of current maintenance/performance levels and what changes/additions are necessary to achieve the intended goals. To properly assess this, we are proposing the following scope of work to best anchor the evaluation process. .v:o/ie of Work TasU 1 - Goals of the Utility Prior to engaging in the information gathering process in operations and support structures, we will meet with senior management to quantify the performance and asset management goals of the utility over both the short and long term and to review the project workplan. This provides the evaluation with a defined target and allows prioritization of various elements that may be needed at specific intervals. Once these are established, the identified improvements will be adjusted. The information obtained in Tasks 1 and 2 will also support the activities that will be outlined in our final report. We will review the workplan to insure agreement on the project scope and the content of all deliverables. Additionally in the meeting, required Utility staff who must participate in the evaluation will be identified and a schedule for their participation will be developed. Because T&A will only be on site for a short time, the Utility must make a reasonable effort to make these staff available. i'..,.sk 2 - Evaluation of "".lection System and Operational Parameters In order to assess the needs of the Utility, fundamental knowledge must be recorded of the system and how it is maintained. Culling this information provides several benefits as it allows a full, single-sourced overview of the collection system and the efforts used to maintain and improve operation. Every system has its own unique combination of elements and designs that need to be considered. Our criteria-driven approach provides this information at whatever depth necessary. Criteria used for examination includes; • Organizational structure and staffing • System components (pipe types/sizes, pump stations, etc.) • Sewer Use Ordinances (SUOs) and regulations used in connection/discharge enforcement • System mapping, work order/scheduling processes and critical asset management • Equipment used in cleaning and inspection processes and personnel training • Tools used in this cleaning and inspection operation • Field protocols in this equipment/tool use and standardization issues • Emergency response planning and execution • Review of internal documentation (SOP or other) for clarity and relevance We will perform these evaluations through interviews with Utility staff and managers and job shadowing in the field with elements of operations and maintenance. From this effort, we can assess if deeper information in specific areas is necessary and provide on-site examination as needed. This provides a full analysis of the Utility as it currently exists and will become the baseline for benchmarking and improvement design purposes. This process will see both field operations and maintenance management processes evaluated at the same time. In this task, the optimized definition of best practices for Utility operations is developed. Working with the Utility Project Manager, we use the information discovery process to identify work practices and other facets of operational conditions and assess areas of improvements that need to be addressed as they relate to the short and long term goals of the utility. These are then sorted on a scale of 1 to 3, with 1 being highest priority, to better align either a singular program approach or phased program that will be tailored for the Utility specifically. Weighting will be used to develop a phased approach to accommodate budgeting requirements and other factors. T'Sk 4 - ',!l>,v; i'N.HHj'V Development of the cost estimate/s is then engaged for each improvement identified in the evaluation. Assessment of these issues and their related costs will be made and presented in a report to the Utility. We will evaluate implementation of the improvements using internal and/or external resources. With the input of the Utility project manager and staff, we will compile the benefits of implementing the findings of the operations evaluation. In the final report, the combination of improving operations in conjunction with the maintenance management system will also be addressed. This is recognizing the importance of dovetailing field operations with information management tools. The operational overview and improvement recommendations platform will be presented in a final report. This document will be constructed to allow the agreed upon approach from the benefit assessment to support budget approval for the overall program. The report will include: • System overview information of field operations and management functions • Specific goals of the Utility in short and long term • Identified areas of improvements necessary to achieve these goals • Recommendations to these areas and issues of adoption • Benefits of implementation of these improvements • Gusts/time estimates of initiating the identified requirements • Discussion of variables and phasing of program elements These tasks are inclusive in our process of assessment and evaluation and are not limited to these steps alone. As the project initiates, there may be areas of operations or issues that are encountered that require a more in-depth look that may not be included in the tasks shown. We will engage these elements on approval from the Utility should any appear. COPY EXHIBIT'S" i Tilson & Associates^gP*' ^ ^ ^ Proposal for SANITARY SEWER SYSTEM OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION For the CITY OF CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA June 16, 2011 PROPOSAL FOR SANITARY SEWER SYSTEM OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE ASSEMENT AND EVALUATION FOR THE CITY OF CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA Tilson & Associates, LLC (T&A) is pleased to submit this proposal to provide an on-site sanitary sewer operation and management assessment and evaluation for the City of Carlsbad sanitary sewer operations department. Our proposal incorporates a review and evaluation of field operations and management functions along with a review and evaluation of field protocols and work management processes. The City of Carlsbad is embarking on a process that will yield a considerable amount of information beneficial to improvements of the long-term operation and maintenance of its sanitary collection utility. This evaluation project will address fundamental issues of how the utility collects and transports wastewater, collects and processes information, makes informed decisions, effectively dispatches field crews and functions as a unified team with common goals and objectives. Our project approach has proven successful for many other utilities and is supported up by significant reductions in sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) and related costs of operations through the development of improved business processes and new management tools and optimization. We believe you will find our approach and evaluation process is complete and tailored specifically for the City of Carlsbad to develop a selection of improvements in single or multiple track programs. T&A is proposing a full collection system maintenance evaluation process that will review field operations elements along with management processes and examine the critical components of system asset management that are necessary for long term success. Our proposal is broken down into three sections. Section One of our proposal breaks down the field operations and management evaluation review, which has specific assessment criteria and defines inclusions of current practices with any recommendations made in a final report. The proposal outlines the overall process in tasking steps that include our basic criteria. As with any work of this nature, our criteria may expand or retract on information discovery and need, though should not affect the cost of the project. Section Two contains project schedule, cost and qualification material, Section Three contains reference and support information. Section Two Project Schedule, Cost and Qualifications Project Schedule am/ Costs This scope is for the engagement of Stephen Tilson of Tilson & Associates, LLC. Estimate of time with the Utility is up to four field days to be spent with Utility staff gathering data and report preparation. The final report will be delivered approximately two weeks after the site visit. Cost for this project includes all evaluation preparation, conduct of the evaluation, associated travel costs and administrative costs, and final report resulting from the evaluation. Final cost shall not exceed $9,600.00 Availability for Mr. Tilson on this project can be arranged for dates in July, September, or October pending flexibility of schedules for him and the Utility. This work will be undertaken by Stephen Tilson of Tilson & Associates, LLC. Tilson & Associates, LLC is the premier wastewater operations training and consulting firm in the United Sates and literally wrote the book on how to maximize field operations to reduce overflows and improve pipe cleaning operations. Stephen Tilson, owner, has over 25 years of collection system maintenance and management training and consulting experience throughout North America. With a demonstrated record of success in SSO reduction through evaluation and improvement programs in field operations which have seen dramatic spill reduction rates and system improvements. A more detailed qualifications statement, including project references, is included in Appendix A. Step_he.n_T11son. Mr. Tilson has over 25 years in the sanitary sewer maintenance and management field. He has created award winning training programs and worked with many utilities in assessing work processes and overall maintenance strategies to lessen overflows and improve performance. Among these are Augusta Utilities, GA; City of San Diego, CA; City of Fort Worth, TX; Clark County, NV, City of Santa Barbara, CA; and many other utilities around North America. A detailed resume and reference discussion is included in Section Three. Section Three Reference Information TILSON & ASSOCIATES, LLC - Corporate Overview Tilson & Associates, LLC Stephen B. Tilson - President 335 Allen Road Torrington, CT 06790 Tel: 8604894840 Cell: 860 480 3752 Email: stilson@tilsonassociates.com Website: tilsonassociates.com Tilson & Associates, LLC is a consulting and training firm primarily engaged in the sanitary collection system operation and maintenance industry. Based in Torrington, Connecticut, the company was established by Stephen B. Tilson as a training resource for the industry, which has since grown into contract and consulting services on a national level. The operation training and consulting services provided by the Company are among the more sought programs in the country. Proving a "bottom up" focus to these programs, the Company can assist in training and evaluation of operations and programs to a variety of goals. Chief among them today is the cMOM (capacity assurance, management, operation, and maintenance) initiative of the USEPA, which has been adopted by most EPA regions and regulators across the country as a means to quantify utility operations. PROJECTS & REFERENCES The following references are a sampling of the many projects we have been involved with over the years. We have provided contact information for each utility and have included a synopsis of the reasons we were engaged, tasking goals, and outcomes. We have more references should they be needed. Augusta Utilities District - Augusta GA Bernard Woods - Director of Safety Augusta Utilities District 360 Bay Street Augusta, GA 30901 7063124137 Project Description: Due to injuries on the job and increasing equipment downtime issues that were limiting the Utility's ability to keep field operations on schedule, a training and protocol standardization process was necessary. Tilson & Associates was engaged to provide operator training, evaluation of work processes and equipment maintenance, and an overall system operation overview. After submitting the findings from these efforts, we were then retained to complete several more projects which included; • On-going training program for operators and equipment use and maintenance • Emphasis on field safety in operations and assist in the development of a culture of safety • Creation of field practical standard operation procedures • Evaluation of work processes, including scheduling, load leveling, and protocols • Standardization of use of specific cleaning and maintenance equipment between crews The program was conducted over an approximately 3 year period of time, in scheduled visits every 5 to 7 months. During this time, SOP improvements were made to existing documentation in other facets of operations and maintenance and training became highly specific to the Utility in their needs and policies used with field personnel. Over time, our work took us into the pumping/lift station section of operations for work process documentation and SOP development. Since this program was conducted, there have been no injuries with the equipment that have caused lost time and equipment downtime has been reduced, which were the primary goals of the effort. We are now periodically assigned for remedial training classes and SOP review when we are at the Utility. Operation training and standardization efforts showed a reduction in SSO events in reductions of approximately 22% over this period of time. Qty of Santa Barbara - Santa Barbara, CA Mr. Christopher Toth - Division Manager Santa Barbara Waste water Division 630 Garden St Santa Barbara, CA 93102 8586544161 Tilson & Associates was asked to provide a full collection system operation and management evaluation in the spring of 2010. This process was successfully engaged and provided information critical to establishing long term improvement plans for management of field operations, operations evolution into best practices, and computer maintenance management software, to best stem increasing SSO events. The evaluation process provided coverage in the following areas; • Organizational structure and staffing • System components (pipe types/sixes, purnp stations, etc.) • Sewer Use Ordinances (SUOs) and regulations used in connection/discharge enforcement • System mapping, work order/scheduling processes and critical asset management • Equipment used in cleaning and inspection processes and personnel training • Tools used in this cleaning and inspection operation • Field protocols in this equipment/tool use and standardization issues • Emergency response planning and execution • Review of internal documentation (SOP or other) for clarity and relevance The initial evaluation process was successful for the utility which led to several improvement processes, including a long term training and work documentation/standardization process. This process is currently in process and will be on-going through 2012 in the initial phases. From the evaluation the improvements put into place, coupled with the comprehensive training program and work protocol changes, SSOs have decreased from 15 per 100 miles annually to one non- preventable spill in 125 days. These are early results from this process, which are continuing to trend downward. City of Fort Worth Water Department - Fort Worth TX Rick Davis - Superintendent Field Operations City of Ft Worth Water Department Field Operations 1608 11th Street Ft Worth, TX 76102 8179448399 As part of the operations improvement plan, Tilson & Associates was asked to provide operation training on various types of pipe cleaning equipment and to develop standard operation procedures for all equipment used in the sanitary sewer maintenance operations. Among the tasking and deliverables requested were; • Produce and establish a field operator training program for the varied equipment used • Review of work processes and existing information used in SOPs currently • Development of current SOPs with field operators and supervisors on all equipment • Transference of knowledge in training materials and aids for in-house trainers to provide • Summary of findings and recommendations based on priority of need The overall project was completed in three successive visits, approximately 5 months apart to allow field personnel to mature with the information and accept next level education as best able. Over this time the SOPs were reformatted and reviewed by field personnel, followed by field management, senior management, and executive management. This included support arms of the Utility in the safety, training, and water operations sections. These documents were established combining the existing safety protocols of the utility in combination with field operators experience and overlying best practices where applicable. The SOPs were set up in a living document format, requiring a review of the processes and procedures in them approximately every 18 months to ensure new equipment was correctly identified and any maintenance changes to equipment were modified along with inclusion of any safety policies that are developed. SSO decrease, which occurred after the initial training events during this period, were reported down by approximately 30% which was one of the goals of the effort overall. Effective cleaning practices were credited to this reduction. We were able to complete this process approximately six months ahead of the proposed schedule and under the proposed estimated costs. The SOP generation process was adopted by the Utility and is currently still in use by the safety and training support groups, along with equipment training. City of San Diego Waste Water Collection Division - San Diego CA Michael Rosenberg - Principle Supervisor WWCD (Project Manager) San Diego MWWCD 9150 Topaz Way San Diego, C A 92123 8586544132 Starting with a basic training program over a few years time, repeated semi annually, Tilson & Associates was contracted to provide an Operator Academy which provided both classroom and field instruction for all operators of collection system cleaning equipment including rodding, hand rodding, flushing, vacuum, and bucketing processes. As part of this effort we were tasked with the following; • Assembly of a utility specific training program for all operators of all maintenance equipment • Provide hands on training and coaching of both new and senior operations personnel • Develop a standard operation manual (SOM) that would standardize operational elements • Assist development of tool standardization list for this equipment • Develop field management training program to ensure decision making and examination skills • Develop criteria to quantify findings during cleaning operations of cleaning results • Assist in development of GPS driven internal benchmarking for line maintenance efforts • Provide field overview feed back to middle, senior, and executive management This has been a long term effort with its origination in 2003 periodically through 2006 when the City opted to move into a twice a year program of field work. In addition to the above tasking, there were several small real-time projects that were accomplished during the time spent with the Utility, which were necessary to accomplish prior to moving forward. The utility has reported an SSO decrease from a high of approximately 380 spills to a low of 62 spills during calendar 2008. This despite a workforce layoff of approximately 50 people in 2007. These results are credited in large part on the standardization of cleaning methodology and adaptation of new technology in computer management systems and field equipment. It is important to note that the threat of privatization loomed large in this City during these years, with the number of sewer spills being used as a benchmark for beginning the process of contracting out this and other branches of the Utility. As spills were reduced, costs of operations were necessary to be reduced to better compete with private contracting costs. This process was engaged in the refitting of the operations division equipment to reduce the repair costs associated with old equipment, along with other cost savings measures, ultimately seeing the loss of some 50 employees from the Division. Tilson and Associates provided support for the process of moral building during this period of uncertainty in the operator corps, to ensure spills continued to go down and keep the Utility viable to the City. This, along with the resilient nature of most of the labor force allowed the Utility to move past the loss of personnel and continue to professionalize line operators and field supervision. Our involvement with the City of San Diego is on-going and continues to show improvements in safety/injury issues, cleaning effectiveness, and SSO reduction. Clark County Water Reclamation District — Las Vegas NV Mr. Kent Vian - Assistant Manager CCWRD 5857 E. Flamingo Road Las Vegas, NV 89122 702 639 5604 Tilson & Associates was asked to provide initial operator training and provide an operations overview along with personnel evaluation to assess the current state of field operations in the wastewater collection system group. We were asked to provide the following; • Initial operator training designed to assess skill gaps and essential practices that were needed • Review and/or recreation of existing operational procedures documents • Evaluation of field personnel including operators, crew leaders, field foremen • Provide summary of findings complete with recommendations based on priority of concern • Establish a twice per year program for training and operations overview on a continual basis This program was successful in the above tasking and has developed into a long term standardization process for all operators using similar equipment. We have now been tasked with providing the same type of program for the pumping and lift station group and will be working with the field construction/repair group this year in providing similar support. The overall goal of the project with field operations was to ensure that best practices were being employed by field crews, assess what was not being done that should be, and start work process changes in a progressive "small steps slowly" transitional approach. In this we target the logical next level or step necessary to achieve to allow successive improvements to be made, at the same time we develop and review the SOP documentation. Coupled with this is the quantification of findings work that intends to level out field reporting of various findings to more objective standards between crews. Sanitary sewer overflows, though occurring in the system, are not at a high level when compared to the system size overall, but were starting to rise as we came on board. This number has stabilized, if not been reduced by a small margin, remaining around the 2.8 per mile ratio for the time being. Our tasking was to reduce preventable SSO events that showed grease, roots, or other maintenance related causes. This process is on-going and has resulted in many seemingly minor changes in field operations that has allowed the utility to use a more advanced CMMS system knowing field observations and quantifications of findings are fairly reliable and can drive the data based program. STEPHEN Vl( SON- CV Stephen Tilson is a nationally known collection systems operations and management specialist. A graduate of Champlain College, Mr. Tilson has a Class IV Collection System Operators License and has over 25 years in the O&M management field. A talented speaker, Mr. Tilson is in high demand nationally from utilities, water quality organizations, and State sponsored schools and conferences to provide keynote address and full day seminars on various collection system operations and improvement techniques. His ability to communicate with most any group is used by many utilities and consulting firms across the country. Mr. Tilson is also well known for producing industry standards publications and award winning educational materials. There are few people who have been in the industry more than a few years who have not read his work in various publications, periodicals, training materials, and standards of practice guidelines. Among these works is the Water Environment Federation (WEF) Manual of Practice #7 (1999), "Management of Wastewater Collection Systems", which Mr. Tilson was responsible for production and was a principal author, currently the standard of best practices used in the industry. Among other publications, WEF workshops, and WebCasts, he helps produce nationally used study guides for certification exams and course preparation materials. This includes the California State University - Sacramento course, "Operation and Maintenance of Wastewater Collection Systems", frequently referred to as the "Sacramento Course". Mr. Tilson is and has been a part of many engineering department professional development courses offered by State Universities and Colleges across the country, which include the University of Wisconsin - Madison, University of Colorado ~ Boulder, Washington State University, and the Ohio State University system. Many agencies utilize his expertise in a number of ways, from operator and/or management training for more effective and efficient line cleaning, to cMOM audits and program development. Among these agencies are; City of San Diego CA, City of Phoenix AZ, City of Mt Vernon WA, City of Cedar Rapids I A, City of Madison WI, City of St Paul MM, City of Mankato MN, City of Davenport IA, The California Water Environment Association, the Minnesota Water Pollution Control Authority, Narragansett Bay Commission - RI, City of New York, NY, City of Charlotte NC, Western Carolina Regional Sewerage Authority, Augusta Utilities - GA, City of Fort Worth, TX, to list a few of the many agencies who have engaged the firm. Tilson & Associates provides a depth of service in collection systems operations unique to the industry. Whether providing operational training in the field working with line operator in helping them understand the use and deployment of their equipment to improve their effectiveness and reduce sewer overflows, or with management in helping to determine program effectiveness and data gathering to help benchmark performance standards, the Company is considered one of the best in its field.