The Chattanooga Departments of Public Works has recently received full accreditation by the American Public Works Association for the third time and the Department of Wastewater for the first time. This accreditation formally verifies and recognizes that the agency is in full compliance with the recommended management practices set forth in APWA’s Public Works Management Practices Manual.
Open to all governmental agencies with responsibilities for public works functions, initial accreditation from APWA is for a four-year period, during which time semi-annual updates will be required to demonstrate continuing compliance. After that time, there is a re-accreditation process which builds on the original accreditation, encouraging continuous improvement and compliance with newly identified practices.
The purpose of accreditation is to promote excellence in the operation and management of a public works agency, its programs and employees. Accreditation is designed to assist the agency in continuous improvement of operations and management, and in providing a valid and objective evaluation of agency programs as a service to the public and the profession.
APWA’s accreditation process includes five major steps:
1) Self-Assessment: Using the Public Works Management Practices Manual, an internal review of an agency’s practices combined with a comparison of the recommended practices contained in the manual;
2) Application: Once the decision has been made to commit to the Accreditation Program, the agency submits a formal application;
3) Improvement: After the agency has completed the self-assessment and identified areas needing improvement, the agency will work to bring all practices into an acceptable level of compliance with the recommended practices;
4) Evaluation: Following the completion of the improvement phase, the agency will request a site visit. The site visit will consist of a review and evaluation of the agency to determine the level of compliance with all applicable practices; and
5) Accreditation: The Accreditation Council will review the site visit results and recommendation from the team, voting to award or deny accreditation.
Formally awarded the accreditation by APWA’s Accreditation Council for the 3rd, the Chattanooga Departments of Public Works was awarded APWA Accreditation in 2016. The Chattanooga Department of Wastewater also achieved accreditation for the first time. In addition to Chattanooga’s two departments, the only other accredited agency in Tennessee is Nashville Department of Transportation.