WSD eyes outsourcing of administrative tasks

By Dave Fidlin

Correspondent

With an eye toward long-term savings, commissioners overseeing the Waterford Sanitary District are considering a plan that will outsource some district functions to an outside company.

At the commission’s most recent meeting held Feb. 14, the WSD board voted in favor of creating a Request For Proposal (RFP) document to seek out an outside firm’s services, primarily for such back-office functions as bookkeeping.

In recent months, commissioners have tossed around the idea of creating an RFP for an outside service amid discussions of budgetary belt tightening.

The scope of what could be outsourced was part of the recent review.

Dan Dickinson, who chairs the commission, implored WSD staff and fellow commissioners to assist him in drafting an RFP document that clearly outlines the types of services being sought.

“I can’t do this by myself and get it right,” Dickinson said. “I have concepts, but now we have to get this into a document.”

Plans call for Debbie Nelson, the WSD administrator, and attorney Christopher Schultz, who serves as WSD legal counsel, to be part of the process of seeking outsourcing support.

Tentatively, the outside work sought would include services such as billing for quarterly user fees, payroll, accounts payable and accounts receivable functions – functions now provided by staff.

As the RFP is drawn up and refined, commissioners will likely work with WSD staff in narrowing in on a particular company that could provide the outsourced service.

Based on the recent action taken, commissioners could ask for vendor presentations, a request for various pricing options or a further examination of alternate vendor ideas and methods.