ANCHORAGE, AK - The Municipality of Anchorage's fleet maintenance, along with three other areas, will undergo an evaluation that is designed to provide recommendations to improve operations.

Mayor Dan Sullivan announced July 27 the municipality's intent to award the contract to CH2MHILL for a thorough assessment of muni operations & maintenance (O&M) functions as part of his efficiency initiative.

According to Lucinda Mahoney, chief financial officer for the municipality, although fleet purchasing is centralized, maintenance facilities are not, and many departments each have their own fleet manager. The Fleet Maintenance Section is responsible for more than 1,100 vehicles and equipment units, including police units. The Anchorage Fire Department maintains 177 units, Public Transportation maintains 53 40-foot buses, and two utilities (light & power and water & wastewater) and three enterprise activities (airport, port, and solid waste) each maintain their own fleets.

The contractor will be responsible for developing an implementation plan for each O&M function and prioritizing projects based on anticipated savings. The work will be phased, with the contractor first identifying "quick wins" that would save the MOA money immediately, according to a release from the Municipality.

"We've looked in every city department for ways to do business better," Mayor Sullivan said. "Working with an outside organization to take an impartial view of how we could streamline our operations is an important step toward making the city's many functions more efficient."

The Municipality has requested that fleet managers provide detailed data to the contractor to perform analysis, Mahoney said.

"We're hoping to receive the preliminary recommendations by the end of this year, but we recognize that it could take up to a year to implement," she said.

Other areas to be evaluated are facilities, public works, and parks.