MRSC Insight Blog

About Our Blog Our Authors

MRSC Insight Blog

Posts by John W. Carpita, PE

Acrimonious Acronyms in Purchasing and Contracting

April 20, 2017 by John W. Carpita, PE
Category: Purchasing and Contracting

Will you need an RFQ or an AFB and will you have to ask for an RFP before awarding a contract? This post helps to demystify the most common acronyms in purchasing and contracting and when you should employ one versus another.

Can You Keep Yourself in Ice Cubes? – Water and Sewer Affordability

February 23, 2017 by John W. Carpita, PE
Category: Water Utilities

Water and sewer utility bills are increasing statewide as cities, counties, and water/sewer special purpose districts replace aging infrastructure, deal with the twin devils of droughts and floods, seek new or more stable water sources, increase utility resiliency and security, and comply with new rules and regulations. This post considers the impact this may have on water/sewer bills for communities across the state.

Electronic Document Transmittals and Options for Electronic Signatures

December 19, 2016 by John W. Carpita, PE
Category: Legal

The bad old days of taking weeks to circulate and gather all signatures for a document are gone, only to be replaced by the fast-paced, and sometimes confusing, world of electronic transmittals and digital signatures. This post covers the different levels of sophistication local governments can employ when trying to get documents circulated and signed within an all-electronic format.

Smarter, Safer Roads by Design

November 8, 2016 by John W. Carpita, PE
Category: Streets and Sidewalks

This post looks at how "smart roads" of the future might impact how local and state agencies design roads and traffic management systems.

Electronic Signatures, Submissions, and Bids for Local Governments

September 21, 2016 by John W. Carpita, PE
Category: Purchasing and Contracting

SHB 2427 has significantly expanded the ability of local governments to send and receive electronic signatures, submissions, and bid documents. But what exactly are electronic signatures, and how do you use them?

2016 Legislative Changes Affect Some Purchasing and Contract Procedures

July 26, 2016 by John W. Carpita, PE
Category: Purchasing and Contracting

On June 9, 2016 three legislative bills became effective that affect the procedures for purchasing and contracting for local governments in Washington State. Here is a quick summary of those changes.

Changes Proposed to Washington’s Dig Safe Law

July 5, 2016 by John W. Carpita, PE
Category: Utilities

A 2016 report recommends substantial changes to Washington's "Call Before You Dig" or "Dig Safe" law.

Capturing O&M Knowledge and Expertise from (Soon-to-be) Retirees

March 14, 2016 by John W. Carpita, PE
Category: Administration

Some advice from local government public works leaders on what types of strategies to use to help ensure a smooth transition as employees retire.

4 Things You Should Know About Asset Management

January 28, 2016 by John W. Carpita, PE
Category: Administration , Asset Management

Many jurisdictions feel that AM is too hard for them. But in this blogt we explain how AM can be a fantastic tool for any size jurisdiction and doesn’t take a huge investment to get going.

Do Prevailing Wages Always Prevail? Lessons Learned from our Recent Webinar

December 15, 2015 by John W. Carpita, PE
Category: Purchasing and Contracting

This blog post highlights some key takeaways from a 2015 MRSC webinar on prevailing wages.

Water Storage Asset Management Bill a Big Win for Small Cities

October 9, 2015 by John W. Carpita, PE
Category: Water Utilities

New law grants cities and towns the authority to negotiate a fair and reasonable water storage asset management service contract with firms that submit the best proposals for services.

Administrative Appeal Process Must Now Be Offered for Required Septic-to-Sewer Conversions

September 8, 2015 by John W. Carpita, PE
Category: Utilities

After several years in the making, the legislature passed ESB 5871 requiring cities, towns, and counties to offer an administrative appeals process when septic repair or replacement of existing single family systems is denied by the local health department and a sewer hookup is required.

Legislature Tweaks Contracting Statutes

June 8, 2015 by John W. Carpita, PE
Category: Purchasing and Contracting

An overview of the important changes to contracting statutes from the 2015 legislative session that affect local governments.

Filling Gaps in your City’s Streetscape

April 23, 2015 by John W. Carpita, PE
Category: Streets and Sidewalks

How can cities or towns orchestrate streetscape retrofits adjacent to undeveloped lots so that the improvements are installed in a manner that is cost-effective and not haphazard?

Important Tips for Writing Your Agency’s Procurement Policies

January 29, 2015 by John W. Carpita, PE
Category: Purchasing and Contracting

Adherence to an agency-wide procurement policy/procedure manual is critical to combat irregularities in purchasing and bidding and maintain public trust. If your agency doesn’t yet have a procurement manual, or if you’re looking to give yours a refresher, I’ve put together a few tips in checklist form to help you get started.

Public Works Board’s FirstStop Initiative Aims to Better Connect Local Governments to Infrastructure Resources

November 18, 2014 by John W. Carpita, PE
Category: Administration

The Washington Public Works Board has a new FirstStop Initiative bringing together a host of resources, including a robust online tool, to provide local governments with financial and technical support to develop sustainable infrastructure systems.

The Case for Asset Management in Public Works

September 11, 2014 by John W. Carpita, PE
Category: Administration

This is a guest post from Toby Rickman, 2014 APWA-WA President, and Deputy Director of Public Works for Pierce County. This post is adapted from an article in APWA-WA's latest issue of PUBLICworks Magazine.

What’s in Your Water Mains?

July 23, 2014 by John W. Carpita, PE
Category: Water Utilities

An article in the April 2014 AWWA Opflow magazine caught my eye, particularly as the City of Longview is featured. The article is entitled: “The New Ice Age: Pigging Effectively Cleans Water and Wastewater Pipelines." First of all, what is a “pig”? For eons, it seems, utilities of all sort have been cleaning the insides of their pipelines with rubber and metal tools of varying degrees of...

Doesn’t That Just Get Your Goat!

April 21, 2014 by John W. Carpita, PE
Category: Administration

Once in a while. I get a research request that appeals to my (admittedly) wry sense of humor. Many of you, I am sure, have heard of goats being used for vegetation (weed) control. Probably some of you have even...

Chameleon Contractors

March 5, 2014 by John W. Carpita, PE
Category: Administration

I recently received a research request involving a contractor who was operating under several names, which in itself is not a bad thing, but in this instance at least one of those "aliases" was an obvious attempt to cover up a bad reputation as another company. MRSC and the agency's attorney had discussions about how to develop supplemental bidder responsibility criteria to address this issue. ...

Utility Latecomer Agreement Statutes Change on July 1, 2014

February 10, 2014 by John W. Carpita, PE
Category: Public Works Finance

In 2013, the Legislature passed ESHB 1717, which, among other things, modified chapter 35.91 RCW in several key areas for sewer and water facility latecomer...

Washington’s New Fire Suppression (Hydrant) Law—SHB 1512

May 10, 2013 by John W. Carpita, PE
Category: Fire Protection , Water Utilities

Thanks to concerted and cooperative action by a coalition of public and private water purveyors, cities, counties, trade organizations, and fire fighting agencies (FIRE PALS), Washington now has a new fire suppression (hydrant) law. This new law resolves issues resulting from two court cases,...

Unsung Heroes of the Washington Public Works Community: The APWA Contract Administration Subcommittee (CASC)

March 29, 2013 by John W. Carpita, PE
Category: Public Works and Utilities

As I stated in an earlier blog post, I am quite "plugged in" to the greater Washington State public works community. I’ve had many opportunities over the years to see and to...

Unsung Heroes of the Washington Public Works Community: The APWA Division 1 Subcommittee

September 26, 2012 by John W. Carpita, PE
Category: Public Works and Utilities

Plugged in as I am to the greater Washington State public works community, I’ve had many opportunities over the years to see and to experience the dedication and - well, the devotion - of public works professionals to their craft. They truly do go beyond and above the call of duty and their paychecks. In an ongoing, but intermittent, series of blog entries over the next few months, I hope to...

New Indemnification Language for A/E Contracts

July 18, 2012 by John W. Carpita, PE
Category: Administration

Is there a “brave new world” in which architects and engineers have gained the upper hand by limiting indemnification language that can be included in their contracts? Maybe not, but legislation enacted this year should cause local governments to review the indemnity language in their construction and design professional contracts. Read on for specific recommendations.
An indemnity is an...

Are We Conserving Too Much Water?

May 29, 2012 by John W. Carpita, PE
Category: Water Resources

The politically and ecologically correct answer is "no." Potable water is a relatively finite resource and we – both individuals and communities – should always seek to identify wasteful water usage and reduce it. However . . .
Many water utilities across Washington State (and the rest of the country as well) have had to raise rates and revise their rate structures to recover fixed costs...