MRSC Insight Blog

Posts for Administration

Protecting Public Works Projects from COVID-19 Economic Impacts

December 11, 2020 by Lane Powell
Category: Administration , COVID-19

This blog post reviews how local governments can protect public works projects from COVID-19-related economic impacts.

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.

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.

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. ...

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...