Management and Operations Reviews

County of Kern

Operational Assessment of KCWMD

1998 - 2000

Client Needs

The goal of this engagement was to provide the Board of Supervisors an independent assessment of the performance of the Kern County Waste Management Department (KCWMD) and recommend, as appropriate, enhancement to that performance which improves customer service and/or operational efficiency.

HF&H Solutions

HF&H conducted the engagement in two phases:

• Phase I was an overview of the department and the development of a detailed scope of work, draft work product outline, schedule and fee estimate for the work to be performed during Phase II.
• Phase II was the assessment of the department’s operation of its programs and facilities, recognizing its successful performance as well as identifying and recommending methods to capitalize on opportunities for improvement.  We established an objective base for the assessment using six benchmarks:  Comparison to its Charter; Comparison to regulatory requirements; Comparison to County standards; Comparison to industry standards; and, Comparison to its own performance over time

Results

Working with departmental staff, HF&H’s assessment and the recommendations contained in the Departmental Plan were unanimously approved by the Board of Supervisors. The County has since implemented nearly all of the recommendations presented in that report.