County government looks to realize savings through shared services and programs. From fleet management to implementing a pavement management system to monitor the condition of roads for better capital planning. Public Works is ready to share its knowledge and expertise with county municipalities, schools and special districts. Take advantage of this expertise and experience. DPWT can be a key resource when making decisions about which products to use and how to improve the efficiency of your public works operation.
DPWT can make highway and road signs and salt brine at cost and replace the air in tires with nitrogen -- a proven way to increase the life of the vehicle, improve safety and fuel efficiency -- for free.
Another valuable resource is their in-house expertise on the design, construction, bidding, contracting and managing of public works projects. DPWT has a list of pre-qualified engineers, architects and land surveyors that have already gone through the county’s qualification process and met its standards. They have pre-qualified firms in a number of disciplines, such as mechanical, electrical, environmental and architectural. DPWT will share these lists if you need assistance selecting such professionals.
Review the array of services offered by DPWT to see what may benefit you. Looking for other possible savings? Go to our countywide shared services section.
| Service | Description |
| Anifreeze and Synthetic Oil Recycling |
DPW has developed procedures for recycling:
We can provide this information and share expertise in garage operation with your staff. |
| Boilerplate Contracts and Design Agreements |
We have created standard forms for consultant design services, consultant construction management services, professional service agreements and contracts. In addition, we retain a master list of engineers, architects and land surveyors. All of these are available for municipal use. |
| Engineers and Architects |
We maintain master listings of engineers, architects and land surveyors that have already been through our vetting process. We can share these lists with you if you need assistance in the selection of such a professional. We have pre-qualified firms in a number of disciplines (mechanical, electrical, environmental, and architectural) through our Professional Selection Process. Depending on municipal policies and procedures, this service allows municipalities to select from one of these firms without having to develop its own RFP. We have standardized our RFPs, design and construction administration scope of services and agreements. These are available to municipalities and can be used in whole or as a model in developing these instruments for your own projects. |
| Fleet Management |
The Westchester Educational Safety Training Committee, established by DPW with several municipalities in 2005, represented one of the Departments’ first efforts to share vehicle maintenance ideas and information. The Committee has grown and now includes representation from 26 municipalities, 3 counties and 3 states. Among the programs developed through the Committee and available to you are testing and installation of diesel emission control devices and conversion of vehicles to run on cooking oil. Both of these initiatives result in cleaner tailpipe emissions. DPW has been purchasing hybrid vehicles since 2004 and has information and data on the performance of various makes and models. It can assist you in selecting vehicles that best meet your needs as well as with purchasing these vehicles through existing county contracts. In addition, DPW’s fleet garage has piloted and studied a number of different maintenance programs such as: synthetic motor oil, diesel emission control equipment and safety equipment for sanitation vehicles in an effort to reduce exhaust emissions and county costs. |
| Green Cleaning Products | In 2006, we tested a number of “green” cleaning products for use in county facilities and is now purchasing and using these products regularly. If you are considering using green products for some or all aspects of your operations, we can provide you with information about our experiences during the testing phase. In addition, if you are interested in purchasing such products, you may do so off the county’s purchasing list. |
| Highway Signage |
We have the capability to design and produce various types of signage, both interior and exterior, such as:
We can design and produce these for you at cost. |
| Pavement Management Rating System | We survey and rate the condition of roads and parking lots annually. As such, we have developed a rating system that can be provided for use in standardizing your own inspections and road ratings. This program has been beneficial to the county in developing its priorities for its capital improvement program. |
| Public Bidding | In 2007, we entered into a contract with the Hudson Valley Municipal Purchasing Group (Bid-Net). Bid-Net allows us to upload contract specifications onto their Web site and allows contractors to download those specifications and submit a bid proposal directly to the County. This effort has substantially reduced paper usage and has given the county access to a larger network of bidders. We can provide information and assistance to you regarding how to advertise your bids and how to bid your projects through this service |
| Salt Brine | We have installed a salt brine facility at the Lake Street maintenance facility in West Harrison. The pre-application of salt brine on roads, parking lots and sidewalks prior to a snow/ice storm has been shown to reduce the amount of salt needed with the same and even better results then the standard practice of applying salt after the commence-ment of the storm. There are environmental benefits in using less salt as well. Additionally, it saves money because less salt will need to be purchased. We can provide assistance and information to those considering installing their own facility or for those who wish to share the use of the county facility. |
| Traffic Engineering Studies | We can perform traffic warrant studies and traffic counts. We can provide standard details on sign and traffic signal installation or assist you in selecting a consulting firm that can perform these activities. |