The City of Anaheim’s Public Utilities (Anaheim Public Utilities) has selected AAC Utility Partners (AAC) to guide it through a comprehensive analysis of its business processes as well as a subsequent technology selection project to address needed changes to its legacy customer information system (CIS).

“We selected AAC Utility Partners after extensive review of proposals and presentations from a number of very well-qualified providers. AAC provided us with a good combination of methodology, costs, and staff fit with our environment, and for a very challenging project,” commented Anaheim Public Utilities Business Information Systems Planner Stephen Nees.

The Project

AAC’s support for Anaheim Public Utilities’ project will take place in two phases, the first being a full documentation and analysis of the City’s current business processes in order to identify its unique technology needs. As part of this analysis, AAC will also help identify viable technology options and their respective costs. This research will give the City an accurate picture of “as-is” capabilities and how any future technology solution would need to address its unique operational profile.

In addition to its 100,000 electricity and 62,000 water customers, Anaheim Public Utilities also processes billing for a number of other public services including sewer, street sweeping, trash, paramedic subscription services, and telecommunications. All of these accounts and service offerings are managed via Anaheim Public Utilities’ customer information system.

Following the assessment process, AAC will guide the Anaheim project team through the proprietary NavigateOne^TM project system, a comprehensive blend of processes, templates, tools and specialized software, built from the ground up specifically for utility IT projects. Within this NavigateOne framework, AAC will assist the team with project planning and strategy, technical requirements documentation, RFP-development, evaluation and vetting of software solutions/vendors, and contract negotiation.

Anaheim’s Smart Grid Initiatives

Recently, Anaheim Public Utilities was awarded a stimulus grant from the Department of Energy in recognition of its industry-leading smart grid initiatives—one of only six utilities in California and 100 in the U.S. to receive the prestigious recognition. For some time, the city has been successfully running an AMI pilot program serving both residential and commercial customers. The award will allow the expansion of green efforts like this program even further.

Nees noted that “although the CIS is not directly tied to the grant, it will be a major building block for our continuing smart grid efforts. We are working to provide better information to our customers so they can make better choices about their energy use.”

AAC Managing Partner Steve Wenke commented, “Anaheim Public Utilities is a very forward thinking utility, especially in the use of technology to better serve its customers. AAC’s innovative approach to utility technology projects, NavigateOne, complements that mindset well. We look forward to helping the city identify the best technology for its unique needs—both now and in the years ahead—and we are proud, especially given the caliber of competing consultants, to be partnering with them for this project.”

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AAC Utility Partners serves utilities considering or engaged in complex IT projects by providing independent assessment, selection, Project Quality Management and a number of other client-side implementation services. AAC is also the developer of NavigateOne^TM, a proprietary project system comprised of methods, tools, templates and software, completely scalable and customizable to support the specific needs of any utility IT project. Leading utilities have delivered some of the most successful technology projects in the industry by employing NavigateOne early in their process. To learn more about NavigateOne and how we can empower your people for an exceptional project here.

Contact:
Jason Ferster
Media Liaison
AAC Utility Partners
jferster@teamaac.com