TPW Department earns American Public Works Association Accreditation

The Fort Worth Transportation & Public Works Department has recently received full accreditation by the American Public Works Association (APWA) for the fourth time. This accreditation formally verifies and recognizes that the agency is in full compliance with the recommended management practices set forth in APWA’s “Public Works Management Practices Manual.”

Open to all governmental agencies with responsibilities for public works functions, initial accreditation from APWA is for a four-year period, during which time semiannual updates will be required to demonstrate continuing compliance. After that time, there is a re-accreditation process that builds on the original accreditation, encouraging continuous improvement and compliance with newly identified practices.

The purpose of accreditation is to promote excellence in the operation and management of a public works agency, its programs and employees. Accreditation is designed to assist the agency in continuous improvement of operations and management and in providing a valid and objective evaluation of agency programs as a service to the public and the profession.

“Transportation & Public Works is committed to continuous improvement and excellence, and this achievement reflects the dedication of the staff who work every day to deliver services that help make Fort Worth a great place to live and work,” said City Engineer Michael Owen.

APWA’s accreditation process includes five major steps:

Self-Assessment: Using the “Public Works Management Practices Manual,” an internal review of an agency’s practices, combined with a comparison of the recommended practices contained in the manual.

Application: Once the decision has been made to commit to the Accreditation Program, the agency submits a formal application.

Improvement: After the agency has completed the self-assessment and identified areas needing improvement, the agency will work to bring all practices to an acceptable level of compliance with the recommended practices.

Evaluation: Following the completion of the improvement phase, the agency will request a site visit. The site visit will consist of a review and evaluation of the agency to determine the level of compliance with all applicable practices.

Accreditation: The Accreditation Council will review the site visit results and recommendations from the team, voting to award or deny accreditation.

Formally awarded the prestigious accreditation by APWA’s Accreditation Council for the fourth time, the Fort Worth Transportation & Public Works Department first earned this recognition in 2014. In addition to Fort Worth, there are 21 other accredited agencies in Texas, including the Cities of Arlington, Saginaw, Coppell, Frisco and Plano, as well as Dallas County and the Town of Flower Mound.

For more information about APWA accreditation, please contact APWA Associate Director of Credentialing Jeanette Klamm at jklamm@apwa.org, or 816-595-5295.

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