Shoreline’s Public Works Department achieves American Public Works Association accreditation for the 2nd time

Shoreline’s Public Works Department has recently received full accreditation by the American Public Works Association (APWA) for the second time. 

This accreditation formally verifies and recognizes that the department and City are in full compliance with the recommended management practices set forth in APWA’s Public Works Management Practices Manual.

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.

“The awarding of the APWA Accreditation reflects the dedication from all the staff towards continuing improvement and excellence," stated Shoreline's Public Works Director Randy Witt. 

“We are extremely proud to receive this honor. The heroes of this prestigious APWA award are the public works and other city staff whose mission is to provide services and programs that contribute to making Shoreline a great place to live and work.”

APWA accreditation reflects the Department's continuing commitment to meet all applicable Accreditation requirements. This is done through an APWA process that formally verifies and recognizes public works agencies for compliance with recommended management practices. 

This award follows the Department's first Accreditation in July 2017. After the initial accreditation period of four-years, there is a re-accreditation process which builds on the original accreditation, encouraging continuous improvement and compliance with newly identified practices.

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 into 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 recommendation from the team, voting to award or deny accreditation.

In addition to Shoreline, the accredited agencies in Washington include Bellevue Utilities and Transportation, Clark Regional Wastewater District, Pierce County, Thurston County, Kitsap County, Tacoma and Bothell.

The American Public Works Association is a not-for-profit, international organization of more than 30,000 members involved in the field of public works.