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UDC 628.5:504.06

NEFEDOVA E. D., Hyamyalyainen M. M., Malikova E. V., Rusanova E. V.

External benchmarking at water and wastewater utilities

Summary

Benchmarking has been a world recognized tool for system improvement at an enterprise and finds ever wider application in Russia
including water and wastewater utilities. SUE «Vodokanal of St. Petersburg» has been carrying out external benchmarking at both national and international levels for more than a decade. The operating rate of a company is analyzed and compared with operating rates of other enterprises of the branch; herewith advanced technologies and efficient technical solutions are introduced. The experts of SUE «Vodokanal of St. Petersburg» have developed a benchmarking concept that takes into consideration the international experience of its use. The concept determines benchmarking types, its basic stages, ways of conducting, and information resource for data exchange within the enterprise. The approaches that provide for the overall estimation of the benchmarking object with the use of cause-consequences diagrams and operating rate complex are shaped. The long-term experience and system approach to the benchmarking execution allow SUE «Vodokanal of St. Petersburg» to carry out the comparison of the operating rates at the national and international levels. Participation in the annual international program of benchmarking of the water utilities «International benchmarking in the area of providing water and wastewater services» gives an opportunity to get an assessment of the independent experts in relation to the choice of directions of the operation improvement.

Key words

water supply , water disposal , objectives , benchmarking , operations performance