Client: Town of Framingham DPW, 150 Concord Street, Framingham, MA 01701
Completion Date: 2004
Project Schedule & Budget: Met
First initiated as part of a Comprehensive Wastewater Management Program (CWMP), VUEWorks is now utilized to manage all of the Town’s Water, Wastewater, and Storm Water assets with plans to expand the application to more departments.

Before VUEWorks was implemented Framingham’s underground assets presented many challenges. Unexpected and unplanned emergency repairs strained budgets; numerous sewer pumping stations with lengthy force mains created conditions for sulfide corrosion; aging pipes and manholes were leaking; water breaks were common place; storm drain outfalls could not be found; and developers and neighboring communities were taxing the capacity of the systems. Moreover, maps and records were not up to date or easily accessible and much of the institutional knowledge about the system had been lost as veteran staff retired.

Triggered by these circumstances along with a combination of events involving a pipe collapse and an agreement with the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority (MWRA) to reduce hydrogen sulfide, the Town set forth plans to adopt Asset Management with CMMS to manage its infrastructure. These plans included hiring consultants to inventory hundreds of miles of Water, Sewer, and Storm assets using GIS, a restructuring of the Department of Public Works, and the implementation of VUEWorks Asset Management software.

In their search for an Asset Management system the Town specified that it must be based in GIS with an interactive map that doesn’t require users to learn GIS. It also had to be accessible to all staff and the Town’s consultants through a multi-user browser interface. Other requirements included Work Order management with preventive maintenance scheduling, the capability to apply risk based prioritization, capital planning tools, valuation (GASB 34), , service call tracking, and robust document and data linking features. After months of research, the Town chose VUEWorks’ as the only solution available that can meet all these objectives.

Framingham is using VUEWorks Work Orders

With VUEWorks in place, staff at all levels at the DPW is realizing the benefit. Field staff use it for locating assets, measuring distances, and retrieving scanned record drawings with a wireless connection in the field. Call takers use it to capture and track call information from citizens. Supervisors use it to plan and track work activity, create reports, and assess condition. Managers use it for capital planning, valuation, reporting, and presentations to justify budgets. And consultants use it to update information and collaborate with DPW staff.

Since VUEWorks was implemented, Framingham has turned the corner on managing their infrastructure. Field staffs are able to stay on assignment by accessing information in the field, new staffs are quickly brought up to speed, calls are being logged, work orders are being generated, and managers are able to gain support for capital projects by demonstrating needs with VUEWorks. The Town still has its share of infrastructure challenges, but with VUEWorks in place they now have the right tools and the confidence to manage day to day activity while they plan for the future more effectively than ever before.

More can be learned about Framingham’s use of the system in the May-June 2005 edition of UIM magazine at www.uimonline.com.