Raftelis provides ongoing rate and financial consulting services to the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) and across the City of Richmond’s (City) General Fund. For the DPU, these services include various cost of service analyses and support for DPU’s effort to develop an integrated plan for its natural gas, water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities. Raftelis is working with DPU to define and measure various metrics of rate affordability, which will be used to help frame discussions with regulators to determine sustainable levels of capital spending. Raftelis also provides debt issuance support services including preparation of financial feasibility reports. Raftelis annually prepares DPU’s five-year financial model, which includes a projection of natural gas, water, wastewater, stormwater and electric street lighting revenues, operating expenses, debt service, and key financial metrics. Raftelis periodically conducts cost of service analyses for each of the DPU’s five utilities and is currently conducting an analysis for the City’s solid waste fund, within its Department of Public Works. Raftelis is also reviewing various fees throughout the City including City-owned real estate, right-of-way, animal care and control, and other services.
Since 2015, Raftelis has provided data management-related services, beginning with a needs assessment for key systems and data needs related to management, reporting, and business process efficiency. DPU identified that the development of a water loss program was a key need identified in the assessment, and Raftelis assisted DPU with the completion of its first water audit, aligning with the AWWA M36 Manual. Raftelis also built an integrated software program supporting DPU’s Water Metro Care Affordability Program that provides an automated link between intake occurring at the Department of Social Services and DPU’s customer information system.
In 2023, DPU expanded its engagement with Raftelis to include both an assessment of utility business practices associated with the BANNER Customer Information System (CIS), originally implemented in 1998, and a strategic plan to guide decision-making and resource prioritization moving forward. The CIS assessment resulted from several challenges related to business management and customer satisfaction due to limitations of the system, and led to a series of recommendations, a software acquisition plan for a new CIS solution, comprehensive functional and technical specifications and an RFP for software acquisition. The strategic plan included considerable engagement from within DPU, as well as external stakeholders at the City and in the region. It resulted in five strategic focus areas that support the Department’s vision of proactively serving the utility needs of regional customers through environmental stewardship and resource conservation, while providing cost effective, safe service.
