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Agency Accreditation

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The purpose of the accreditation program is to provide a means of formally verifying and recognizing public works agencies for compliance with the recommended practices set forth in the Public Works Management Practices Manual. It is a voluntary, self-motivated approach to objectively evaluate, verify and recognize compliance with the recommended management practices.

 Purchase the Public Works Management Practices Manual, 10th Ed. and Self-Assessment Software from the APWA Store >

Accreditation Process

Agencies pursuing accreditation go through a five-phase process:

  1. Self-Assessment
  2. Application
  3. Improvement
  4. Evaluation
  5. Accreditation

 View the Accreditation Program Guidelines >

Every journey should have a map, and that includes self-assessment. Use the Accreditation Road Map to define your agency’s goals, confirm the desired outcome, and track the major steps or milestones needed to reach it.

 The Accreditation Road Map is also available as a poster!

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Benefits of Accreditation

  • Established agency-wide culture of continuous improvement
  • Improved operational performance
  • Team building and staff development
  • Succession planning/institutional knowledge retention
  • Central location for documentation and SOPs
  • Increased efficiencies/reduced duplication and wasted resources
  • Improved communication
  • Justification for budget requests
  • Lowering of insurance premiums
  • Reduced liability

Announcements

APWA congratulates the following agencies for their commitment to continuous improvement as they achieved Accreditation status.

Recently Accredited
Village of Mount Prospect, IL Department of Public Works 
City of Northglenn, CO Department of Public Works 
City of Aventura, FL Department of Public Works & Transportation 
City of Chesapeake, VA Public Works Department 
City of Cedar Rapids, IA Department of Public Works 
DeKalb County, GA Public Works 
City of Norman, OK Department of Public Works 
Village of Wellington, FL Public Works Department 
City of Lawrence, Kansas Municipal Services and Operations Department 
City of Encinitas, CA Department of Public Works 
Pinellas County, FL Department of Solid Waste 
Village of Libertyville, IL Department of Public Works 
City of Newport News, VA Department of Public Works 
City of Fairway, KS Public Works Department 
Wayne County, MI Department of Public Services 
City of Alexandria, VA Department of Transportation and Environmental Services 
San Luis Obispo County, CA Public Works Department 
San Luis Obispo County, CA Fleet Department 
City of Thousand Oaks, CA Public Works Department 
Colerain Township, OH Public Works Department 
Village of Skokie, IL Public Works Department 
Town of Smithfield, VA, Department of Public Works & Utilities 
Village of Schaumburg, IL, Department of Engineering and Public Works 
Town of Garner, NC, Public Works Department 
Anderson County, SC, Division of Public Works 
City of Cherry Hills Village, CO, Department of Public Works 
Columbus, GA Consolidated Government
Town of Lexington, MA Department of Public Works
City of Kansas City, MO Public Works Department
City of Lincoln, NE Transportation and Utilities Department
Dallas County, TX Public Works Department 
City of Fort Worth, Transportation and Public Works Department 
City of Nashville, TN Department of Transportation
City of Port St. Lucie, FL Public Works Department 
City of North Port, FL Department of Public Works 
City of Covington, GA Public Works Department 
Town of Bedford, NH Department of Public Works 
Beaufort County, SC Public Works Department 
City of Fishers, IN Department of Public Works 
Hillsborough County, FL Department of Public Works 
Hillsborough County, FL Department of Fleet Management 
Hillsborough County, FL Facilities Management & Real Estate Services 
Hillsborough County, FL Department of Solid Waste 
City of Topeka, KS Public Works Department and Utilities Department 
City of Gainesville, FL Department of Public Works 
Coconino County, AZ Department of Public Works 
Charleston County, SC Public Works Department 
City of Virginia Beach, VA Department of Public Works 

 Search for Accredited, Provisional, or Applicant Agencies