The Utility Financial Information (UFI) program was designed to aid water executives in maximizing their financial planning and performance by providing timely, relevant industry data to expand their knowledge and understanding of critical financial factors that affect large metropolitan water utilities. Surveys conducted in 2008 and 2010 resulted in a unique and valuable data source for tailored financial planning and benchmarking. 

 

The UFI program, however, is not just a rate survey. Its overall purpose is to increase the level of understanding among AMWA members regarding large metropolitan water agencies’ rates, revenue sources, expense categories, and trends over time in these parameters. The availability of relevant comparative data from peer water utilities will help water managers better understand cost drivers, identify different alternatives for funding these costs, and provide comparative data for presentations that put financial needs into context.

Since the UFI survey is open only to AMWA members, the results reflect input from the nation’s largest systems and provide data that can be used for many useful and meaningful comparisons. The user-friendly Excel format of the databases allow comparisons by criteria including geographic location, population served, water source and many others. The data is also useful to AMWA in creating statistical support for legislative and regulatory initiatives where sound, representative utility financial information is required.

The 2010 UFI survey was launched September 1, 2010 and officially closed December 23, 2010. The customized survey tool in Excel format was emailed directly to each AMWA member utility and 106 completed the survey, a 25 percent increase in participation over the 2008 survey. In addition to providing updated financial information, the data can be combined with data from the first UFI survey to provide a historical dimension as well.

The database from AMWA’s 2010 survey is available for download only by AMWA member utilities that completed the survey.  It is available in Excel format and pass codes are required for access.  Contact Carolyn Peterson (peterson@amwa.net or 202-331-2820) if you do not have your pass code.

Download the file from this page. Each utility response was scrubbed to remove the utility name and location (except for the state, which was retained to allow geographical sorting of information).  Members are asked not to share this database outside their own organizations.

A one-hour webinar (to watch click below) on using the UFI databases, conducted March 1, 2011, is available, as are the PowerPoint slides used during the webinar. The session, featuring Peiffer Brandt and Rocky Craley of Raftelis Financial Consultants, builds on the 2008 survey webinar by expanding on the organization of data sets, using the new 2010 data for utility-specific analyses and addressing trending between the 2008 and 2010 databases.

 

 

AMWA launched its first UFI survey on January 12, 2009 to gather the information necessary to help members better understand the financial dynamics of peer utilities across the country, particularly the magnitude and drivers of rate increases.
  

A number of basic analyses (members only) of UFI survey data were conducted on the information collected by March 31, 2009. Eighty-four AMWA members participated in the first survey.

The database from AMWA’s first survey is available for download only by AMWA member utilities that completed the survey.  It is available in Excel and Access formats and passcodes are required for access.  Contact Carolyn Peterson if you do not have your passcode.  Download files from this page. Each utility response was scrubbed to remove the utility name and location (except for the state, which was retained to allow geographical sorting of information).  Members are asked not to share this database outside their own organizations.

In addition, a 40-minute webinar on use of the data is available.  The program includes a review of the database in both Excel and Access format and a demonstration of how several key analyses can be executed.
 

Questions about the UFI project should be referred to Carolyn Peterson, peterson@amwa.net or 202-331-2820.