Date: Jan. 31, 2003

Water district capital program division garners
international quality management certification

Santa Clara Valley Water District's Capital Program Services Division receives ISO 9001:2000 registration

SAN JOSE - A division of the Santa Clara Valley Water District responsible for overseeing planning, design and construction of major water utility and flood protection projects throughout Santa Clara County has been granted registration in an internationally recognized program for quality management.

The district's Capital Program Services Division was granted ISO 9001:2000 certification through BSI Management Systems, the global leader in management systems registration. "We pursued ISO 9000 certification because it provides a framework for developing and implementing a robust quality management system that is continually improved and is aligned with the district's mission," said Nai Hsueh, deputy operating officer of the Capital Program Services Division. "... This certification is an independent confirmation to our customers that the

Capital Program Services Division will deliver the highest quality capital project services and solutions that add value and contribute to the district's success."

Certification ensures the community, through an independent third party, that the Santa Clara Valley Water District operates a QMS in accordance with the international standard.

"We are very pleased to announce the registration of the Santa Clara Valley Water District's Capital Program Services Division to the demanding ISO 9001:2000 standard," said Ronald D. Mathis, senior vice president of marketing and sales for BSI. "Registration demonstrates clearly to the agency's stakeholders its unconditional commitment to quality."

The Capital Program Services Division provides comprehensive civil engineering, financial analysis and project delivery systems to district programs for watershed management, water utility operations and water supply management. In addition, the division is responsible for managing and coordinating the water district's 15-year capital improvement plan.

The ISO 9000:2000 family of standards is an internationally recognized quality management system standard developed by the International Organization for Standardization. It is a process-based program that enables organizations to more directly link business objectives with business effectiveness.

To be certified, companies and/or agencies must implement a quality management system, or QMS, that accounts for a range of company activities, including staff training, customer service, product design and development, materials and service purchases, and delivery of those materials and services.

The Santa Clara Valley Water District manages Santa Clara County's wholesale drinking water resources, coordinates flood protection for its 1.7 million residents and provides stewardship for the county's 10 reservoirs and more than 700 miles of streams.