Las Vegas selects TAG to implement strategic IT plan

BROOMFIELD, CO, Jan. 5, 2005 -- The Asset Group (TAG), a premier provider of asset management solutions to the utilities industry, announced today that it has been selected by the City of Las Vegas to manage the implementation of its Public Works Department Environmental Division's strategic IT plan. This project is a joint effort with the City of Las Vegas' Department of Public Works and Department of Information Technologies. TAG will serve in a program management role, overseeing the implementation of the systems outlined in the plan. The implementation phase is a follow-on project to the development of the strategic IT plan, which TAG completed in June 2004.

Goals of the program include maximizing the use of existing resources and increasing efficiency and cost effectiveness to meet the needs and requirements of the City and the Environmental Division.

TAG has evaluated and assessed the current state of the Environmental Division's IT infrastructure, applications, and staffing to determine issues, opportunities, and financial and technical risk. Several applications and asset management strategies were identified in the Strategic IT Plan and will now be realized in the implementation phase.

Implementation will begin in January of 2005 and is expected to complete within twenty-eight months. The implementation will include: Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS), a Systems Integration Framework, IT Infrastructure enhancements, and Management Reporting, for the City's three facilities.

"The City of Las Vegas will realize many benefits from implementing the Strategic IT Plan," said Ed Carter, TAG Sr. Vice President and Managing Executive. "The efficiency gains provided by the updated IT systems will enable the Environmental Division personnel to effectively accommodate a 50% increase in wastewater usage while keeping staffing levels constant."

Marti Takagaki, Project Coordinator for the City of Las Vegas, had this to say about TAG: ""We selected TAG based on the quality and content of the proposal and an onsite interview. We felt that TAG, as part of MWH, has the expertise we need. We believe that the team will fit our needs on this project nicely."

About TAG
The Asset Group (www.tag-theassetgroup.com) delivers a new generation of asset management solutions to utilities globally. With a holistic approach to asset management, TAG delivers a full range of solutions that address not only asset infrastructure but also the supporting people, business processes, organizations, and enabling technologies that are critical to any successful asset management program. Designed specifically to achieve sustainable results, TAG solutions deliver improved business performance, cost effective capital and operating expenditure programs, and reduced risk exposure.

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