Your first question upon seeing the headline for this blog entry is probably, "What the heck is water services?" You know those water coolers from companies like Arrowhead Water Products, Ltd. (AWP.A), Poland Springs (Nestle Waters Google Finance), and Belmont Springs (DS Waters Google Finance) that are in your break room or reception area; you don't think much about them unless they are empty when you put your cup under the faucet and you know you're going to have to struggle with those heavy five-gallon bottles. Like anything in a corporation, someone has to administer the commodity. A large company easily has hundreds of water coolers spread throughout its buildings. Welcome to water services.
Here are 7 things I learned about managing water services:
1. Contrary to what you may think, more water is actually consumed in the winter than in the summer. Company reps say that the warm, dry inside air in the winter is what drives it.
2. If everyone in a department starts a Weight Watchers International, Inc. (WTW) diet plan at the same time, the department will run out of water within two days.
3. Computerized auto delivery schedules can constantly adjust the amount of water delivered each time by tracking dates and consumed.
4. Those large plastic bottles have an admittedly limited life expectancy; they will start to leak after 5-10 re-uses. The factory tries to catch the worn out bottles, but several leakage incidents are likely to occur each year in a given account.
5. A cracking bottle can leak its entire 5-gallon contents onto a carpet before anyone notices. You may have to push, but the water company should pay for carpet cleaning or repair.
6. Bottle deposits can be negotiated out of the agreement.
7. There is a difference between spring water and filtered water. Make sure you know what your contract states.
Have you managed water services in your Procurement career? Send your Top 7 List to PurchaseRealm@ComprehensiveAdvice.com and I will share it with my readers.
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