A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF BENCHMARKING AS A MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUE IN THE FIELD OF WATER IN ROMANIA

Given the public and permanent nature, of the public utility services, as a continuous operation, coupled with the dynamics of changes in technology, communication, labor market and last but not least the many changes in recent years of legislation and tax regulations in Romania, lead to increased pressure on decision-makers in the field of public utility services with an impact on housing. This topic was chosen in the context of the economic realities in Romania in the field of public utility services with an impact on housing, an area that reflects the ongoing concerns for a development that will ensure technological reform and integration into European financial structures. It is of real interest for any entity in the field of public utility services with an impact on housing concerned about the need to implement a decision-making and financial mechanism that provides a clear and relevant picture of the performance of services provided. In this context, the opinion of the International Water Association Group of Specialists that “benchmarking is a tool for improving performance through systematic research and best practice” has motivated many water companies to introduce benchmarking as a method of management. This article provides an overview of benchmarking as a water management technique for European Benchmarking Co-operation (EBC) compared to the national benchmarking exercise called H2Obenchmark. Due to the fact that both are based on the methodology developed by the International Water Association (IWA), the most important advantage of these benchmarking techniques is that they ensure comparability at any time with any water company in the world that uses the same system. By ensuring the opportunity for knowledge transfer, operators are able to identify and implement best practices and innovative solutions to the realities they face in the field of management, operations and investment projects. The brief diagnosis of water benchmarking in Romania highlights the fact that H2OBenchmark is a mature benchmarking exercise, with experience gained and maintained both in the water sector (ARA, CEB, OR, ANRSC, etc.) and partner consultants.