A major upgrade to a water industry standards, products and materials portal is now live thanks to a 12-month project managed by Melbourne’s metropolitan water retailers.
The Melbourne Retail Water Agencies (MRWA) web portal continues to be a one-stop ‘resource’ shop for contractors, consultants, developers, and construction companies. Here, they can access sewer and water network infrastructure design standards, approved engineering products and materials, a safety documentation page for the MRWAs, and the Design Assurance Scheme (DAS) training information adopted by the water retailers.
Essentially, it allows the MRWAs to guide the design of sewer and water networks to fit our needs while ensuring the engineering products used are quality, fit-for-purpose, and cost-effective.
South East Water Acting General Manager Liveable Water Solutions Matt Snell said the portal enhancements continue to improve product selection, design and construction consistency across the water industry.
“Since its launch in 2012, the MRWA web portal has grown in popularity, with current site visits sitting around 20,000 per month, said Snell. “The enhancements we’ve collectively made over the last 12 months to improve the end-user experience have resulted from extensive consultation with subject matter experts from all participating water corporations to continue to meet the needs of us all.”
Phase 1 upgrades saw the MRWA web portal move from SharePoint to Salesforce. Existing functionality was maintained to allow consistent updates and simpler processes to alter the site.
Phase 2 upgrades have successfully enhanced the user experience for both visitors and water authority administrators by increasing functionality and stability, reducing all site administration workloads, and reducing cost.
The MRWA web portal is now:
- compatible on mobile devices and tablets so users can find the information they need online faster and more efficiently on-site or out in the field
- more detailed product information, which includes the addition of separately filtered ‘manufacturers’ and ‘suppliers’ for faster procurement
- able to share knowledge of and record water agency product trials
- able to create, allocate and close out case records relating to product improvements, standards improvements, and general enquiries, including newly discovered site issues
- able to provide increased accessibility to best align with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
- able to manage WSAA Appraisals linked to products
- able to add new water agencies easily onto the MRWA web portal.
The MRWA is a joint association of three Metropolitan Melbourne water retailers: South East Water, Yarra Valley Water, and Greater Western Water, along with eight regional Victorian water retailers and TasWater.