A Monday brief, worked example

“Quarterly meter reading currently requires approximately three (3) weeks to complete.” Source

Why now. An August request for proposal for water metering upgrades: a purchase is under way, and the scope is in writing.

Procurement. Check the status first. While a tender is open, public bodies allow contact only through the named procurement contact, so the opener below is for after the award.

Trigger 5/5Timing 5/5Reachability 4/5

Warm paths. You know 2 people who work there. Open their profile on LinkedIn to see mutual connections before you write.

Suggested opener. Once the metering contract is awarded: your tender noted a quarterly read takes about three weeks. Would 20 minutes on getting leak data out of the new meters be useful?

“MTUs, originally estimated by the manufacturer to have a 20-year useful life, have demonstrated significant failure rates after only 10 years in service.” Source

Why now. The report behind the city's next-generation metering procurement names field units failing at half their rated life, and the planning, billing and customer-service data lost with them.

Procurement. Check the status first. While a tender is open, public bodies allow contact only through the named procurement contact, so the opener below is for after the award.

Trigger 5/5Timing 4/5Reachability 3/5

Warm paths. You know 3 people who work there. Open their profile on LinkedIn to see mutual connections before you write.

Suggested opener. Once the metering procurement is settled: the council report notes meter transmission units failing at half their rated life. Would it help to compare notes on what the field data needs to support?

“people don't know that there's a problem with the water until they turn on the faucet and there's no water” Source

Why now. The General Manager says the network stays invisible until it fails.

Trigger 4/5Timing 4/5Reachability 4/5

Warm paths. You know 1 person who work there. Open their profile on LinkedIn to see mutual connections before you write.

Suggested opener. Your point that nobody knows there's a problem until the tap runs dry stuck with me. Our sensors exist to make that problem visible earlier. Is the main network something you're watching closely this year?

“Infrastructure across the country is falling apart and we don't have the appropriate level of funds to replace it.” Source

Why now. A General Manager naming the funding gap in public, two days ago. Finding leaks first is how a small replacement budget gets aimed.

Trigger 4/5Timing 5/5Reachability 3/5

Warm paths. None found yet. Check mutual connections on LinkedIn before you write.

Suggested opener. I heard your podcast this week on infrastructure outpacing the funds to replace it. When the budget can't cover every main, how do you decide which ones go first?

“help rehabilitate and enhance our aging infrastructure” Source

Why now. Hiring an engineer for rehabilitation work this month.

Trigger 4/5Timing 4/5Reachability 3/5

Warm paths. You know 2 people who work there. Open their profile on LinkedIn to see mutual connections before you write.

Suggested opener. Congratulations on the new engineering role. As the rehabilitation work grows, is condition data on the mains something your team is building from scratch?

“Improve operational efficiency and reduce labor costs associated with meter reading.” Source

Why now. The district went to tender to replace its meter reading system, and said exactly what it wants from it.

Procurement. Check the status first. While a tender is open, public bodies allow contact only through the named procurement contact, so the opener below is for after the award.

Trigger 4/5Timing 3/5Reachability 4/5

Warm paths. You know 1 person who work there. Open their profile on LinkedIn to see mutual connections before you write.

Suggested opener. Your request for proposal is clear about wanting meter reading to take less of your crew's time. Once reads are automatic, would leak alerts from the same network help your crew aim their field time?

“succession planning across the Department” Source

Why now. A new Public Utilities Director for one of the state's fastest-growing counties, with succession planning named in the brief.

Trigger 3/5Timing 4/5Reachability 3/5

Warm paths. You know 1 person who work there. Open their profile on LinkedIn to see mutual connections before you write.

Suggested opener. Franklin County's director search mentions succession planning as the network grows. When experienced operators retire, how does knowledge of where the leaks are get passed on?

“balancing the delivery of safe, reliable, and sustainable utility services with affordability for ratepayers” Source

Why now. A new General Manager is being recruited. Leadership changes reset priorities, and the brief names reliability against affordability.

Trigger 3/5Timing 4/5Reachability 2/5

Warm paths. You know 4 people who work there. Open their profile on LinkedIn to see mutual connections before you write.

Suggested opener. The General Manager search frames the job as reliability balanced against ratepayer affordability. You know four people at the commission: worth asking one of them who owns distribution-loss work today.

“advancing capital programs, strengthening workforce capacity, and implementing modern technologies and best practices” Source

Why now. The deputy director role was advertised to bring in modern technology alongside the capital programme.

Trigger 3/5Timing 3/5Reachability 3/5

Warm paths. None found yet. Check mutual connections on LinkedIn before you write.

Suggested opener. The deputy director role names modern technologies alongside the capital programme. If it helps, I can send a one-page note on sequencing leak monitoring with main replacement.

“Freezing weather may also contribute to water transmission and distribution interruptions caused by water main breakage.” Source

Why now. Winter, the season the annual report flags for main breaks, is weeks away.

Trigger 3/5Timing 3/5Reachability 2/5

Warm paths. You know 2 people who work there. Open their profile on LinkedIn to see mutual connections before you write.

Suggested opener. Your annual report flags winter main breaks as a service risk. Ahead of the cold season, would an early look at which mains are already leaking be worth a conversation?