The High Density Urban Utility Forum (HDUUF™) is a learning vehicle for urban electric utilities that are interested in developing insights into and clear evidence of the cost and service level impact that their unique environment has on their business. The forum also gathers performance information on their regulatory and market environments and provides a peer group of comparable utilities within which such comparisons will be meaningful.  This forum was established in 2004 by a small group of interested urban electric companies who wanted to better understand and address the unique challenges that face urban electric utilities. Urban utilities: 

	Are typically an anomaly within their regulatory region.
		Superior reliability (inherent in their delivery not often found in their neighbors).
		Higher operating costs (but driven to cost benchmarks more appropriate to  suburban utilities).
	Coexist with hubs of commerce, government and communication and thus face disproportionate levels of public scrutiny.
	Stand alone in seeking to demonstrate their uniqueness and educate their stakeholders and regulators to the realities of urban operations.
	Have no local peers with whom to collaborate and to learn.
	Lack the tangible evidence necessary to prove that their higher costs are a function of their difference, not their effectiveness.

The Forum was fashioned under the guidance of UMS Group to provide clearer insight into these challenges and to recommend possible solutions. The Executive Forum provides:

	Focused analysis, targeted directly at the expressed needs of the group.
	Effective and meaningful sharing of insights and success strategies among Executive peers.
	Pooling of knowledge and assembly of credible evidence of the uniqueness of urban utilities.
	Translation of urban strategic challenges into operational and customer implications.
	Customization and tuning of the insights to meet the specific circumstances of each member of the forum.

As a result of mutually beneficial exchanges throughout the study, members gain increased understanding of the leading practices and innovative ideas in the high-density urban utility arena.  In addition, the forum allows executives of the utilities to collaborate and develop effective regulatory and market strategies that reflect their unique circumstances. Specifically, the 2004 HDUUF™ Study will focus heavily on the areas of cost to serve, customer satisfaction, costs of reliability, and customer expectations and requirements in an urban environment. Primary areas of focus and exploration will change for future study years.

UMS Group is the primary facilitator of the HDUUF™ Study, providing analytic expertise, exploring and identifying leading industry practices, and leading workshops designed for member exchange of ideas. 

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