Public Works Magazine - Asset Management Special

City councils are increasingly interested in asset management. What are the trends for management and maintenance of public spaces and infrastructure? Adrie Pouwer wrote an article in "Stadswerk Magazine", the magazine from the Dutch branch of the International Federation of Municipal Engineering. You can read the translation of the article below.

Make conscious choices

Professional asset management helps local government to make choices. It helps you to translate your community values into concrete (maintenance) measures. Values ​​may include: reachability, safety and the quality of the environment. Additionally, by good asset management, you can explain your city council what are the effects of the choices they can make. 

Tools

Early 2014, the standard 'ISO 55001 - Asset Management' was introduced. This standard is quite abstract. Fortunately, there are several examples and tools available. Part of these in available through iAMPro. Professionals engaged in the management and maintenance of infrastructure and public space can be a member of this knowledge portal. It is recommended to use the examples from iAMPro with care. The values ​​in your community may not necessarily be the same as the values ​​of the municipalities the examples are based on. Asset Management knowledge and experience therefore is required.

Between the ears

Good asset management cannot be achieved with good tools only. It is important that it is supported throughout the organization, from the city council to professionals working in the streets. With the right support staff can become aware, how his or her work contributes to the community values. There are several tools, such as the Asset Management Game, that help create this awareness.

Certification and procurement

It is expected that from 2016 organizations in The Netherlands can become ISO 55001 certified officially. At present there already are organizations that are certified without accreditation. Related to tendering, there are government organizations that set the requirement that contractors shall be ISO 55001 certified. One should realize here that this possible only when a contractor meets all ISO 55001 requirements and in fact manages real assets. In practice, this is feasible only in case of long term contracts, in which the contractor has a significant influence on asset investment and maintenance methods.