Central Highlands Regional Council (CHRC) amalgamated in 2008 from several small councils in the area. At amalgamation, it became evident that there was a need for a unified Asset Management system as the data available from each of the previous councils was inconsistent and in many different formats. A number of towns in the area had also been developed by mining companies with a short-term view and records available from these companies was scant.
The appointment of CHRC’s current General Manager, Corporate Services (Margaret Gatt), helped create the impetus for this project with the development of Business Process Models, the creation of an Asset Management Plan, and plans put in place for improvement. However, none of these would succeed without accurate Asset Data, so CHRC successfully applied for a funding grant of $3.3 million to gather the necessary data for:
- Stormwater
- Minor Culverts and Floodways,
- A portion of the Sewer network
- Bridges and Major Culverts
- Buildings and Site Improvements,
- Swimming Pools
- Urgent Electrical Safety Inspections
- Heritage Assets
- Footpaths
As CHRC’s asset team was small and had a high time commitment to existing day-to-day processes, Council appointed GenEng to provide an experienced asset engineer and project manager to oversee the data collection.
Approach
It was understood from the start that the funding would only be sufficient to cover a medium level of detail in most asset classes. However, in the first instance, the condition of the assets would provide critical information to Council to improve data and understand what was in the field. With this goal in mind, it was decided that as much manual inspection as possible was necessary.
GenEng assisted in setting up tenders and contracts for inspectors for this job, adjudicating the tenders and managing the contractors. As the data came in from the field GenEng assisted in reviewing the data and writing progress reports. All video and visual inspection information was reviewed by GenEng and lists were created of assets that required immediate attention, attention in the short term, and assets in good condition. Where the process highlighted poor conditions that needed urgent work, details were passed to the Works team.
A comprehensive valuation was undertaken, and the data was analysed and included in the Business Process Model and works programs, and extensive training was delivered to Council staff to build their self-reliance and enable them to continue with the program once GenEng staff had left.
Outcome
The assistance GenEng provided, allowed the Council to establish a 10-year works program with five-year rolling targeted condition inspection programs. It also provided Council with data that is about 90% correct. A field validation is required for some data and this process will be completed by the end of the 2023 financial year which will give the Council the accuracy they need.