In Tasmania’s isolated West Coast region, a collaborative approach to asset management promises to deliver better outcomes for the community.

West Coast Council has partnered with contractor Stornoway for a resource-sharing partnership that will see the parties share plant, equipment, materials and labour during periods of demanding work. There are also possibilities for shared training.

For local assets like roads, bridges, footpaths, community buildings and facilities, this may include:

• Asset inspection and reporting
• Project supervision
• Maintenance works programming
• Project tendering
• Routine maintenance works delivery
• Minor capital works delivery
• Emergency response – 24/7 emergency event management

Brad Perera, West Coast Council’s Manager Works and Operations, says the isolation of the West Coast meant that the council and Stornoway already had a working relationship, so it only made sense to formalise it.

“Stornoway are the subcontractor for roads maintained by State Growth and this will be beneficial for continued maintenance of the roads,” he says.

Stornoway’s General Manager for Roads, Vanessa Pinto says the agreement is about delivering better results for the community.

“Together we can achieve more; successfully deliver more projects, provide greater benefits and identify more opportunities to improve the local infrastructure and amenities for the community,” she says.

“We can share the knowledge between our two organisations to innovate and improve the infrastructure services and facilities on the West Coast.”

Pinto says the collaborative agreement is also designed to provide greater employment and business opportunities in the West Coast community.

“By planning to deliver works together, we can combine our knowledge, experience and capabilities and then call on local resources to support delivery,” she says.

Perera recommends other councils investigate similar opportunities.

“Communication and collaboration are key to ensuring assets are maintained and managed to a high standard particularly for isolated areas,” he says.

“West Coast Council recommends partnering with road agencies to look after the road assets throughout our municipality.

“This MOU is a basic arrangement that suits the needs of the area. Therefore, the West Coast Council would recommend identifying the strengths and weaknesses of involved parties to ascertain what is required for their municipalities.”

Image: Vanessa Pinto, Stornoway General Manager Roads & Dirk Dowling, West Coast Council General Manager.