Peter Gainsford, Director of Infrastructure and Service Delivery at Leichhardt Municipal Council in Sydney's inner west, recounts his experience using IPWEA's NAMS.PLUS software tool.
What prompted Leichhardt Municipal Council to start using NAMS.PLUS?
Leichhardt Council has been aware of the need to adequately fund infrastructure renewals for some time, and had been looking at a way to consistently report this to the community in a way that met National and State asset management requirements. Leichhardt Council started using NAMS in 2008. The NAMS asset management templates were essential as Leichhardt was in the first group of councils to prepare a Resourcing Strategy under the Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework.
How valuable have you found it as a tool?
Council has an adopted Asset Management Policy and Strategy based in the NAMS.PLUS template. Over the years, Council has undertaken a number of Asset Management Maturity Assessments using the NAMS model, which provided the direction for an ongoing improvement program for asset management.
This has resulted in independent assessments confirming that Council is effective in terms of infrastructure management. For example, a 2012 Local Government Infrastructure Audit, which was undertaken by the Division of Local Government, assessed Leichhardt Council’s Infrastructure Management as ‘Very Strong’.
Can you provide any specific examples of situations where NAMS.PLUS2 has been helpful in informing or changing your asset management practices?
Council has found NAMS.PLUS2 to be an essential tool in presenting a range of funding scenarios for the Long Term Financial Plan. These scenarios have enabled staff to have a meaningful conversation with our councillors during the budget process, leading to increased infrastructure renewal funding to address the need to fund basic infrastructure. This has resulted in Leichhardt Council adequately funding sea walls, wharves, bridges, kerb and gutter in its Long Term financial Plan.
However, like many other councils, Leichhardt has been unable to fund the infrastructure gap, which means that over the next 10 years the standards of our existing infrastructure will slip for within the infrastructure categories of roads, footpaths, buildings, parks and stormwater. Council has used NAMS.PLUS2 to develop a range of funding scenarios, which have been used to inform the community consultation strategy for the consideration of a Special Rate Variation .
What advice would you offer to another asset manager considering using NAMS.PLUS2 at their council?
NAMS.PLUS2 provides the essential tools to ensure that you meet both National and State requirements. I would send all staff responsible for the development of asset management plans along to the NAMS.PLUS2 training as staff always come back with fresh ideas and a renewed approach to their work. I would undertake a Maturity Assessment every two years in order to measure the improvement in your organisation’s asset management performance, and set out the tasks required to improve the level of asset maturity. We owe it to our Councillors and community to have the best asset management practices as possible.