This presentation, originally presented by IPWEA NAMS.AU Project Manager John Howard at the 2013 IPWEA International Public Works Conference, outlines the three-scenario process in NAMS.PLUS2, and how this information can be used to facilitate an intelligent community discussion on service levels and affordability.
NAMS.PLUS2 offers users a great new facility to help organisations cope with the infrastructure renewal gap and balance with long term financial planning.
Asset management plans (AMP) set out the service required by a community, how the services are provided and what funds are required to provide the services. The required expenditure outlays identified in the AMP feed into the organisation’s long-term financial plan (LTFP), with the objective of providing the services that the community needs and can afford.
Getting to this point can be a challenge. An easy way of achieving a sustainable LTFP is to ignore the AMPs. Linking the AMPs to the LTFP can be done using the three-scenario approach used in IPWEA’s NAMS.PLUS2, and outlined in John Howard's conference paper and presentation.
Scenario 1 is developed from the asset register and generally identifies the need to review and improve useful life estimates of assets.
Scenario 2 uses technical sources to identify what is needed to maintain current service levels, plus provide planned upgrades and new assets/services.
Scenario 3 links Scenario 2 to the LTFP and identifies what can be done with available financial resources. Scenario 3 also identifies what cannot be done and what are the service consequences and service risks associated with deferral of projects. It provides information to have a discussion with decision makers and the community about matching needed service levels, risks and affordability. It can thus also help refine the LTFP.