Asset Management is not One Size Fits All
Keywords: Asset Management, Asset Inventory, Asset Plans, Funding Forecast, CMMS
Central Marin Sanitation Agency (CMSA) is a joint powers agency formed by its member agencies which are special districts and municipalities in the Corte Madera, San Rafael and Ross Valley areas of central Marin County, California. CMSA was formed for the purpose of constructing and operating a wastewater treatment plant located in San Rafael. CMSA operates the facility in San Rafael on a total budget of about 10 million dollars a year, are publicly-owned, publicly-operated, and treats on average about of 11 million gallons of sewage per day. CMSA is a relatively small utility with limited resources.
Implementing asset management has been one of CMSA's top priorities. The challenge is how does a small agency similar to CMSA implement a value added asset management program that is cost effective and sustainable with internal staff? To this date, many of the utilities that have adopted asset management programs have been large utilities with significantly more resources in staff and budget. CMSA is currently implementing a risk-based asset management program that will prioritize its investments to maximize its return on investments.
CMSA is collaborating with a consultant to develop its Strategic Asset Management Plan (SAMP) to identify the roadmap for implementation. The SAMP includes tasks for current assessment, vision development, gap analysis, strategies development, and creating an implementation plan. The objectives of the SAMP are to develop a realistic implementation plan and to acquire support from staff and the governing Board.
Since CMSA is a small agency, it is vital to come up with strategies and an implementation plan that fits the organization. In working with the consultant, CMSA identified some of the following solutions to save money in implementing asset management:
- Collaborate with the consultant in planning and implementing
- Establish alignment early so implementation is more efficient
- Perform asset inventory and condition assessment internally with some guidance from the consultant
- Prioritize phased implementation based on risk
- Establish service levels and performance metrics
- Focus only on assets that are critical to meet service levels
- Structure an organization that can effectively deliver results
- Train staff to sustain the program
- Outsource non core activities and focus on delivering core business
CMSA will share its visions and strategies on how it is effectively implementing an asset management program that fits its organization. This paper will share the lessons learned and success stories in implementing asset management at a small utility. Asset management is not one size fits all.
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