Long-term planning with South Gloucestershire Council

The Highway Structures team at South Gloucestershire council has had quite a history with regards to its management of assets across the region. In 1996 when Avon County Council split up to create 4 new bodies, including the new South Gloucestershire Council, the team worked hard to enhance the level of detail gathered for each asset and match it to their new prioritisation standards. The combined data of over 2000 structures was amalgamated and in 2006 placed into an MS Access system. Since then a further 700+ assets have been incorporated into the database and the team were finding day-to-day use increasingly slow and frustrating, with reporting capabilities for lifecycle planning and depreciating costs limited. With a smaller team and in order to better manage and plan for future budgets, it became apparent that a new, quicker, more flexible solution was needed that could adjust to the team’s particular methods of working and the complex data. After a considered tender process which included reviewing several alternatives and visiting other authorities to see it in action, AMX emerged as the best solution for the job along with meeting ICT architectural principles and value for money.

 

Key improvements

• Faster

• More comprehensive data capture

• Bulk editing function

• Lifecycle planning

• Depreciation costs

• Potential for mobile working

• Increased productivity

 

Quick start

Implementation of the system once given the go-ahead, was swift and effective. A proactive involvement from AMX, the Highway Structures team themselves and also the council’s IT department, to manage the switch, meant that disruption to day-to-day work was minimised. The new AMX system was up and running quickly, with a test version in which to 'play' with data as well as a live system recording current information and adding new levels of detail. AMX provided excellent training to get individuals up to speed with not only using the system, but also how to customise and tailor certain functions to match existing internal processes. After 3 months of use, the team were invited to a Focus Group run by AMX, in which common challenges and customisations were explored in more detail and gave the team further insight into the integration of Lifecycle Planning.

 

Looking ahead

Consistency and efficiency through prioritisation remains the main focus. It is anticipated that within the next year, the level of detail available for each asset will be more comprehensive than ever before, due to the flexibility and customisation of data fields available – enabling the team to better analyse and prepare for scheduling works and maintaining the high standard of stock condition scores across all assets. Work is underway to implement a prioritisation formula that has been developed by one of the teams’ Engineers, which will be integrated into AMX allowing the system to produce reports combining multiple criteria to prioritise the schedule of works further in advance.

 

South Gloucestershire is also looking to incorporate AMX Mobile in the near future. This will enable inspectors to update data, on-site, straight into the live database, thereby reducing duplication of work from paper to database, and enable more inspections to be carried out increasing the productivity and accuracy of data associated with inspections.

Finally, using the AMX user access controls, the system will provide a benefit to other departments within the council where data can crossover and be shared. For example, the Helpdesk will be able to accurately identify and record public defect reports by having access to the list of assets – it being just as important to know about assets the council own and manage, as well as assets it does not.

 

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"A flexible system that suits our method of working, providing more than we are used to and more than other systems we have reviewed. AMX staff back-up is quick and friendly."

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Andrew Clabon, Engineer – Highways Structures, South Gloucestershire Council