Integrated Asset Management

Asset Management Self-Assessment Scale (The Scale)

As part of the Fiscal Year 2019 Regional Prosperity Initiative Grant awards, the West Michigan Prosperity Alliance received $70,000 for Integrated Asset Management. This one-time grant award requires the region to work with the newly formed Michigan Infrastructure Council to coordinate two regional communication and coordination summits, and work toward the development and implementation of a statewide asset management program through collaboration and coordination with the Transportation Asset Management Council, the Water Asset Management Council, and the Michigan Infrastructure Council (MIC).

WMSRDC, in partnership with the Michigan Infrastructure Council (MIC) and the Michigan Association of Regions (MAR), is in the process of debuting an Asset Management Readiness Assessment Scale (The Scale) tool to infrastructure owners in our region and across the state.

Infrastructure owners across water (drinking, waste, and storm), transportation, utilities, and communications can receive help to understand, measure and advance their asset management proficiencies through the new tool recently released by the MIC.

The Scale embraces five asset management competencies – people and leadership; data and information; planning and prioritization; policy and governance; and external communication and knowledge sharing – so infrastructure owners can rank their asset management strengths and improvement areas through “readiness levels.”

Infrastructure owners can include entities such as local communities, water authorities, road commissions, public or private utilities and communication companies.

The Scale was adapted from a tool that has been used in Canada over the past decade to manage assets from planning and construction to operations and maintenance, and ultimately to the next generation rebuild.

Building on the success of our Canadian neighbors, the MIC hopes The Scale will help shift Michigan’s infrastructure focus from reactive response toward strategic long-term asset management.  Communities that piloted The Scale supported this objective, quickly pinpointing their asset management strengths, as well as areas that could be improved.  Thank you to the City of Fremont, Newaygo County for participating as one of the pilot communities.

WMSRDC, with our partners at MIC and MAR, is ready to help train infrastructure owners with The Scale and to collect results that will guide regional and state policy and target resources.

To learn more about the MIC and to download the Asset Management Readiness Assessment Scale, go to www.michigan.gov/mic.

To assist in the collection of the self-assessments, staff from the WMSRDC, Grand Valley Metropolitan Council, and the West Michigan Regional Planning Commission attended a two-day asset management training event on October 9 and 10 in Lansing.

Stay tuned for more information regarding the work of the Michigan Infrastructure Council, the Project Portal, and the Asset Management Self-Assessments.