The DMA: establishing an integrated Asset Management System is a strategic priority

As a part of its initiatives to enhance the services provided to the residents, investors and visitors to the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and as step to apply the best practices in operating and maintaining and preserving the Municipal utilities and assets, the Department of Municipal Affairs DMA is shifting from Capital Program Management to an Integrated Asset Management System.

Mr. Yousif Amin Yousif Director of Municipal Planning at the DMA said that setting up an Integrated Asset Management System in the Department of Municipal Affairs is a strategic priority for the Municipal System at present, especially since Municipal Assets  provide the platform for social and economic strength and is a key driver of quality of life for residents, adding that this system will pave the way for more public parks and gardens and strengthen the financial position and credit rating of the municipal system.

The importance of an Asset Management System for the Municipal System in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi was highlighted at the recent Government Asset Management Congress 2012 convened in Dubai where the Director of Municipal Planning at the DMA presented a paper titled “Asset Management is a Strategic Priority” focusing on the main Municipal infrastructure projects at the Emirate and mentioning the fundamental difference between the Capital Program Management and Asset Management, saying that Asset Management is a strategic and systematic process of budgeting, planning, designing, operating, maintaining, and replacing or upgrading or retiring assets whereas the Capital Program Management is the system of project managing of an asset from concept through to handover and delivery.

The Government Asset Management Congress 2012,the first event of its kind for the region, provided an important platform to share international and regional best practice in asset management and covered all classes of government infrastructure and assets including water, power, waste water, roads, airports, ports, rail and social infrastructure.

Eng. Nicholas Wellwood Advisor - Integrated Infrastructure Planning at the Department of Municipal Affairs who participated in the congress said that an Asset Management System at the Department of Municipal Affairs will maximize the value of municipal infrastructure through successful strategic Asset Management and enhance productivity, and will ensure longevity of assets, optimizing performance, and improved allocation of municipal resources and cost saving. In addition to this, it will reinforces public health and safety, and enhance sustainable development in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and reflects positively on the environment.

It is worth mentioning that setting up a total asset management system in the Department of Municipal Affairs comes as a part of a wider development process taking place at the Municipal System and will enhance its efforts to meet the requirements of the Abu Dhabi 2030 vision which aims to enhance sustainable economic development and for the government of Abu Dhabi to become one of the best governments in the world in terms of services provided to the residents, investors and visitors to the Emirate.