Effective Planning
Most organisations seek to optimise the whole-of-life value of their infrastructure assets. While it sounds simple, this is a complex and demanding subject that requires the right skills to prudently balance levels of service with levels of capital investment, maintenance intervention, deterioration and risk. We have wide experience at all levels of asset management planning, modelling, analysis, financing and delivery.
The main services we provide in this area include:
Master Planning
Masterplans provide a real opportunity to integrate your planning for a town, district, significant facility (such as a Port or Airport) or region. Masterplans deliver area-focused planning that informs and integrates all activities within that space.
Rationale’s role in masterplanning is focused on leadership, direction integration and driving value. We focus on helping the client get the best possible outputs. The key to success is putting people at the centre of the process and encouraging all stakeholders to engage and contribute to an integrated vision.
Specific ways we can help you:
- Defining the scope and structure of your masterplan programme.
- Supporting you to procure and manage the required professional services.
- Facilitation of planning workshops.
- Stakeholder and community engagement to develop shared ownership in your masterplan vision.
- Development of supporting business cases
- Developing relationships with co-investors.
Long Term Plans
With former public sector chief executives amongst our team, we understand the increasing demands being placed on local government to deliver a long term plan that is both legislatively compliant and linked to other statutory documents. We can offer you a fresh, external perspective on developing the overarching structure of your LTP or assist with drafting individual components of the LTP such as your accountability framework, 30-year infrastructure strategy, or significance and engagement policy
Specific ways we can help you:
- Preparing initial drafts of key LTP components.
- Reviewing for legislative compliance.
- Managing the programme for delivery of a LTP.
- Providing financial input, including expenditure and funding.
Asset Activity Management Planning
Asset Activity Management Plans (AMPs) are the business plan for an infrastructure service. AMPs were the first job completed by Rationale in 1999. AMPs should be at the heart of the business and they need to communicate to a wider audience (upward and downward). They are the basis for why and how you deliver key services, and account to the community on levels of services, costs and options associated with them. However, all too often, AMPs end up being a long action list of proposed capital renewal and investment, with little thought to the strategic needs driving that investment. We offer a less engineering and more strategic focus to the challenge of developing cost-effective AMPs that can meet the future needs of your communities or your business. We can also support at any level in n AMP.
Specific ways we can help you:
- Facilitate workshops to effectively develop the content of your plan
- Review your current plans for both legislative compliance and cost-effectiveness
- Redesign your AMPs to provide simpler and more strategic messages to elected members and the community and others you provide services to.
- Draft or peer review draft AMPs and recommend improvements to the current content.
- Adding innovation to your AMP.
- Monitoring and mentoring your staff in develping or applying an AMP.
- Finance and funding AMPs.
- Planning and tracking benefits realisation.
Development Contributions
Rationale has been operating in the contributions for development space since 1999.
Our work in Development Contributions includes underlying asset management, numerical analysis of the charges, policy preparation, engagement, implementation, dealing with challenges, specific development assessments and private development assessments.
Initiating a Development Contributions project is a strength of Rationale’s. Through critical thinking and optioneering, our team of specialists will help you navigate issues around data, calculation methodologies, cost allocation and risks.
Our success can be measured by the enduring nature of the policies we have prepared, the revenue they have returned to communities and ensuring challenges do not escalate.
Valuations
Infrastructure valuations are a critical activity for both financial and renewal planning. Valuations provide the cornerstone of asset management plan work by developing, maintaining and improving asset registers for water, wastewater, stormwater, roading, landfill, transfer station and other public and private infrastructure. The accurate valuation and depreciation modelling for these assets provides the basis for many other asset/activity management tasks.
Specific ways we can help you:
- Preparing valuation reports or undertaking peer review.
- Engaging with your auditors and Audit NZ.
- Provide guidance on valuation processes and methodologies.
- Developing valuation policies.
Demand Planning & Forecasting
Since 1999, Rationale has worked with governments and business to develop growth projections and forecasts that inform planning and development for local governments. Growth projections and demand forecasting are the heart of sound planning and policy decision making for councils. The Rationale approach has been proven in some of the country’s highest growth areas.
Specific ways we can help you:
- Development of growth projections.
- Targeted demand forecasting.
- Analysis of the impacts of growth and response options.
- Developing valuation policies.