Local councils are under ever-growing pressure to ensure their roads and other public assets remain safe and reliable, while at the same time having to manage tighter budgets and increased public expectations. A reactive approach, responding to issues of asset degradation only after they are noticed, is increasingly unsustainable and, especially with issues such as pothole repairs, short-term fixes all-too-often use up crucial funds without delivering long-term improvements.
Brightly Software helps councils tackle this challenge with its strategic asset management software. Strategic asset management provides a structured approach for councils to plan the long-term replacement of assets that considers all factors relevant to an organisation. Councils use it to plan how assets are acquired, operated, maintained, renewed or retired.
Chris Newson (pictured), Business Development, Strategic Asset Management, Brightly Software, comments:
“Managing the physical future can’t be based on estimates from years past or reacting to failing assets; councils can use a structured approach that helps them visualise and strategise for the future.”
With strategic asset management, Brightly Software is helping councils move away from reactive repairs. The Road Surface Treatments Association estimates that surface treatments cost £3.50-£8 per square metre, while reactive pothole repairs can exceed £80 per repair. The Public Accounts Committee’s 2025 report on local road maintenance also found that planned works were 35% more cost-effective than reactive fixes.
To shift from short-term fixes towards lasting benefits, councils need a way to compare different options and understand how they might assist them. Asset investment optimisation delivers that clarity.
Asset investment optimisation
Asset investment optimisation sits at the centre of strategic asset management. It’s the process of analysing data and strategically allocating financial resources across various assets and investment opportunities to maximise returns – all while minimising risk.
For councils, this approach enables them to carry out root cause analysis and fix problems before they manifest, rather than the traditional ‘responsive’ approach to asset management and maintenance, which has not necessarily delivered the most efficient or effective outcomes or demonstrated the best use of money. Ultimately, this approach enables strategic decision-making by analysing multitudes of data on community requirements, budgets, historic outcomes and more – as well as drawing extensively on third-party statistics.
• Risks can be assessed based on numerous factors, from regulations to environmental effects, to community size, traffic flows and infrastructure features. In addition, potential strategies for risk mitigation can be modelled and analysed.
• Budgets can be pre-planned and allocated for maximum long-term effectiveness, enabling councils to prioritise projects based on urgency, ROI and the impact they will have on the community.
• Infrastructure upgrade requirements can be identified and prioritised based on the needs of the community and the impact on associated assets.
• Carbon-efficient solutions can be evaluated and considered based on their cost, environmental impact and risk.
• The delivery of public services can be optimised by investing in technology and systems that improve the efficiency of the process.
• Councils can stay up-to-date with regulations that may impact their investments and procedures.
• Councils can engage with their communities to find out their needs and requirements, as well as explaining their reasons for carrying out works, the methods being used and expected completion dates. This improves transparency and trust.
Predictor
Predictor, Brightly Software’s digital, cloud-based solution, can foresee the multitude of issues councils face today, helping them to act pre-emptively, rather than reactively, to address problems before they get out of hand – or even before they arise at all. It does this through the process of asset investment optimisation.
Predictor is built on three pillars:
Data
Includes unique asset IDs, network measures, service criteria, treatment filters, additional attributes and more.
Model
Uses degradation profiles, service lives, treatment criteria, treatment effects and life cycle variations to understand how assets change over time.
Strategy
Incorporates unit costs, operational costs, budget allocations and benefit variations, enabling councils to test multiple investment choices.
Predictor provides its users with a roadmap for the future of their assets, supported by analytics and forecasts, with the user’s budget in mind.
Local authorities will always need to strike a balance between dealing with immediate issues (which are typically the issues most visible to the public and of most concern to them) with the need to save and to plan for the future. Predictor is an enormously powerful tool to help with planning and prioritisation, both for the here and now and into the future. And it does so in the most cost-effective, time-efficient manner, and all while keeping risk to an absolute minimum.
It’s a versatile solution that can be tailored to help each council balance its community’s needs, assets’ health and budget.
An investment in Predictor isn’t merely a software purchase. It’s a partnership with Brightly’s team of experienced and expert analysts, backed by Siemens, one of the world’s leading technology brands. It’s an investment in the future and for the communities managed.
Strategic asset management allows councils to develop robust and reliable long-term plans. Tools like Predictor make that possible by modelling, optimising and forecasting strategically. Councils that invest in solutions for strategic asset management can help protect their assets, manage finances and maximise the benefits for the public.
To explore how Predictor can support you, visit: https://www.brightlysoftware.com/en-gb/products/predictor
(Pictures: Brightly Software)
