Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council engaged SHEPHERD to review and update its asset management documentation, ensuring Council had a clear, current and best-practice framework to support future planning. With a potential demerger under consideration, the work was designed to support effective asset management regardless of Council’s future structure.
The Challenge
Council required a review and update of its existing asset management suite, including its draft Asset Management Policy, Asset Management Strategy and Asset Management Plans.
A key driver was the need to better understand Council’s assets in the context of a possible demerger. Council needed documentation and planning tools that would support sustainable asset management whether it continued as a merged entity or moved forward as separate entities.
The Solution
SHEPHERD reviewed Council’s draft Asset Management Policy to ensure it aligned with best practice and was suitable for both merged and demerged scenarios.
Our team prepared a new Asset Management Strategy, including improvement plans, and updated Asset Management Plans across all asset classes. This included developing a new Plant and Fleet Asset Management Plan and undertaking a revaluation of Council’s plant and fleet assets.
SHEPHERD also incorporated scenario forecasting into ten-year outlooks for each asset class, using relevant data including recent audits, valuations and condition assessments.
The project included online progress meetings, onsite workshops with Council teams, stakeholder consultation and a final presentation to a Councillor workshop.
What We Did Differently and Why It Mattered
Rather than delivering a valuation focused only on compliance, SHEPHERD provided Council with a practical dataset that supports both financial reporting and future asset management.
Using GPS-enabled field data capture, GIS mapping, digital inspection tools, valuation databases and quality assurance systems, SHEPHERD collected consistent asset information across a broad and varied portfolio. This improved the accuracy of Council’s asset register and created a stronger foundation for lifecycle planning, renewal forecasting and future investment decisions.
The project also included the creation of a comprehensive public artwork register, giving Council greater visibility and management capability for culturally significant community assets.
By combining field inspections with robust valuation methodology, SHEPHERD delivered a defensible, audit-ready outcome that gave Council greater confidence in the condition, value and future needs of its Other Infrastructure portfolio.
Delivered in Partnership
Thank you to Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council for their collaboration throughout this project. This work provides Council with stronger asset management documentation, improved planning confidence and a clearer foundation for managing assets sustainably into the future.
