Ringway Jacobs awarded International Standard for Asset Management

Ringway Jacobs has become the first Highways Service Provider to receive a prestigious accreditation from the British Standards Institution (BSi) for the effective management of highway assets on its Cheshire East Highways contract. 

ISO 55001 is an international standard for asset management systems which recognises the proactive management of assets to benefit efficiency and effectiveness. 

The road network is Cheshire East Council’s most valuable asset, amounting to a total value of over £5 billion. Accreditation was received for the asset management system in place to maintain roads and pavements.

Asset management allows Cheshire East Highways to plan and deliver works to ensure that the borough’s road network benefits from the right treatment, in the right location, at the right time. By utilising an asset management approach, customer reports of road defects in need of repair in Cheshire East have fallen by 70% since 2013 – from 17,241 in 2012/13 to 4,063 in 2015/16.

This formal recognition is essential for the contract’s ongoing efforts to maximise highways funding that is available from the Department of Transport (DfT)’s Incentive Fund and to ensure that the right treatment occurs at the right time. 

Ringway Jacobs’ approach was praised by the lead auditor who commented “Supported by the Contracts Managers, with full commitment to ensure resource, implementation support, full communication and engagement of all staff with a philosophy of everyone can challenge any process or procedure. The development of the AMS (Asset Management System) supported by visual aids and in-depth communication to all stakeholders / interested parties creates a clear line of sight that can only be described as impressive.”

Mike Notman, Ringway Jacobs’ Managing Director said: “I am extremely proud that, working with Cheshire East Council, we are the first Highways Service Provider to be formally recognised for asset management through ISO 55001. This accreditation demonstrates our collaborative approach with our local authority clients and how, through shared goals, we deliver our clients objectives in an efficient and effective manner.”

This accreditation ends a successful year for Cheshire East Highways, following their award of BS 11000 in March 2016 for collaborative business relationships.