Asset Information Handover Guidelines from Planning and Construction to Operations and Maintenance (2024)
Chapter: 2 Defining Critical Assets and Critical Asset Data
CHAPTER 2
Defining Critical Assets and Critical Asset Data
Having consistent and current asset data (information) serves as another cornerstone of a sound and strategic asset management program. Without accurate asset data and a commonsense approach to asset management, it is difficult to make informed decisions regarding constructed assets, especially for future repair and replacement project planning. Formal implementation of asset data requirements and the processes surrounding data collection can help ensure that asset inventory data records are more complete and consistent and that they reflect the current condition of an airport’s constructed assets.
What is a critical asset or asset class? What could you, as an airport owner or operator, suggest is of such significance that your airport would not operate effectively if that constructed asset did not function as intended? As important as asset data collection is, there are many different asset types at an airport. It is not cost-effective or efficient for staff to collect data on every single asset. An airport needs to define what asset data is important to track and what assets the airport will want or need information on in the future. In other words, the airport must define which constructed assets are critical to the effective operation of the airport and which asset data should be tracked to ensure the operation of the asset.
What is identified as a critical asset will vary from one airport to another, from one season to another, or one geographic area to another. Airport stakeholders should determine what assets are of such importance that they want to know more about them to manage them properly and better ensure airport operations and resiliency and lower the TCO.
Constructed Assets
Although there will be variations in which constructed assets are deemed critical by different airports, there are some general criteria for constructed assets that should be considered for inclusion in an airport’s asset management program:
- Items with equipment numbers that are identified on the construction documents (drawings and specifications).
- Items with extended warranties.
- Asset types and/or equipment items deemed critical to airport operations.
- Equipment items that, per the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), require periodic maintenance or inspections [in accordance with the provided operations and maintenance (O&M) manuals or regulatory requirements].
- Equipment funded with grant funds (e.g., a grant from FAA).
The list of constructed asset systems or facilities and important subcomponents or categories that might be considered include the following:
- Landside and airside buildings and associated systems:
- Exterior, walls, windows, doors, roofing
- Conveyances, elevators, escalators, moving walkways
- Plumbing systems, including domestic water, sanitary drainage, stormwater, and associated drainage systems
- HVAC (including control systems)
- Fire protection and suppression systems
- Electrical, including service, distribution, and lighting
- Life safety and emergency systems and devices
- Parking garages
- Baggage-handling systems (including control systems)
- Automated people movers or train systems
- Airfield lighting
- Airfield FAR 139 pavements
- Airfield other pavements such as taxiways and aprons
- Liquid and gas utility distribution systems (outside of buildings) including water, sanitary, storm, energy, fuel, industrial waste
- Deicing systems for aircraft and pavement
- Site electrical distribution systems
Other considerations might include the following:
- Structural, seismic components, underground tunnels, bridges
- Interior construction, windows, doors, flooring
- Site improvements
- Landside roadway pavement for public and service vehicle use
- Parking lots
- Pedestrian walkways
- Landscaping and associated irrigation systems
- Communications systems
- Environmental systems, indoor air quality components
- Electronic safety and security, access control systems, detection, and alarm systems
- ADA and other code-affected building systems and components
The data attributes seen as important will also vary from one airport operation to another. Examples of more universal data attributes include the following:
- Area (location) or building identifier (dependent upon the asset class, such as a utility distribution system or roofing)
- Condition rating
- Criticality
- Description
- Installation/creation date
- Location
- Photograph(s)
- Type—potentially in alignment with an asset classification system such as UniFormat
- Unique identifier—whether an enterprise system identifier or bar/QR code
- Warranty start and end dates (not all managed assets will have a warranty)
Airport buildings are usually permanent, enclosed structures over a plot of land presumably owned or managed by the airport. Buildings will typically have roofs, windows, and exterior walls, and quite often have more than one level. They can be used for a wide variety of activities from terminal operations to office spaces, or warehouse storage. Each facility may also have
additional unique characteristics beyond the basic information mentioned below. Regardless of function, buildings will share the same basic attributes or elements:
- Building code: (suggestions for various codes in parentheses) [Possible Building Codes: Terminal (TER), Office (OFC), Cargo (CRG), Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting (ARFF), Central Utility Plant (CUP)].
- Building type (in alignment with probable codes): Terminal, Office, Cargo, Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting, Parking Structure, Central Plant.
- Year of last renovation: It will be important to understand the investments being made in keeping a building operational, so information such as the year of last renovation should be considered.
- Initial occupancy date: The date that the building was first occupied.
- Ownership: Is the building owned by the airport or owned by an airport tenant?
- Area/size: Gross square footage; tracking and knowing the source of such information could prove useful in the future (e.g., as-built documents).
- Rentable area: This data will be important to airports that lease space to others for offices, concessions, restaurants, etc.
- Maintainable area: This data will be important to an airport’s maintenance group.
Also, the following may well become the standard asset attributes applicable to most of an airport’s constructed equipment assets. The asset information handover process must be revised to reflect what is expected from the design and contractor teams during and after any construction project. This information or data that is required for the airport staff to properly operate, maintain, and manage its constructed assets is expected as part of the project closeout and asset information handover process. The design and contractor teams should provide those attributes defined within the contract documents—whether that be in a Division 01 project closeout specifications section or a BIM execution plan. Equipment in this sense refers to various building systems (e.g., HVAC), baggage-handling systems, passenger-loading bridges, or even architectural finishes, artwork, and furniture and fixtures, depending on the level of investment and objectives of the airport.
- Asset ID (typically, and if used by an airport, a CMMS software-generated number)
- Asset description (text field describing the constructed asset that is maintained, monitored, and managed by airport staff)
- Manufacturer
- Model number
- Serial number
- Installation date
- Installation/initial construction cost
- Replacement cost (an anticipated number sometimes referred to as a current replacement value)
- Design life
Critical Assets
Airport staff should consider their asset management strategy when prioritizing activities related to the built environment and their constructed assets. Defining an asset as “critical” depends on the goals and objectives of an airport; the same asset may be considered critical at one airport and not critical at another. The level of risk associated with the failure of an asset and the impact of that failure on airport operations are determining factors. It is good practice to develop strategies for managing assets considered critical to the organization either because of a financial value or the consequence of failure. During the planning process, identifying critical
asset systems and ensuring that the required data and information are available to the airport operator to support long-term capital planning for constructed asset repair and replacement will help the prioritization of these assets.
Conversely, reacting to functional asset failures may well be appropriate for those asset classes not identified as critical. Such assets may have redundancy within the overall system; they may be able to be fixed quickly and easily; or the risk of their failure is tolerably low or acceptable. Where the cost of a planned replacement is less than any unplanned replacement, it is typically more desirable to plan to replace assets prior to their failure.
Airports are in the business of moving aircraft, people, baggage, and cargo, as well as related information. What are the constructed assets that are critical to accomplishing this movement, especially the constructed assets that as the airport owner, manager, and maintainer you are responsible for? Suggested asset types that might be considered critical include passenger-loading bridges, baggage-handling systems, elevators, escalators, water utility distribution (primarily domestic and sanitary sewer), security systems, and electrical utility distribution, as each of these asset types and classes impacts an airport’s passengers. Developing a focus on asset criticality and identifying which asset types are critical should help an airport ensure that it acquires the data it needs during asset information handover to successfully ensure airport operations.
Asset Information (Data) Strategy
In asset information handover, a combination of data about an airport’s constructed assets (the built environment) is provided to an airport owner and used to make more informed decisions regarding how airport assets are managed. Good, reliable asset information enables better decision-making regarding maintenance and asset replacement alternatives. Asset information should include information regarding asset location, its probability and consequence of failure, design or manufacturer specifications and O&M requirements, the actual acquisition or construction cost, estimated replacement value, business priorities such as compliance with regulatory requirements, and more.
An asset information handover strategy must be developed and formally documented so that an airport can provide this strategy to future design and construction teams. This strategy will inform these teams on how the airport intends to document the plethora of asset information after every design and construction project. This strategy should also address how the airport intends to ensure the level of data quality required to support their asset management activities are maintained throughout these processes, as with each design or construction phase the data itself becomes more and more detailed and must be maintained to stay accurate and relevant.
