Riyadh: The National Manual for of Assets and Facilities Management (NMAandFM) represents a comprehensive reference that enhances quality, efficiency, and sustainability in the management of assets and facilities in government entities.

This reference reflects the value of the citizens’ combined efforts to establish a unified reference in this field, which is considered the first of its kind on the national and regional levels.

The manual, which is prepared by the Government Expenditure and Projects Efficiency Authority “EXPRO” in joint work with success partners from the concerned government entities, aims to unify the different procedures for managing assets and public facilities, ensuring compliance with local legislation, and building asset management systems by registering and evaluating them to support optimal decision-making.

The goal is to extend the life cycle of assets, manage public facilities effectively and efficiently based on the principle of cost and quality and relying on continuous improv
ement, and preserve resources by activating the concept of financial planning for asset and facility management and effective management of supply chains and contracts.

The manual serves as a technical reference for public entities on how to effectively utilize each entity’s asset and facility management resources and manage them efficiently.

It also covers the entire business life cycle of assets and facilities, starting with planning, constructing, and receiving the project, through contracting and purchasing stages, to operating and maintaining and ending with the decision to stop using the facility or asset and the disposal of it.

The implementation of this manual has documented success stories in various government entities, including the initiative to switch to integrated City Hygiene Performance Contracts for Riyadh in cooperation with the Riyadh Region Municipality.

This initiative resulted in the preparation and development of 16 integrated performance contract brochures for the hygiene of Riyadh
city, with an estimated value of over SAR6 billion, and the development of 11 performance indicators to improve service implementation and quality.

To increase operational efficiency and service quality at the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, a system for facilities management was established according to best practices.

This system included automating assets and facilities management processes, creating an indicator board with over ten indicators, and setting a standard for classifying dams based on urgency and risk levels according to global best practices.

Additionally, a complete asset registry for dams was built, and the computerized operations and maintenance system was activated.

The collaboration with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development raised operating efficiency and improved service quality by establishing a facilities management system based on best practices and automating five main supportive processes for managing assets and facilities.

This system reduced
operational and maintenance costs and increased beneficiary satisfaction rates.

Furthermore, cooperation with the King Saud University has improved operational efficiency and service quality. The university’s assets were counted and inventoried, the effectiveness of the computerized asset management program system was enhanced, and it was linked to other systems at the university in line with the requirements of the national manual.

Additionally, an occupational health and safety policy was developed and approved, measurement indicators were identified, and seven procedures for operation and maintenance were implemented. These measures contributed to accelerating and facilitating the operation and field maintenance processes, as well as merging with inventory management to raise the efficiency of purchasing operations.

In addition, Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University has succeeded in developing and launching a computerized system for managing assets and facilities.

This system includes automating op
eration and maintenance processes and ordering spare parts through computerized systems, increasing spending efficiency on annual operation and maintenance costs. It also accelerated service delivery, monitored implementation, and provided data and technical and financial indicator panels to support decision-makers.

This cooperation resulted in a qualitative leap in the satisfaction rate of users of university facilities, as well as the complete automation of the inventory and spare parts management process.

The Riyadh Region Municipality developed 13 integrated performance contract brochures for the operation and maintenance of Riyadh’s roads, with an estimated value of SAR2 billion, and established nine performance indicators to measure the service performance, implementation, and quality.

EXPRO has made the manual available to its partners from public entities, their asset and facility departments, specialized contractors and consulting offices via the website: https://knowledge.expro.gov.sa/book-detail
/173.

EXPRO is committed to providing partners with all necessary knowledge for the manual’s application through a training package for each volume, on-the-job training, and experiential learning.

The manual consists of 17 volumes based on the asset and facilities management methodology. Each volume addresses a specific asset and facilities management function and considers the best global practices for accomplishing these functions. It is reviewed and updated periodically based on accumulated experiences, the contributions of a committee of government entities’ representatives, and global developments in the field of asset and facilities management.

The first volume includes an introduction to the manual, covering the calibres and guidelines necessary for management. The second volume is devoted to managing assets and business requirements while balancing risks, performance and cost to ensure the proper use of assets.

It also focuses on effectively monitoring assets during their life cycle to guarantee p
roper utilization and relies on specialized asset management systems and software.

The third volume explains how assessment, as an organizational process, is useful in determining an asset’s condition and establishing an appropriate life cycle. This process supports the proper direction of the asset and subsequent maintenance activities, ultimately achieving the required value.

The fourth volume includes guidelines for defining the financial policy framework, including planning the asset’s life cycle regarding the necessary funding to maintain its operation at the required service level.

It also covers integrating strategic asset management with financial planning procedures, which helps decide between investment and funding options and determine the achievable service level.

The fifth volume focuses on managing the processes of planning, organizing, and work control and on maximizing the use of resources to manage facilities and assets.

This is based on written procedures that support the preservation o
f resources and limit any shortcomings or inconsistencies in the services provided, thus helping avoid a negative impact on the entity’s reputation. It also emphasizes aspects that must be taken into account in future planning and development.

The sixth volume is concerned with managing maintenance by applying best practices to develop tools for planning maintenance and applying methodologies in their management. This contributes to determining the design life of the assets and the continuity of their services to maintain their safe and reliable operation. Additionally, it focuses on optimizing the benefits of its operational processes.

The seventh volume guides the procedures for adjusting the work and managing the requests related to maintenance activities. It prioritizes and plans these activities, fixes malfunctions, estimates costs, schedules work, and oversees testing and closure.

The supply chain management volume focuses on the strategic planning, implementation, control, and monitoring of supply c
hain activities, such as warehouse and inventory management.

Effective supply chain management contributes to achieving optimal value and promotes competitive infrastructure and logistics services worldwide. It also measures performance and links supply to demand.

The contract management volume focuses on planning, implementing, managing and supplying asset and facility contracts that ensure legal compliance, meet required service levels, maximize financial and operational performance, and reduce potential risks.

The tenth volume focuses on safety, health, and the environment by providing a guideline for the procedures and controls relied upon to protect employees, visitors, public property, and the environment.

It includes procedures for monitoring compliance, risk assessment, safety reviews, and safety training.

The eleventh volume presents the core pillars of quality management, which include monitoring daily work, conducting audits to measure the service provider’s compliance with its contractual obl
igations, and addressing inconsistencies. The effective application of quality management promotes strategies, policies, procedures, and plans.

The manual makers devoted the twelfth volume to managing risks and reducing the potential impact of events that may hinder the stakeholder or user from achieving asset and facilities management objectives, with the possibility of applying risk management to all comprehensive management procedures.

The thirteenth volume guides and directs users through the procedures and principles that must be applied to establish effective document management. Document and records management services are useful for obtaining, circulating, and retrieving approved information when needed.

The fourteenth volume deals with emergency management, strategic personnel organization, and resource allocation to reduce the impact of emergencies and restore operations effectively.

The fifteenth volume on performance control explains the foundations of operating and managing operations and act
ivities in accordance with the entity’s mission, vision, goals, and requirements. This performance control allows changes to be made when needed to maintain consistency and effectiveness of performance and achieve the desired business objectives.

The sixteenth volume, pertaining to asset and facility management in construction projects, identifies the procedures required during the construction stages to ensure the best operation and maintenance throughout the life cycle of the asset’s construction or restoration project.

The Energy Management and Sustainability Guideline outlines the optimal means for the strategic application of energy efficiency in buildings, in addition to sustainability, which represents an approach to integrating the environment, human needs, and costs.

EXPRO has recently launched the “Evolution of Tradition” awareness campaign to publicize the importance of the National Manual for Assets and Facilities Management. This includes a series of multimedia explaining the importance of fol
lowing the manual’s guidelines to organize and facilitate the work of government entities. Following the manual’s guidelines achieves many benefits at the national level in terms of efficiency and quality, which directly impact the entity’s and citizens’ performance.

The campaign presents some government entities’ success stories following the implementation of the manual. Expenditure efficiency teams within government entities also organize activities to publicize the manual’s importance and content.

Source: Saudi Press Agency