Cloud-based asset fit for purpose assessments (asset functionality assessments)

SocioLogic has conducted and supported over 2500 asset Fitness for Purpose and functionality assessments for 20+ local governments using our template-driven and cloud-based CASIMO web app. CASIMO allows for extensive customisation, review, update and reporting of fitness for purpose (functionality). It has been used by councils including the cities of Ballarat, Brimbank, Casey, Frankston, Kingston, Knox, Merri-Bek, Stonnington and Whitehorse, and the shires of Colac Otway, Golden Plains, Mitchell, Moorabool, Mornington Peninsula and Southern Grampians.

CASIMO is a cloud database so your functionality assessments can be connected to any asset management information systems and displayed live through corporate GIS, Power BI and council websites. Assessment data can be pulled through into any database, Microsoft Excel or similar for easy reporting.

Typical workflow:

Why Councils need Fitness-for-Purpose assessments / asset functionality assessments

Ageing and outdated facilities
Many community building assets were built decades ago and no longer meet modern needs, user expectations or standards for accessibility, safety, or functionality. Councils struggle to justify ongoing maintenance without clear evidence of value.

Changing community needs
Population growth, demographic change, ageing populations and cultural diversity are changing the way services and programs are delivered. This means community facilities need to be more flexible and multipurpose.

Asset management linked to service delivery
Councils must comply with the Local Government Act 2020, which requires Asset Plans to align with community needs and service levels. To do this, councils need data to ensure assets align with future service priorities, ensuring facilities support community needs and provide value for money.

Budget constraints and investment prioritisation
Limited capital budgets and a renewed focus on long-term financial sustainability force councils to optimise existing assets rather than build new ones. They need robust assessments to decide whether to upgrade, repurpose or dispose of assets.

Compliance and Universal Accessibility
Councils must meet disability access standards and other regulatory requirements. Many older facilities fail to meet these standards, creating legal and reputational risks.

Evidence: understanding service and user requirements for assets

Fitness for Purpose assessments complement councils’ asset condition audits by assessing, scoring and ranking factors other than physical condition. The objective and data-driven assessments support planning, funding bids and community engagement.

Since 2017 we have co-designed our fitness for purpose assessment methodology with asset managers, infrastructure planners and service managers from more than 20 councils. Our assessments are conducted from the perspective of the service providers or users who have an intimate understanding of their requirements for facilities. They are fully customisable and address a wide range of functionality aspects such as location, size, configuration and fit out, access to parking and public transport, energy, resource use, climate adaptability, and suitability for users with physical or cognitive disabilities.

Questions answered by our Fitness for Purpose Assessments include:

How well does the asset support service delivery and the needs of the community?

Should Council invest in the maintenance and renewal of the asset, is a major upgrade required, or is the asset surplus to requirements?

For community planners

In our experience, Fitness for Purpose Assessments are one of the most useful exercises a council can undertake to understand of how well (or how poorly) existing community facilities are performing. They enable planners to engage directly with community services providers, users and asset managers to explore future options for facilities and agree on priorities.

One of our clients described the assessments as a “win - win - win”; they provide services with a means to articulate their facility needs, asset managers with a prioritised list of improvements, and community infrastructure planners with evidence-based projects for the Community Infrastructure Plan.

For asset managers

The Local Government Act 2020 requires council’s Asset Plans to “..be developed in accordance with deliberative engagement practices”. One of their key purposes is to “..align decisions around assets to community needs, service levels and standards”. Our fitness for purpose assessments provide a means to consider the needs, demands and expectations of communities and ensure that assets support sustainable long-term service delivery.

When incorporated into an Asset Plan or Community Infrastructure Plan, the results of functionality assessments help identify future service delivery needs and the capacity of assets to meet those needs in the long term.

Whether conducted through our CASIMO web app, Microsoft Excel, or deployed through council’s own software applications, the results of our fitness for purpose assessments can be easily compared with asset condition audits and integrated into council’s asset information system.