IWA SPECIALIST GROUP

NEWSLETTERMay 2020

Content
Message from the Chair
Meet the SAM SG MC Member:
Takayuki Sawai
In Focus:
Dealing with COVID-19 /After LESAM 2019 /SAM SG Webinar
Meet the Asset Management
Champions: Copperleaf
Asset Management Success Story:
IWA International SAM Forum2020 Belgrade, Serbia
News From IWA Headquarters
News From IWA Publishing
IWA Learn
Write to Us!

Message from the Chair

Rita Salgado BritoI welcome you to the IWA SAM-SG newsletter where you can findan update on the group’s recent activities and the plan for the
coming months.
Asset Management (AM) in the water sector is all about managing
water infrastructure in a sustainable way, while dealing withperformance, risk and cost, with intergenerational responsibility. In
these days, facing the COVID-19 pandemic, an increased risk isposed on our water infrastructures. Utilities need to manage theimpact of the pandemic on their staff and infrastructure and toreassure their stakeholders about potential concerns.
In this issue you will find our focus on dealing with the pandemic
with AM, on the aftermath of LESAM 2019, our Leading-Edge
Strategic Asset Management conference, and also on our next
webinar on the role of public policies as levers for AM.
You will meet Takayuki Sawai, a member of our SAM-SGManagement Committee. You will also meet an AM Champion,
Copperleaf, as an organization that puts AM into practice.
You will find out more about our path for creating AM successstories, namely the IWA International SAM Forum 2020 in Belgrade,aiming for the regional dissemination of AM best practices.
Highlights on the news from the IWA network are also provided.

WRITE TO US!
Editor: Oliver Nachevski
oliver.nachevski@giz.de

Subscribe to our Newsletter and let us know your thoughts,
comments and suggestions – they will always be very welcome. We
will publish 2 issues per year.
As a final note, I assure our SAM Specialist Group members andreaders that our management committee is working high effectively
from home and keeping our SAM plans going!

Oliver Nachevski

IWA Specialist Group on Strategic Asset Management

May 2020

Meet the SAM SG Management Committee Member:
Takayuki Sawai

Takayuki Sawai
Group Leader, Waterworks Strategy Division, NJS Co., Ltd., Japan
P: +81 (0)3 6324 4309 / M: +81 (0)90 6725 3886 / E: takayuki_sawai@njs.co.jp

In 2008, I was involved in ISO/TC 224, which develops international standards
and guidelines related to water industry. This is the beginning of my careerconcerning Asset Management. I worked with the committee until 2018 todevelop the AM guidelines for water utilities which aim to support theapplication of ISO 5500X standards to the water sector. In parallel with ISO
work, I started to participate in IWA Leading-Edge Strategic Asset Management(LESAM) conferences to strengthen the communication on the latest trends of
AM with the specialists around the world. I believe that a total of 5 participations
since 2011 make me a real LESAMER!
Takayuki Sawai

With the release of the ISO 5500X in 2014, “Asset Management” has become auniversal language. In Japan, it is not easy for most public utilities to implement this kind of management
system, because of the business environment in such vertically structured organizations, the bottom-up
approach based on on-site experience, etc. On the other hand, the concept of AM is being translated into
practical applications and various support tools and technologies to promote the introduction of AM and
improve asset analysis have been developed.
LESAM is the best platform to share those studies and experiences and to help find out what the suitable
and applicable methods are for each country.
Through the activities of SAM-SG, I would like to spread proper understanding of AM as an initiative tocontinuous business improvement and disseminate new AM-related research and technologies which canbe helpful for other countries. Looking forward to seeing you at the next LESAM!
May 2020

IWA Specialist Group on Strategic Asset Management

2In Focus:

Dealing with COVID-19 with Asset Management
COVID-19 pandemic has struck us as anunprecedented and overwhelming reality. The
water sector has a role to play in this global
challenge.
Utilities need to reassure their stakeholders about
potential concerns, stating that water does notconstitute a relevant route of transmission andthat, to date, no case of a faecal-oral transmissionof the virus has been reported. In parallel, as
there are reports on the detection of the virus insewage, apparently sewage monitoring could bea sensitive tool to track the circulation of the virus
in the population. Check the March 2020 WHO
Interim Guidance on Water, sanitation, hygiene,
and waste management for the COVID-19 virus(https://www.who.int/publications-detail/watersanitation-hygiene-and-waste-management-forcovid-19) and also the IWA publishinghandpicked articles, relevant to the ongoing
efforts against COVID-19(https://www.iwapublishing.com/news/covid-19related-resources-free-content) for more
information.
Also, utilities need to manage the impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic on their staff andsustainability, as absence from work may lead tomaintenance backlogs, deterioration of assets
and reduction in service levels. Non-essential
maintenance, repair and upgrade work will bedeferred, possibly for months. Also, quite a few
new building projects are on hold. Check this very
interesting article on the subject:https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/could-covid-19set-infrastructure-owners-back-decades-iaincranston/.

May 2020

In addition, in some countries, lowering taxes or
eliminating the obligation to pay the water bill isunder consideration. This line of support forresidents in their lower income expectations, must
be considered both in the short- and long-term
effect AM analysis of the pandemic on water
utilities. Cash flow issues, adding to staffing
challenges, facility access during containment orquarantine and supply chain conditions, isbecoming a major concern for utilities andinfrastructure owners in general. We must learn
from this experience. We have been impressedby how well prepared many utilities are, reacting
to the immediate crisis. They have shown anagility to adapt that is quite remarkable.
This crisis, as all serious crises, is a must-notmiss opportunity to innovate, to make plans andact differently. Additionally, it is when resources
are scarcer that their rational use becomes more
important. We must act short term with a longterm-thinking in mind. This situation may also
force us to rethink our water systems, bearing
mitigation of disruptions in mind. This might
include the use of automation where possible toreduce reliance on staff, while maintaining service
levels. We cannot afford to continue with like-forlike replacements when an asset reaches its endof life. We must rethink our infrastructures. Assetmanagement addresses these concerns, as it is
all about managing water infrastructure in asustainable way, while dealing with performance,risk and cost, and keeping up with stakeholders’expectations. Also, intergenerational
responsibility is at the core of AM – and we all
agree we need to be prepared for any future
global events like the one we face today.

IWA Specialist Group on Strategic Asset Management

3After LESAM 2019

In September 2019, the SAM-SG teamed up with
the Benchmarking and Performance Assessment
SG and the Canadian Water and Wastewater
Association to organize back-to-backPerformance Indicators and Leading-Edge
Strategic Asset Management conferences in
Vancouver, Canada. These biennial conferences
attract specialists from all over the world, creating
a wonderful forum to share and learn about thelatest developments in these contiguous areas.
Experts from 18 countries met for five days at the
University of British Columbia’s downtown
campus and enjoyed the warm Canadian
hospitality at social events in Vancouver’s scenic
harbor, at Science World and in Yaletown’s pubs.
Performance indicators are not only used forregulatory reporting and internal or national
benchmarking – they are increasingly used as theenablers of the asset management decisionmaking frameworks used by water utilities. This

became very apparent during joint panel
discussions on Wednesday’s common PI/LESAM
day, and again in the LESAM section of theconference where utilities from every continent
presented their challenges and solutions –including fast increasing adherence to ISO 55001
and adoption of advanced project valuation andportfolio optimization techniques.
A post-event survey reinforced the relevance of
the LESAM conferences, with 90% of the
respondents stating the conference format waseither Good or Very Good. Similarly, 87% of the
respondents thought the conference offered goodvalue for money, and 85% felt they had gained
valuable knowledge and insights, and madeinteresting new connections.
The next LESAM conference is planned in
Bordeaux, France in autumn 2021.

SAM SG Webinar
Do not miss our next webinar focused on how public policies can foster strategic asset management.
The sustainability of water
infrastructure does not solely
depend on the will of individual
utilities to implement asset
management. It is crucial to pave
the way to service effectiveness andsustainability by including the asset
management concern in the water
public policies, with the right tools
and incentives.

May 2020

IWA Specialist Group on Strategic Asset Management

4This webinar will bring together experts on public policy and regulation of water services and discuss:– what public policy is;– how public policy can foster strategic asset management;– how different countries have been doing this.
The webinar will be approximately 1 hour and will take place
on Wednesday, May 6, 15:00 Amsterdam time.
To join, kindly use:
https://iwa-network.org/learn/how-can-public-policies-foster-strategic-asset-management/

Meet the Asset Management champions: Copperleaf
Decision analytics: driving capital efficiency in an evolving industry
Over the past century, the water industry has
steadily increased its technical and businessproficiency, while improving public health andprotecting the environment. However, water
utilities today are facing unprecedented
challenges related to the stewardship of thisrobust yet aging infrastructure. Renewal andreplacement of water and wastewater assets are
key concerns, yet budgetary constraints andlimited public support for rate increases aremaking it increasingly challenging for utilities tocontinue to meet service level targets andminimize disruptions.
As utilities evolve their strategy to adapt to thesechallenges, they must align their investment
decisions to support new goals and objectives.
They must focus their limited capital and labouron the continued quality and reliability of theessential services they provide, while

simultaneously investing in new technologies andinitiatives to manage resource availability andmeet future demands.
In a world of aging assets, and ever-increasing
constraints, making decisions about which
projects to invest in, and when, is no easy task.
For the last 20 years, Copperleaf has been
helping utilities deliver capital efficiency. Thismeans ensuring every euro is being spent in themost effective way possible - to maximize thevalue each project delivers to the utility, itscustomers, and society. Our experience andmethodology have been incorporated into an
enterprise software solution named C55 that has
been adopted by some of the largest, most wellrespected organisations in the world - across avariety of sectors.

Decision analytics at work
A good example of why utilities might adopt
Copperleaf’s asset investment planning solution
can be found at Anglian Water in the UK. When it
embarked on a 10-year journey to improve its
asset management practices, it recognised an
opportunity to enhance its expenditure
optimisation and planning capability, andestablish an industry-leading investment planning
practice.
May 2020

While Anglian Water had a high level ofinvestment planning maturity and capability, theStrategic Investment Management teamrecognized that advances in enterprise softwareand visualization could help the company stay at
the forefront of investment planning best practiceby addressing a number of key goals:

IWA Specialist Group on Strategic Asset Management

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•

•
•

•

•

Create a living plan from which any
regulatory submission is a simple
snapshot;
Provide better insights into the risk andperformance of the entire asset base;
Bring together an understanding of asset
risk, cost planning, project scoping, andinvestment plan optimization, alongsideactual spend on in-flight projects;
Integrate whole life asset managementfrom cradle to grave, i.e. consider all costs
throughout the lifecycle, as opposed tojust assessing capital investments;
Ensure investment decisions support thecompany's strategic goals andcommitments - in alignment with ISO
55001 best practices.

Chris Royce, Anglian Water’s Head of Strategic
Investment summarises the deployment of C55
as follows: “We now have a fantastic solution thatcombines the power and capability of the coreC55 solution with the maturity of the UK watersector. It’s really exciting to see. This continuous
planning and management capability really puts
us in a new space.
From a functional perspective, the key thing isthat Copperleaf comes at it focused onshareholder value and their top down financial
optimization gives us an enhanced capability tobuild the best possible plan for our shareholders
and customers.”

•

•

•

Predict the long-term needs of diverse
assets: forecast asset sustainment needs
based on risk and economics, and create
an investment strategy that maximises
business value while proactively managing
risk.
Optimise portfolios of investments torealise the greatest value: identify the
optimal combination of investment
alternatives and timing that respect all
funding and resource constraints—anddeliver the greatest value to yourbusiness.
Manage portfolios to maintain the highest
execution performance: establish a more
efficient and effective process to manage
investments through their full lifecycle.
Track variances between planned andactual performance and re-optimise plansto drive continuous improvement.

Conclusion
Water is our most critical resource, and thereliability and resiliency of our water infrastructure
impacts our health, our quality of life, ourenvironment, and the economy. Decision
analytics can help water utilities align investment
strategies with the initiatives that will best addressthese key challenges — today and in the future.
For more information, visit www.copperleaf.com.

Asset Investment Planning & Management(AIPM)
AIPM is a best practice that helps asset-intensive
organisations make complex investment
decisions with confidence. It can help identify andevaluate asset risks and opportunities,
understand how they change over time, andmake decisions that deliver the greatest value tothe organisation. AIPM is highly aligned with ISO
55001 and provides an enterprise-wide platformthat enables businesses to:

May 2020

IWA Specialist Group on Strategic Asset Management

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Asset Management Success Story

IWA International SAM Forum 2020
19 NOV 2020 / BELGRADE / SERBIAThe International Water Association (IWA) officially supports the organization of an international high-level
event dedicated to Strategic Asset Management – the IWA International SAM Forum 2020.
The event will take place in Belgrade, Serbia on 19th November 2020.
The Organizers of IWA International SAM Forum 2020 are: IWA SAM-SG, GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft
fuer Internationale Zusammenarbiet), UTVSI (Association for Water Technology and Sanitary Engineeringfrom Belgrade, Serbia), IAWD (International Association of Water Supply Companies in the Danube River
Catchment Area, Vienna, Austria) and Hydro-Comp Enterprises (Cyprus).
With this event, SAM-SG aims to address all of its targets, which are to promote and disseminate leadingedge approaches to Strategic Asset Management; to promote regional activities, to leverage theparticipation of young water professionals and to consolidate an IWA vision, key principles and bestpractices of infrastructure asset management. The thematic Focus of the IWA International SAM Forum2020 will be on:– Resilience and climate change (adapting systems and making them more resilient);– Sound public policy and standardization;– Long-term planning (sustainable planning of AM measures).
Two keynote speakers, 8 to 10 presenters and over 50 delegates are expected to participate on the Forum.
Check if you are amongst the targeted Participants on the Forum:
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May 2020

Members of IWA SAM-SG;International Financing Institutions (EU, EBRD, KfW, EIB, …);
Ministers responsible for the coordination of the Water Sector in South-Eastern Europe;
National regulators in South-Eastern Europe;
Academics from renewed universities;
Water utility associations in South-Eastern Europe;
Local government associations in South-Eastern Europe;
Public utility companies in South-Eastern Europe;
Young water professionals;
Asset management experts and professionals.

IWA Specialist Group on Strategic Asset Management

7News From IWA Headquarters
Information resources on water and Covid-19
The Covid-19 pandemic is raising many questions for the water supply and wastewater sector around the world. This
includes the public seeking reassurance about potential concerns. The organisations who provide water and wastewater
services have to respond to this. Here we provide links to some of the leading and most respected sources to help support
understanding and discussion at this crucial time.

Joining forces – IWA and AfWA
The African Water Association (AfWA) Congress & Exhibition was hosted in Kampala, Uganda on February 20th, and it wasalso the venue of the IWA Board of Directors meeting. During this occasion, both organisations met to conceptualise a joint
vision for the future of water professionals in Africa.

Climate Change and Water – 2020 World Water Day
World Water Day 2020, on 22 March, was about water and climate change – and how the two are inextricably linked.
Adapting to the water effects of climate change will protect health and save lives. Using water more efficiently will reducegreenhouse gases. We cannot afford to wait. Everyone has a role to play.

New dates for IWA events
In light of on-going development of the global spread of COVID-19, a number of IWA events have been rescheduled,including the IWA Water and Industry Conference, the IWA Smart Solutions for Water Losses Conference, the IWA Digital
Water Summit, and the IWA Leading Edge Technologies Conference.

Be a part of the Emerging Water Leaders Steering Committee 2020-2022
We are looking for passionate, motivated young IWA members (aged 35 and below) to lead the IWA young water
professionals community! This a representative body that will provide advice about appropriate ways to serve young
professionals needs, and lead its community to contribute to IWA’s activities.

Nominations for IWA Fellowship are open!
Do you know anyone who has dedicated their lives to solving global water issues? Who is an IWA member? Who has madeoutstanding contributions to the national and regional water sector, as well as within the IWA? If so, submit your nominations
before 29 March 2020!

Call for Nominations of IWA Distinguished Fellows now open!
Do you know an IWA Fellow with a longstanding career and impact in the global water sector? Have they madeextraordinary long-term (at least 10 years) contributions to the global water sector and held leadership roles performed insupport of IWA’s mission and objectives? Submit your nominations now!

AquaRating – Transforming Management of Water Utilities
AquaRating is the new way to help you in transforming the management of water and sanitation utilities. It was discussed atthe 20th African Water Association Congress and Exhibition in Kampala, Uganda, in February 2020, along with other
innovations that accelerate access to water and sanitation for all.

IWA Launches a new Young Water Professionals Chapter in Canada
A new IWA Young Water Professional Chapter has been launched in Canada, aiming to be an inclusive, forward thinking,and supportive community for all early career Canadians working in the water sector. It has the goal of gathering together
early career professionals working in the country’s water sector so that they can network and share knowledge.

Do you know the next IWA Young Leadership awardee?
Do you know a young water leader who is making an impact by demonstrating leadership, setting goals beyond themselves,
taking initiative, and motivating others? Someone who is a role model for his or her peers? Nominate them for the IWA
Young Leadership Award before 6 April 2020.

The largest Water Utility in India and IWA engage
The International Water Association and Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board sign Memorandum ofUnderstanding for greater collaboration in India, with a focus on capacity development in the sector towards the goal of
realizing water-wise cities.

May 2020

IWA Specialist Group on Strategic Asset Management8News From IWA Publishing
Selected Books
We Need to Change to Solve the Water Crisis: Humanity is not a Plague: How
10 Billion People can Exist Together
Cees Buisman
ISBN: 9781789061406
April 2020 • 144 Pages • Paperback
IWA Members price: £ 11.00 / US$ 17.00 / € 14.00
https://www.iwapublishing.com/books/9781789061390/we-need-change-solvewater-crisis-humanity-not-plague-how-10-billion-people-can
In this essay, Cess Buisman sharply analyses some of the problems facing
mankind, such as fresh water shortages, whilst overturning several clichés andoffering unexpected, positive solutions. Overpopulation is not the problem; theeffects of our actions on the rest of the world have a much greater impact. ‘Back tonature’ is not the solution, nor is an overreliance on science and innovation. In fact,large-scale technologies could even increase our problems.

Assessment of Treatment Plant Performance and Water Quality Data: A
Guide for Students, Researchers and Practitioners
Marcos Von Sperling, Matthew E. Verbyla and Sílvia M. A. C. Oliveira
ISBN: 9781780409313
January 2020 • 640 Pages • Paperback
Open Access eBook: Available for FREE download!
IWA Members print price: £ 26.00 / US$ 39.00 / € 33.00
https://www.iwapublishing.com/books/9781780409313/assessment-treatmentplant-performance-and-water-quality-data-guide-students
The major concepts are illustrated by 92 fully worked-out examples, which aresupported by 75 freely-downloadable Excel spreadsheets. Each chapter concludes
with a checklist for your report. If you are a student, researcher or practitioner
planning to use or already using treatment plant and water quality monitoring data,then this book is for you!
Reducing Energy for Urban Water and Wastewater: Prospects for China
Kate Smith and Shuming Liu
ISBN: 9781780409931
September 2019 • 170 Pages • Paperback
IWA Members price: £ 53.00 / US$ 80.00 / € 66.00
https://www.iwapublishing.com/books/9781780409931/reducing-energy-urbanwater-and-wastewater-prospects-china
Cities use large amounts of costly energy to supply water and treat wastewater,
especially in China, one of the world’s largest providers of urban water andsanitation services. Reducing Energy for Urban Water and Wastewater shows how
cities can reduce energy use, cut costs and curb greenhouse gas emissions. First,
it guides the reader through water supply and wastewater treatment, explaining
how energy is used at each step.

May 2020

IWA Specialist Group on Strategic Asset Management

9Selected Publications
Capturing different perspectives on integrated urban water management issues
Lachlan Guthrie, Casey Furlong and Saman De Silva
Water Policy, March 2020
https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2020.200
Performance assessment of Swedish sewer pipe network using pipe blockage and other associatedperformance indicators
Open Access Article
E. Okwori, M. Viklander and A. Hedström
H2Open Journal, March 2020
https://doi.org/10.2166/h2oj.2020.027
A review of nature-based solutions for urban water management in European circular cities: a criticalassessment based on case studies and literature
Open Access Article
Hasan Volkan Oral, Pedro Carvalho, Magdalena Gajewska, Nadia Ursino, Fabio Masi, Eric D. van Hullebusch, Jan K.
Kazak, Alfonso Exposito, Giulia Cipolletta, Theis Raaschou Andersen, David Christian Finger, Lena Simperler, Martin
Regelsberger, Vit Rous, Matej Radinja, Gianluigi Buttiglieri, Pawel Krzeminski, Anacleto Rizzo, Kaveh Dehghanian,Mariyana Nikolova and Martin Zimmermann
Blue-Green Systems, January 2020, 2(1): 112-136
https://doi.org/10.2166/bgs.2020.932

H2Open Journal
H2Open Journal is an open access journal that publishes
original, peer-reviewed, internationally relevant articles
covering all aspects of 21st century water research:
fundamental science, application of science and technology
and impact of societal, political, and economic factors.
It considers research papers, critical reviews and shortcommunications; multi-disciplinary articles are encouraged.
APC’s are waived until 2021.
Find out more here: https://iwaponline.com/h2open

May 2020

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IWA Publishing Information
For more information on IWA Publishing products or to buy:
Please visit www.iwapublishing.com, or contact one of IWA Publishing's distributors.

UK, Europe and Rest of World

North America

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IWA Learn
The place for learning & professional development in the water sector
Professionals in the water sector require continuous development to be able to stay abreast with thechanging environment circumstances. No matter in which stage of your career, IWA provides you withguidance and opportunities to build up the competences required to succeed. This includes a set of tools
on how to develop your career, as well as opportunity of professional updating, learning, training andnetworking.
To learn more, visit the IWA Learn platform: https://iwa-network.org/iwa-learn/

May 2020

IWA Specialist Group on Strategic Asset Management

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Write to Us!
The Newsletter is an opportunity to share information worldwide: points of view; policy developments;
research; activities and events. If you have an interesting project, comments, or are planning a conferenceor workshop, send it to us, including contact point for more information.
Rita Salgado Brito
Chair, IWA Specialist Group on Strategic Asset Management
Email: rsbrito@lnec.pt
Oliver Nachevski
Vice Chair, IWA Specialist Group on Strategic Asset Management
Email: oliver.nachevski@giz.de
Bénédicte Rulleau
Secretary, IWA Specialist Group on Strategic Asset Management
Email: secretary.sam.iwa@gmail.com

IWA Head Office:Alliance House, 12 Caxton Street
London SW1H 0QS
United Kingdom

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Registered Charity (England) No. 1076690

May 2020

IWA Specialist Group on Strategic Asset Management

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