Life Cycle
The purpose of life cycle costing is to ensure that long-term consequences of maintenance decisions can be easily taken into account, rather than assessing maintenance work on initial cost only.
It therefore defines not only the best maintenance option but also when that option should be carried out.
The benefits of applying life cycle costing are:
- Reduces the total cost of maintaining the asset
- Reduces the in-service costs of maintaining the asset
- Minimises the disruption to road users
- Provides value for money for all road users and tax payers
- Used in the preparation of forward works programmes
- Used in the development of maintenance strategies
Based on engineering experience PTS can estimate your future maintenance requirements by considering the following: -
- Think long term up to 30 years
- Existing condition
- The rate at which the pavement is deteriorating
- Note that short term options may cost more in the long term
- Using alternative materials
- List all possible maintenance options
- Take into account user delays
- Identify traffic management options
Growing traffic levels and continued pressure on budgets means that strategies for managing, maintaining and improving the network must be cost effective yet take into account the expected long-term performance of the road. PTS are specialists in interpreting condition data together with all other reasons for maintenance before the most cost-effective treatment option is recommended.
