Foreword

Foreword

The trunk road network in Scotland is the most valuable single asset for which Scottish Ministers are responsible for. The network's current value exceeds £23 billion, but it is vital to recognise that its value to Scotland's economy and way of life is many times greater. A recent study identified that the network added £1.38 billion to the economy each year. As well as enabling economic stability and growth at local and national levels through access to markets and employment, it also connects communities to essential local services.

To ensure that the network is able to serve this function, it has to be safe, resilient and in the best condition possible with the funding available. Asset Management is integral to achieving this and Transport Scotland, along with its supply chain, has successfully embraced this approach. We do, however, need to continually improve in order to ensure that we maximise the effectiveness of the investment in the network.

We aim to be a world class asset management organisation and this Strategy describes how we plan and deliver enhancements to achieve this outcome. This requires commitment from our staff, suppliers and other stakeholders to embed the practices and processes of asset management into their day-to-day roles. To measure and monitor our success we have committed to regular audits of our asset management regime against the international standard ISO 55000. These take place biennially and the outcomes are reported to senior management to ensure that any necessary alterations to the asset management regime can be implemented at the earliest possible opportunity.

As with our other asset management documentation, I would welcome comments on this Strategy to ensure that it continues to remain relevant to our stakeholders.

Hugh Gillies
Director of Roads
November 2018