The document summarizes the regulator's view of infrastructure asset management (IAM) standards in Portugal's water sector. It discusses how Portugal has evolved from an infrastructure phase to a management phase, creating a need for long-term strategies to balance service quality and costs while managing risks. The regulator has developed IAM indicators and an index to assess operators' infrastructure knowledge. It has also published IAM manuals, sponsored training, and supported a national IAM development program. Portuguese law now requires large operators to implement IAM systems. Next steps include providing guidance on legal compliance and comparing IAM requirements to the ISO 55001 standard.

1. World Water Congress
& Exhibition 2014, Lisbon
LISBON CONGRESS CENTRE, 21 – 26 SEPTEMBER 2014
Pre Congress Forum
Part II
ISO AM Standards in Water Sector

2. Regulator’s view of the
standards – The view of ERSAR
Paula Freixial, The Water and Waste Services Regulation
Authority
LISBON CONGRESS CENTRE, 21 SEPTEMBER 2014

3. 3
CONTENTS
1. MOTIVATION FOR AN INFRASTRUCTURE
ASSET MANAGEMENT (IAM) APPROACH
2. WHAT WE HAVE DONE
3. NEXT STEPS

4. 4
MOTIVATION FOR AN IAM APPROACH
 In the last decades Portugal evolved from an “infrastructural
phase” to a “management phase”
 Increasing pressure on operators regarding:
 quality of service and environmental protection
 cost recovery, with affordability of service to users
 risk management
 Need for a long term vision for water services
It became essential to develop a strategy to meet the ideal
balance in the long term between quality of service and cost of
service in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.

5. 5
WHAT WE HAVE DONE
Quality of service assessment - indicators more related to
Infrastructure Asset Management (IAM)

6. 6
WHAT WE HAVE DONE
Infrastructural knowledge index
 This Index shows that most operators have insufficient
information on their assets
The Index is calculated based on the existence
of the network plant and the information
recorded about the network elements and
interventions in the network

7. 7
WHAT WE HAVE DONE
 Publication of two comprehensive IAM
manuals
 Sponsorship of training courses for the
Portuguese operators

8. 8
WHAT WE HAVE DONE
 ERSAR highlights the National Initiative for Infrastructure Asset
Management (IAM), a Portuguese collaborative project led by
LNEC (National Civil Engineering Laboratory, Portugal) through
which 19 water operators are developing their own IAM systems
and plans through a joint training and capacitation programme.

9. 9
WHAT WE HAVE DONE
 Another important step was the
establishment in the Portuguese law
of the requirement for the
implementation of an IAM system,
applicable to water operators that
serve more than 30 000 inhabitants

10. 10
NEXT STEPS
 Publish an ERSAR recommendation indicating the aspects that
operators should observe in order to comply with the legal frame
 Compare ISO 55 001 and IAM requirements, in order to identify
overlaps and gaps.

11. 11
THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION