Across jurisdictions and institutions, the education system, whether tertiary or state, is facing increasing asset management pressures: ageing infrastructure, constrained budgets, rising community expectations, and a need for greater transparency and accountability.
In this context, data-driven strategies, lifecycle cost optimisation, and the right technology are helping education leaders shift from reactive maintenance to proactive, long-term asset performance. Here's what that looks like in practice.
What strategic asset management looks like in education
During the Future of Asset Management in Education event, hosted by AssetFuture earlier this year, one of Australia’s largest education asset holders shared how they embarked on a multi-decade transformation to address inconsistent practices, underutilised data, and a lack of confidence in scenario planning.
Partnering with AssetFuture marked a turning point. Utilising AssetFuture’s systems to the maximum, they ran a bold 100-year simulation based on 100% funding to explore what’s possible with complete planning.
Highlights from their journey include:
Data-driven decision making and forecasting. Leveraging historical data enabled forecasting models that now align with actual maintenance outcomes with 98% accuracy. Classifying assets by data reduced perception bias and allowed a shift from reactive to proactive maintenance, using reactive data as a baseline.
Lifecycle cost optimisation. Demonstrated that for every dollar of deferred maintenance, long-term costs can increase by $1 to $3. Analysing data variance identified inefficiencies and informed best-practice spending, while procurement optimisation supported bulk purchasing for durability and lower lifetime costs.
Asset condition and liability management. Measured facilities by a weighted condition index, reflecting the direct impact of condition on student experience. Recognised that some liability is efficient, avoiding unnecessary spend to eliminate it entirely.
Advanced technology. Adopted AssetFuture’s Asset Investment Planning solution for lifecycle modelling, achieving accurate forecasting of cost, risk, and condition. 3D imaging adoption jumped from 0% to 98% in nine months, drastically improving planning and maintenance assessments.
This transformation turned asset data into a strategic tool – enabling leaders to forecast, scenario plan, and advocate for investment with confidence, all of which aligns strongly with the requirements embedded into the TEFMA guidelines.
Building better educational outcomes
In education, strategic asset management isn’t about the building – it’s about the outcomes it enables. The right combination of data, dialogue, and strategy helps protect and enhance the environments where learning happens.
If you’d like to explore how AssetFuture can help your institution shift from reactive maintenance to proactive, data-driven asset performance, get in touch with our team today.
The AssetFuture team is very excited to attend the TEFMA Conference in Brisbane, 14-17 September 2025 and is looking forward to connecting with sector peers. Please let us know if you’d like to connect during the event and we can set some important time aside to meet you.
AssetFuture appreciates its partnerships with leading educational institutions, including Schools New Zealand, Schools QLD, Schools NSW, TAFE NSW and The University of Sydney.
