Technical review

Introduction

Road networks that are funded through the NLTP, are subject to periodic technical reviews. The reviews involve examination of the network assets as well as an audit of the processes used by the approved organisation that is responsible for managing the assets, to assess:

  • Value for money;
  • Achievement of agreed targets; and
  • Compliance with standards and guidelines

In selecting the approved organisations to be reviewed each year, three risk factors are considered:

  1. Known issues/risks;
  2. Levels of funding; and
  3. Length of time since the previous review.

Approved organisations responsible for local roads are reviewed every three to five years.

An average of 16 technical reviews are carried out each year.

Mandate

The Land Transport Management Amendment Act 2008, section 95(1)(e)(ii), requires the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to audit the performance of approved organisations in relation to activities approved by the Agency.

The Performance Monitoring Teams Charter states that this statutory requirement will be met by regular procedural audits and regular technical reviews of local authorities.

The Land Transport Management Amendment Act, section 95(1)(g), requires the NZTA to assist and advise approved organisations in relation to Agencys functions, duties, and powers under the Act. Technical reviews are carried out in such a way that they also contribute to the assist and advise requirement.

Planning the review

In May each year, all approved organisations are sent a copy of a general circular showing the review programme for the coming year. The general circular is also available on the NZ Transport Agencys web-site.

For each approved organisation included in the programme, the reviewer will contact them a month or more in advance of any review and negotiate a suitable date. A letter is sent, confirming the details of the review and requesting that the approved organisation has some information prepared at the time of the reviewers arrival. It is useful and efficient, both for the reviewer and for the approved organisation, if this preparation is carried out.

Information

When preparing, the Technical Reviewer will request and examine a range of information covering (but not limited to):

  • Pavement condition (generally from our Assets briefing notes);
  • Crash data (generally from our Safety and personal security briefing notes);
  • Community objectives, and any issues and constraints identified in council publications (such as the LTCCP, Annual Plan, Asset Management Plan, etc, generally sourced directly from the council website to ensure it is the most current version);and
  • The views of regional NZTA staff that are interacting regularly with the approved organisation.

The review process

An entry meeting is held to explain the review process and establish relevant contacts with key staff.

The review, including a network drive-over, is then carried out. At its conclusion, an exit discussion is held with key staff. Any issues are raised at this time to ensure there are no surprises in the final report.

Before the review report is finalised, it is sent to the approved organisation for comment. The comments are considered and some text of the report may be changed as a result. The comments are appended to the report in full. A final report is then issued after adoption by the Chief Executive under delegation from the Board.

Recommendations are followed up by regional liaison staff.

The review - what we do

Technical Reviews involve a technical auditor from the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) national office, one or more officers from the approved organisation (AO), a representative of the local NZTA regional office and an independent local authority engineer. The review occurs over a 3 ‑ 4 day visit to the network and the offices of the approved organisation.

The technical review process looks at the management and condition of the network as a whole, including how that has changed over time. The components of the network include pavements, drainage, structures, traffic services, and environmental maintenance. The review:

  • Identifies any areas requiring technical, process or system improvement
  • Encourages information exchange between the people involved in the review. Having an independent local authority engineer from a similar sized council provides a good opportunity for collegial exchange and brings balance to the technical review.