Establishing the BaselineFrom Asset Intelligence to Strategic Outcomes
A three-campus, eight-discipline program that delivered a verified, risk-informed capital planning position for a major public health network, setting the standard for strategic asset management across the sector.
A program that exceeded its brief
In 2025, a major public health network engaged Viacore Advisory and RenewCORP to deliver an asset audit and data analysis for risk mapping across three major hospital campuses. On reviewing the existing data, the team identified that the foundation required for credible risk mapping was not yet in place.
Rather than proceed within the limitations of the source data, Viacore Advisory and RenewCORP recommended, and the health network agreed, that the data be revalidated in the field before any risk framework was built on top of it. That decision elevated the entire program.
Eight service disciplines audited
Complex infrastructure, unreliable data
The health network operates some of the state's most complex hospital infrastructure. The audit program had to contend with the full weight of that complexity from the start:
- Three major hospital campuses each carrying distinct service disciplines, asset populations, and critical infrastructure dependencies
- Existing asset data insufficient as a foundation for credible risk mapping, with revalidation required before any framework could be built
- Works conducted within a live clinical environment, with regulatory compliance and operational continuity as non-negotiable constraints
- Outputs required to meet the health network's Enterprise Risk Management Framework and Health Asset Management Framework from day one
Verified data. Embedded collaboration. Defensible outputs.
Field revalidation of existing asset data
The first decision was to revalidate the existing data before building any risk framework on top of it.
- Physical condition, asset identity, and operational status verified directly on site across all eight disciplines
- Rather than accepting source data at face value, the team established a verified foundation that makes every output defensible
- That single decision, recommended by Viacore Advisory and RenewCORP and agreed by the health network, elevated the entire program
Embedded workshop program
A structured workshop program ran throughout delivery, bringing together the health network's asset management, infrastructure, and engineering teams alongside Viacore Advisory and RenewCORP.
- Collaborative development of an asset management benchmark aligned to the Health Asset Management Framework
- Built on the health network's own standards and governance obligations, not an externally imposed model
- Health network's enterprise risk management standards reviewed directly across multiple sessions to ensure the framework emerged from within the organisation
Asset intelligence framework and lifecycle assessment
From the verified data, a comprehensive asset intelligence hierarchy was developed, incorporating lifecycle, capital expenditure, and engineering parameters for every asset.
- Physical and operational condition assessed for reliability and performance
- Operating environment, asset utilisation, redundancy position, and failure likelihood assessed for each asset
- Consequence of failure, criticality scoring, and remaining useful life benchmarked across the full portfolio
- Technology obsolescence, key risk drivers, and sustainability considerations incorporated throughout
- Strategic asset and risk management framework developed per asset, covering failure response targets, restoration time targets, and capital renewal recommendations
$141M
In lifecycle capital identified
The original brief was an asset audit and risk mapping analysis. The audit uncovered $141 million in lifecycle capital and replacement requirements across the three hospital campuses, giving the team a clear view of where the health network's infrastructure was headed and what it would cost to secure it.
Rather than present those findings and step back, Viacore Advisory and RenewCORP developed a set of future-proofing recommendations covering the assets and systems most exposed to near-term capital risk. The health network took those recommendations forward as the basis for their long-term capital planning.
A verified capital planning position at scale
- A verified, condition-informed capital planning position across three major hospital campuses
- Structured digital asset hierarchy aligned with the Victorian Building Information Standard (VBIS) across every asset class, providing a CMMS-ready asset register with lifecycle and capital management plans
- Priority 1 and Priority 2 assets operating beyond recognised end of life identified across the portfolio, with critical infrastructure prioritised for immediate capital intervention
- $141 million in lifecycle capital and replacement requirements assessed across the three campuses, providing a direct, defensible input into the health network's 10-year capital plan and the Health Authority Infrastructure Renewal Program
- Risk and criticality framework sets a benchmark for asset management practice across the health sector, positioning the health network at the forefront of strategic infrastructure management for public health facilities
“The success of this program came from complete collaboration through every stage - from audit to capital prioritisation, risk management, engineering advisory, and feasibility. This is what happens when all stakeholders remain invested in the outcome and data is treated as an operational asset, not just a deliverable. The audit was the starting point. The capital strategy that followed is what made it worthwhile, and understanding how to reduce risk exposure whilst improving operational outcomes and sustainability standards is what sets this kind of program apart.”
Viacore Advisory
Feasibility programs that followed the findings
The feasibility programs were a direct result of the proactive recommendations put forward at the close of the audit. Each followed a consistent three-phase structure: site assessment, asset strategy report, and Health Building Authority (VHBA) business case, submitted under the Enhanced Infrastructure Renewal Program (EIRP).
Campus Boiler and Steam Plant Infrastructure Feasibility
Two aging, interdependent heating systems, both operating well beyond their expected useful life in a live clinical environment, presented a decision that extended beyond routine asset replacement. With the steam plant materially oversized relative to current clinical demand and carrying an escalating maintenance burden, the strategic question became whether continued investment in aging gas infrastructure remained viable, or whether the campus should pursue full steam eradication and electrification via heat pump technology.
Outcome
Financial and sustainability modelling supported full steam eradication as the recommended path. Electrification would eliminate Scope 1 emissions, reduce long-term operational costs, and remove the reliability risk carried by aging, obsolescence-affected infrastructure. A comprehensive VHBA business case was developed from the asset strategy findings and submitted under the Enhanced Infrastructure Renewal Program (EIRP).
Building Management Control System (BMCS) Feasibility
Following the audit, the health network identified the BMCS infrastructure at one campus as a priority candidate for replacement under the VHBA 2025-26 EIRP. Viacore Advisory and RenewCORP were engaged to develop the technical evidence, engineering justification, and capital planning intelligence needed to support a defensible funding submission.
Outcome
The health network now holds an independent engineering assessment of its Schneider BMCS infrastructure, a recommended upgrade roadmap across multiple replacement pathways, energy improvement modelling with ROI analysis, and a VHBA-ready capital case narrative aligned to EIRP submission requirements. Any future investment decision is backed by an evidence base capable of withstanding VHBA funding assessment and capital governance scrutiny.
The program gave the health network a verified, risk-informed view of its critical infrastructure across three major hospital campuses. More importantly, it translated asset condition data into a defensible capital planning position, allowing the prioritisation of investment based on risk, clinical continuity, lifecycle need and long-term sustainability. The partnership with Viacore Advisory and RenewCORP materially strengthened the network's asset management maturity and provided a foundation for more strategic infrastructure decision-making.
Executive Director, Infrastructure and Digital
Major Public Health Network
A foundation for strategic decision-making
Shared understanding of risk priorities, aligned delivery standards, and a single source of truth across the program ensured the outputs were technically rigorous, operationally relevant, and decision-ready from the moment of handover. That foundation carried directly into the feasibility programs, and the methodology established here is setting the standard for critical infrastructure management across the health sector.
“The real value in this project came from more than simply handing over a report. It came from staying in the room after the findings landed. We turned verified asset data into future-proofing recommendations, then into the feasibility, followed by a defensible, well-considered capital works program. That is the difference between a general audit and a committed partnership with RenewCORP.”
RenewCORP
The throughline from initial audit engagement to capital submission is the story of what becomes possible when the team doing the analysis stays invested in what happens with the findings.
Start your project