Description
Amey is responsible for managing, maintaining, renewing and improving the technological assets for the West Midlands Technology Managing Agent Contractor contract.
This amounts to over 15,000 assets on and around the M40, M42, M5, M50, M54 and M6 highways around Birmingham. With over 3 million users on this network everyday it is vital that the technology can be relied upon as an effective way of delivering safer roads and more reliable journey times for the road network users.
Amey has been responsible for the maintenance and management of the West Midlands TechMAC since July 2009 working with the Highways Agency to deliver their objectives of ‘safer roads, reliable journeys and informed travellers’.
As part of the West Midlands TechMAC Amey is responsible for:
- 15,000 technology assets including variable message signs, CCTV and the expanding Managed Motorway systems (including M42 Active Traffic Management)
- Routine and cyclical maintenance of assets
- Fault rectification and whole life asset management
- Technical Support Services for the West Midlands RCC
Efficiency and innovations
Since the start of the contract in July 2009 Amey has worked in unison with the other Amey TechMAC contracts in the South East and the North East of England. This is both in terms of operational best practice and consistent processes and procedures used across three TechMAC’s.
In seeking new ways like this to work has resulted in a more efficient and innovative approach to mobilising a new contract in significantly less time than traditionally associated with this.
Further efficiencies have been realised through the integration of the Area9 MAC and West Midland TechMAC with benefits including:
- the joint office location at Quinton Business Park
- combining the depot location at Longbridge on the M40.
- sharing specialist resources such as Safety, CDM-C, Commercial and Quality & Performance
- shared utilisation of traffic management
This means that Amey can drive best value for our customers by avoiding duplication, build quicker processes and sharing best practice across everything we do.
Outcomes
The service improvements developed through these synergies enabled Amey to mobilise both the Area 9 MAC and the West Midlands TechMAC contracts in four months, two months quicker than the normal scheduled process.
Through developing these types of innovative and efficient ways of working, Amey is able to provide more cost effective solutions as an effective part of delivering long term solutions for reducing congestion, improving road safety and leading to more reliable journey times.