UKPMS

The UK Pavement Management System (UKPMS) is the national standard for management systems for the assessment of local road network condition and for the planning of investment and maintenance on paved areas of roads, kerbs, footways and cycle tracks on local roads within the UK.

As paved assets are the largest part of the highway network, efficient pavement management forms a vital component of any successful Transport Asset Management regime. It is essential for Local Authorities to be able to demonstrate effective pavement management processes within their Highway and Transport Asset Management Plans.

Road Maintenance

The primary use of UKPMS is to assist Local Authorities in the planning of maintenance on the local road network through the systematic collection and analysis of condition data. This is recommended as good practice and is a vital component of an effective Highway Asset Management regime. The key role played by UKPMS in highway maintenance management is recognised in Well-maintained Highways: Code of Practice for Highway Maintenance Management.

In general, all pavement management systems consist of a representation of a road network divided into uniquely referenced road lengths. Against this network, it is possible to locate other data, including condition data (collected by visual or machine surveys) and inventory (such as construction details and width information). By applying rules to the condition data held against each section, potential maintenance treatments can be identified and these treatments can be prioritised

by condition, or
in an order that will give best value for money in the long term.

Performance Indicators

Another area where UKPMS plays a vital part is in supporting the Local Performance Framework. The UKPMS approach ensures consistency between the different pavement management systems operated by different Local Authorities. This is the main reason why the Department for Transport requires UKPMS to be used for the production of the following National Indicators relating to the condition of local roads:

NI168 – Principal roads where maintenance should be considered
NI169 – Non-principal classified roads where maintenance should be considered

Similarly, UKPMS is required for performance indicators for:

Wales (THS/010 – Percentage of roads that are in overall poor condition)
Scotland (SRMCS PI)
Northern Ireland (Roads Service website)

Quality Assurance

It is important to note that UKPMS is not a pavement management system, but is a specification for those functions where national consistency and comparability are required. Commercial system suppliers are encouraged to incorporate those key aspects of UKPMS within their systems, and a central testing programme ensures comparability with the UKPMS standard.

Following an initial comprehensive Comparability Test, ongoing comparability of each UKPMS accredited system is monitored through an Annual Health Check test (introduced in autumn 2005). The Annual Health Check provides regular routine assurance that UKPMS systems continue to meet UKPMS requirements including the current rule set and national reporting.

It is important to be aware that each of these proprietary systems is different and offers different functionality. One of the strengths of the UKPMS approach is that Local Authorities are free to choose a pavement management system that meets their own particular needs, safe in the knowledge that those areas where national consistency is required are covered by the UKPMS process. Work has been carried out to review the core functionality of UKPMS.

Rules and Parameters

Central to configuring UKPMS is the ‘Rule Set’, a self-contained set of rules, parameters and data, which allows users to apply either national standard or locally derived rules in the processing of their data. The concept of a national, standard rule set means that any changes can be introduced and managed in a controlled, predictable way without the need for a repeat of the full comparability testing.

Rule Sets (Rules & Parameters RP9.01A, Rules & Parameters RP6.01, Rules & Parameters RP7.01, Rules & Parameters RP8.01) are released by the UKPMS Support Contractor in an annual cycle to meet the needs and timescales for both national reporting and the Annual Health Check. For example, Rule Set RP9.01 will be used for reporting in 2010.

Accreditation

Testing of UKPMS systems is organised in three “Tranches” of functionality, although accreditation is only gained when tests for all three tranches have been passed. Tranche 1 is the first step required to set up a 'UKPMS' database. It includes all the necessary input and validation routines for specified data. Tranche 2 introduces the functionality to analyse the recorded defects and produce treatment recommendations. Tranche 3 adds important specific functions to the Tranche 2 functionality.

Each system is tested every time a new test sequence is issued, called an Annual Health Check. The current accredited systems, and those from previous years, can be found on the UKPMS Annual Health Check page.