City of Napier, New Zealand, to Augment Management of Urban Assets
with Solutions from Government Software Leader Accela, Inc.

Accela’s Asset Management Software to Help Napier Manage Nearly 100,000 Community Assets

NAPIER, New Zealand, June 23, 2009 – The City Council of Napier, New Zealand, today announced that it will deploy advanced Accela Automation® software from Accela, Inc., the leader in Web-based and mobile applications that make government services available around the clock. Napier City Council will leverage Accela’s asset and work order management software to help maintain the city’s water and wastewater assets, as well as its various parks, reserves and public spaces.

As one of New Zealand’s popular tourist destinations, Napier needs to ensure that its infrastructure and public assets serve not only the resident population of nearly 60,000, but many thousands of annual visitors. The city estimates the new software will eventually track close to 100,000 individual assets. Napier currently uses different kinds of asset management software running on separate databases, which lowers efficiency and reduces visibility across asset classes.

Napier will deploy the Accela Asset Management™ module of Accela Automation, which allows local and regional governments to efficiently track and manage their assets and resources, providing an automated solution for costing, inventory, maintenance, investigations, and inspections. The software enables agencies to define their assets in a tailored manner, providing intelligent analysis and maintenance capability to keep critical infrastructure performing at peak condition. Also important for communities like Napier, Accela Asset Management’s powerful workflow engine facilitates integration across disparate departments and systems by allowing customers to create their own work processes without the need for re-programming.

“Napier has wanted for some time to update our existing asset management systems with a single solution, built on advanced technology, that would deliver the flexibility to meet all of our needs now and into the future,” said Ian Tidy, the city’s GIS Analyst and Developer. “Accela Automation will be the central hub for all of our most critical GIS, CAD and asset data, so the application’s ease of asset modeling and Accela’s commitment to innovation were major factors in our selection – as was the ability to manage work orders and record maintenance data with greater accuracy.”

Accela established its Melbourne, Australia-based wholly owned subsidiary, Accela South Pacific Pty Ltd., (Accela SP) in July 2008 to provide strong regional knowledge and service to local customers. Mark Watts, Managing Director of Accela SP, has tracked government technology needs in the region for many years and notes that the market is primed for more innovative solutions.

“The local government sector in this region has seen a reduction in service and product options to meet their burgeoning public-service charters,” said Watts. “Accela’s mission is to equip governments around the world with the best technology available in order help them modernize their organizations, manage changing needs, and better serve the public. With more than 500 customers in the United States and a total focus on state and local governments, Accela understands the process and expectations of government customers like Napier City Council. Accela SP merges that market expertise with a commitment to support our customer base with local resources and to bring regional requirements into our product suite.”

About Napier
Napier is located on New Zealand’s North Island, about 330 kilometers (204 miles) northeast of the national capital Wellington. Napier is one of the largest apple, pear and stone-fruit producing areas in New Zealand, and has become an important grape-growing and wine-production area. Known as New Zealand’s “Art Deco City,” Napier hosts an annual Art Deco Weekend, which celebrates the city’s architectural heritage and draws thousands of tourists. More information is available at: www.napier.govt.nz.