Maintenance is used as a generic term to include planned maintenance, repair and reimbursement and provision for replacement of the structures. Maintenance should be considered as important part and parcel of any infrastructure development in a country. Good maintenance of infrastructure and facilities need good policy, planning and implementation.

The goal of infrastructure maintenance is to sustain the life of major assets. When maintenance is provided too soon or too late, it will incur unnecessary costs and compromise the asset’s economic life span. Maintenance of existing infrastructure should not be seen of secondary importance to the apparently more attractive option of new infrastructure.

Maintaining infrastructure comes at a cost, but this is a prudent investment which saves significantly in the medium to long term and promotes both the economic and human capital development. There are other significant costs associated with inadequate maintenance wand consequent breakdowns. These costs could include loss of production and consequent economic loss, health risks, injury or loss of life, and the cost of alternative measures needed during breakdowns.

Maintenance norms and standards are yet to be developed for the various sectors (e.g. roads, water, sanitation, etc). Good practice guidelines for planning, designing and implementing maintenance programmes will be identified. Based on the maintenance standards, budgeting norms will be developed to facilitate accurate long-term maintenance budget forecasting, taking into account the type, age and condition of the infrastructure. The programme covers essential contents on Malaysia’s Ascertain Institutional Framework on Infrastructure Maintenance, assessment needs, planning and execution, including financial planning and budgetary control of infrastructure maintenance.