Playbook · Utilities & Power

How to monetize surplus and idle assets in Utilities & Power (2026)

Last updated September 2026

The short answer

Turn a pile of unknown value into priced, sellable cash. 4 steps, in order, for a utilities & power operation.

What you are working against in Utilities

  • Critical spares over-held 'just in case'
  • Long-tail inventory compounding carrying cost
  • Little visibility into what's truly redundant

Before you start: where Utilities usually sits

MetricTypical for UtilitiesWhat good looks like
Inventory Carrying Cost 25–40% / yr Long-held critical spares raise carrying cost
Inventory Turnover Ratio 1.5–3 turns Critical spares lower turns; above 3 is strong
Days Sales of Inventory 90–180+ days Critical spares inflate DSI; find the redundant tail
Fill Rate 95–99%+ Critical spares target near-100% availability

Published ranges, not targets. Take your own baseline before step one.

The steps

  1. 1Establish a defensible fair market value for every surplus line item
  2. 2Separate what to redeploy internally from what to sell
  3. 3Generate FMV-grounded resale quotes buyers trust
  4. 4Document condition and provenance to lift recovery value

Why it pays off

5–15%
Scrapping surplus recovers only 5–15% of original cost, while complete documentation and condition can add 40–50% to secondary-market price.
Amplio
+40–50%
Complete documentation and verified condition can add 40–50% to the secondary-market price of surplus equipment.
Amplio
~25% / year
Excess and obsolete inventory costs the typical distributor about 25% of its value every year in storage, shrinkage, and cost of capital.
Industrial Supply Magazine

Frequently asked questions

How do you tell whether this is working in utilities & power?

Recompute the same way each period. Inventory Carrying Cost: Carrying Cost % = (Capital + Storage + Service + Risk costs) ÷ Average Inventory Value. Inventory Turnover Ratio: Inventory Turns = Cost of Goods Sold ÷ Average Inventory.

What does Utilities start from?

Inventory Carrying Cost of 25–40% / yr is the published band for utilities & power — long-held critical spares raise carrying cost. The 4 steps above are the same in any sector; the band you start from is not.

See what your inventory is really costing you.

Tell us where the cash is trapped — excess stock, idle surplus, slow RFQs — and we'll show you the outcome Maintained can unlock.