Operation and Maintenance of Buildings
Clarification of relevant data for operation and maintenance
At Exigo, we provide guidance on ensuring quality data at the project's conclusion. By clarifying in the initial phases which data are relevant for subsequent operation and maintenance, you can plan the collection of that data, allowing you to leverage it after the project's completion.
Good data, such as data extractions for areas, relocation inspections, or renovations, ensure accurate maintenance plans with operational economics and a positive cash flow for your building.
Facility managers are often unable to control BIM models.
At project completion, most facility managers cannot verify whether the BIM model has been updated to 'as-built' and whether the underlying data is correct and suitable for operation and maintenance. Additionally, technical challenges typically arise when transferring data from the BIM model to facility managers' software platforms for operation and maintenance. The majority of data often remains stranded at this stage, archived for 'the future.
As a result, many valuable pieces of information are lost or remain unused, taking up space on a server.
BIM-based operation and maintenance offer significant cost savings.
Information about the maintenance manuals for individual building components, manufacturer information, links to product pages, contracts, etc., can be linked to the building components. This gives the client/facility manager an overview of when different building components have been replaced and when they need to be replaced again.
In this way, planning and estimating upcoming maintenance tasks and replacements become much easier to keep track of (e.g., in 5 years, the wooden components need oiling; in 10 years, the windows need replacement, etc.). Furthermore, information about the square meters2 of floors/walls/ceilings/windows, etc., in the context of moving in and out of significant housing associations, is valuable information for operations and relocation inspections.
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From BIM to FM (Facility Management)
At project completion, we can ensure the client/facility manager that the 'as-built' models they receive contain relevant data for use in operations.
With the client's perspective in mind, Exigo develops and implements plans and systems that ensure lifecycle value and ROI with BIM on all projects through effective data review, planning, and the development of standards. We have an overview of the project as a whole - from cradle to grave or from cradle to cradle. We ensure that the "as-built" models you receive contain relevant and accurate data for operational use.
Planning the interface between construction and operation is a significant and complex part of the schedule, often postponed until the last minute. As I see it, this aspect of planning is just as, if not more, critical because it directly involves personnel and patient safety. This part of the planning needs to be carefully coordinated and synchronized with the other schedules in construction to ensure that all systems are thoroughly tested before being put into use.
Handover to operations.
The interface between the construction execution and subsequent handover and commissioning.
In Danish construction, there has been an increased focus in recent years on the interface between construction execution and the subsequent handover and commissioning. For instance, the maritime industry has adopted the concept of commissioning, promoting a proactive dialogue and quality management process with a focus on the project's total economy and the interaction of installations.
Likewise, Værdibyg writes the following in their manual for an operation-oriented construction process about commissioning and handover: "This period is often very intense, with a focus on defects and deficiencies, but successful commissioning requires allocating resources for dialogue between the operational organization and the executing parties and ensuring that user needs are met."
In this context, there are two aspects in particular that give rise to considerations.
- The contractor's responsibility in connection with the construction phase ceases, and the responsibility for ensuring the continued progress in the overall construction process lies solely with the client.
- The construction phase is completed, and the client needs to project-manage the transition between construction execution and operation.
These two aspects contribute to complicating the client's task, and the following elaborates on a couple of the factors at play:
Transfer of responsibility in complex construction
In the concept of complex construction, one aspect is that handover isn't just about receiving a key to a completed and ready-to-operate building from day one. Even if we start with an optimal construction where the AB92 handover takes place in complete accordance with the agreements made, there will still be a wide range of aspects/tasks that fall to the client to manage to ensure continued progress.
Some of these tasks can be managed by implementing a commissioning process throughout the entire project timeline, which, among other things, provides the framework for dialogue and quality management regarding the interaction of installations and handover. However, the obligations related to commissioning activities constitute only a part of the overall client resource requirements, so the need can often be challenging to adequately assess.
Ofte er bygherre opmærksom på, at der hen mod afleveringsfristen og indflytning vil være et stigende ressourcebehov. Men de er sjældent i stand til at kortlægge det og bliver dermed heller ikke i stand til at finde og/eller frigøre tilstrækkelige bygherreressourcer til, at varetage alle bygherres forpligtigelser ifm. bygherreleverancer
These include, among others:
- Obtaining relevant approvals (for example, for a hospital construction, over 15 different regulatory and functional approvals need to be obtained).
- Planning and management of access conditions, security, personnel training, control of system deliveries, operational startup, implementation of new IT systems, cleaning, waste management, emergency procedures, and much more.
- Technical follow-up during the commissioning process (including system deliveries)
- Relocation (both physical furniture and equipment as well as daily operations) from existing buildings
Project management in the transition to operation and maintenance
In addition to the above considerations, it's worth noting that this involves project management in one of the project's most crucial phase transitions. During phase transitions, the project management must, among other things, complete and document the previous phase (including receiving the construction), handle delays and deviations, plan and initiate the next step, and take care of various other standalone and recurring tasks. Regardless of how the project organization for the construction is structured, this phase transition will require the client to maintain a sharp overview.
Additionally, in complex construction, we are dealing with a unique construction project that requires adaptation and, therefore, cannot be solved/planned using off-the-shelf solutions. No complete checklist includes a comprehensive task list for the client. In many cases, the exercise begins with identifying/uncovering where there is a client resource need.
With Exigo as the client's advisor, we go beyond the construction phase and cover the entire project from start to finish, thus effectively assisting the client through various project phase transitions.
Exigo has assisted on DNV-Gødstrup.
"Now I have an excellent overview of resources and the schedule. We've been ahead of schedule, which allows us to act on the analysis. Now, we can break down that overview into sub-elements to create detailed time and resource management for client deliveries and commissioning. It makes sense to continue working with the Location-based Scheduling method. It has been an excellent experience to have Exigo optimize schedules and resources on the project based on the Location-based method. Exigo's team is very skilled. They understand customer needs and deliver!"
Operation and Maintenance of Construction - We can assist with the following:
- Preparation/quality assurance of the client delivery plan
- Detailed planning of client deliveries in connection with commissioning activities
- Client resource analysis, process, and delivery description
- Equipment planning, process, and delivery description
- Overview/equipment grouping
- Quality assurance of equipment overview
- Phase planning (assembly/moving in)
- Location-based equipment plan
- Procurement and purchasing planning
- Follow-up/reporting (app)
- Progress overview (BI dashboard)
We are also happy to assist you.
Call or write Kristian Birch Pedersen;
Kristian Birch Pedersen, kbp@exigo.dk, +45 53 55 59 19
Guidance
Værdibyg has developed and published a guide to the commissioning process, which you can download here: