Major Nationwide Office Buildings

RBA undertook an asset verification survey with asset tagging over 32 large, fully operational, office buildings in order to create a definitive asset register to allow our Client to improve their maintenance services. This included a detailed analysis of asset ownership (which varied between the buildings based on each individual contract) followed by an assessment of the entirety of each building to record, and tag, all of the relevant assets. The buildings had a cumulative gross internal floor area of 270,000m² and required the inspection of all relevant floors, roofs and elevations.

The project included the following services:

• Asset Verification Survey
• Asset Tagging
• Serious Repair Reporting

All 32 sites were large, operational office buildings and required careful logistical planning and necessitated out-of-hours working. Through collaboration between ourselves, the Client, building owners, building users and various facilities management companies, an achievable and unobtrusive programme was developed. As a considerable number of the relevant assets were ceiling mounted, the programme, risk assessments and method statements also took into consideration the use of step ladders in order to minimise the risks associated with working at height and to building users.

Prior to commencement on site, a detailed analysis of asset responsibility was required as, due to the Client’s various contracts with the building owners, asset responsibility differed considerably between the sites according to the tenant agreements. This was undertaken in collaboration with multiple relevant parties so that we could generate definitive schedules for each site and import the information into our bespoke data collection system. This enabled us to collect only relevant assets for each site and optimise the survey. This saved the Client time, money and avoided any confusion regarding the issued asset registers.

It was also noted through the initial analysis that there were considerable inconsistencies with the provided drawings of the buildings and the provided room schedules. As a result of these inconsistencies, RBA generated new room lists and drawings prior to commencement on site so that all the generated information could be accurately assessed and traced back to specific locations within the buildings. This also greatly assisted the Client as prior to this, multiple rooms were not easily identifiable on their existing databases and drawings.

Once on site, a pilot survey was undertaken and issued prior to the commencement of the full project. This allowed the Client to assess the results and ascertain that all requirements had been fulfilled to their satisfaction. Following this, the remaining buildings were asset verified and all relevant assets were QR coded and full details (Location, Manufacturer, Make, Serial Numbers etc) recorded. This followed the programme but required on site dynamic assessments and recalculations to allow for unforeseeable events generated by building users. As an additional service, we also reported on any serious issues that required an immediate repair.

Overall, the project was completed on budget, to the generated programme and to the highest quality. All 32 reports (asset registers) were validated prior to issue and included all the desired information in a format that would enable the Client to easily import the results into their CAFM system. The reports were issued in a phased manner to allow a continuous flow of information. The Client was greatly pleased with the results and they were then able to optimise their maintenance and financial strategies accordingly.