The increase in complexity of Building Design, and the requirements of the associated services, emphasise the essential need for Operating and Maintenance Documentation which enables the building to be run and maintained efficiently and logically.
Those responsible for the operation & maintenance aspects of the installation require details of the plant installed, its operating parameters and Maintenance instructions & schedules.
A well-prepared manual is therefore an essential part of any building services installation contract and a properly-prepared manual can be expected to produce cost benefits to offset the initial outlay in its preparation.
Before the detailed content of any manual can be determined, consideration needs to be given to the following:
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Type of manual required or warranted by the installations
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The operating & maintenance strategy envisaged for the installation
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The categories of user for whom the manual is being written
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The likely sources of information
Bin Omeir Sutton have a number of dedicated and experienced technical authors to produce O&Ms to BSRIA Class A, B, C or D and the latest BSs, along with the administration staff to undertake the production of operating and maintenance manuals.
Our manuals are compiled either to our client’s requirements or to the BSRIA application guides’ standards. Major investments in the latest technology and skilled technical authors ensure that the product is specifically written for each individual project.
We also provide electronic publications which put the manual in a computer usable format (PDF) with a strong hypertext linking system to navigate and view the various aspects i.e. drawings, asset registers, maintenance routines, fault finding, etc. which can be produced in CD-ROM or other specified formats.
In addition to conventionally written & compiled manuals, we offer a web based version where we manage from the initial workshops, an uploading facility of data for all specialists contributing to the manuals, to allow our Technical Authors the facility to monitor & review submissions, on line, which can also be viewed by our client. Final collation & completion to digitising or a simple electronic format is then available to the clients to incorporate within their CAFM system.
Workshops
The co-ordination on production of handover documentation via a series of Workshops is an approach we promote on all projects. It essentially requires the compilation of the documentation, including the O&M manuals, to be closely co-ordinated from conception to completion and managed in order that an integrated, project-specific manual is achieved.
All manuals must conform to project-determined specification for presentation, format, structure, quality and nature of content. To this end, Bin Omeir Sutton prepares a set of documents based on the project requirements. These define the guidelines for content and provide the producers with a paper and electronic template which incorporates the format, presentation and structure.
To ensure that the information will meet the project requirements, and rather than wait for each WP Contractor to issue their “Draft” O&M Manual late on in the project, each producer is required to present the required information at the various workshops to allow Bin Omeir Sutton to carry out an initial review. These workshops are also used to highlight problems at an early stage of the project. They also offer the opportunity for the producers to discuss queries and to establish effective communication channels between all parties.
In the initial stages of the project, the guidelines and the format template for the manual, in both paper and electronic form, is issued to all the sub/trade contractors and they are asked to review the requirements over a two-week period. At the initial Workshop the specific requirement and dates for each of the Sections within the manual are summarised and issued to the producer. A progressive flow of information over the project timeframe is requested to ensure that the producer can achieve the requirements of the project and to prove that they are making sufficient and satisfactory progress towards the key milestone submission dates (see charts).
Progress meetings are held between the workshops to allow Bin Omeir Sutton to monitor progress of each producer against the overall programme. The progress meetings also give the opportunity to highlight production problems which can be dealt with prior to the workshops.
Samples of Electronic Documentation
