Eddie on Facilities Management
Ask the Office Assistant
30th January 2003, report received of a leaking roof in a temporary office building. My gut instinct was to remedy the problem immediately but, apparently, this isn’t the ethical way to carry out business. So here is a rough guide of how ‘the Government’ might handle it.The following remedials were set in motion after eight weeks of various solutions being offered, debated, and eventually formally accepted on a Design and Construct basis. Order was issued to include full Clerk of Works duties.
Leak in roof reported 30/01/03
Order received 01/04/03
Order agreed 01/06/03
Order counter-signed 01/07/03
Initial Project Cost Limit agreed at £3.6 million
Forecast Fees - £3,600,000.00 x 12.5% = £450,000.00 + £36,000.00 Clerk of Works
= £486,000.00
Instructions were given:
Design office to survey and calculate to facilitate such a solution,
Quantity Surveyors to calculate all associated costs,
Client to arrange convenient meeting times to discuss resultant feasibility study,
Project Managers to discuss forthcoming why’s and wherefore’s of governing such a project
Programme Timetable
Draft roof design drawings produced - 30 September 2003
More in-depth roof design drawings produced- 30 November 2003
Actual roof design drawings completed - 30 December 2003
Review meeting - 30 January 2004
Advertise for contractors - 29 February 2004
Bidders Conference - 30 March 2004
Quantity Surveyors review - report best value for money - 30 June 2004
Award the contract - 30 July 2004
Pre-start Meeting - 30 August 2004
Start on Site - 30 September 2004
Works Completion - 30 October 2004
Clerk of Works duties - (fee @ 1% of Initial Project Cost Limit) - 30 October 2004
Snagging - 31 October 2004
Health & Safety inspection - 10 November 2004
Snag list completed - 18 November 2004
Handover Documentation completed - 30 November 2004
Operation & Maintenance manuals reviewed - 21 December 2004
Project completion / handover - 30 December 2004
All on holiday for Christmas period, reschedule to 30 January 2005
Defect Liability Period ends - 29 January 2006
Account settled in full by about February 2006
From the first report of a drip, it could take approximately 2 years with at least a further 12 months before final account is settled. Each stage is called a Milestone and milestone payments are made according to the completed stages of the project. How many millstones (oops! I mean milestones!) have we reached on the building of the new Scottish Parliament?
Now here’s how the secretarial staff would have done it, bearing in mind that the affected building was temporary and had actually been scheduled for demolition in July of 2005, only eighteen months after the water penetration was reported!
Survey affected floor areas
Mark drip marks with an 'x' in non-soluble marker pen (£1.99 from Woolies)
Count the 'x' marks
Procure equivalent numbers of large, healthy, pre-potted plants in suitably sized, colour co-ordinated containers (£100 from B&Q)
File off all sharp edges using nail files, coat any small defects with nail polish
Position plants strategically (beneath the drips)
Sweep up any resultant potting compost spillage
Estimated start date - 31 January 2003
Estimated completion date - 31 January 2003
Deduct retainer for 364-day full money back guarantee
Claim fee of £486,000.00 - £201.99 and what have we got?
A ****ing great time!