Golden thread For this information to be effectively used,
asset owners must own and constantly manage it. If not, they will only have the original ‘as built’ project records, which do not span the asset’s lifecycle or incorporate changes from asset updates, remodelling and refurbishment. Project information can be translated into
asset information by the project teams mapping project data into the asset structures, so that it is available in a format the operational teams can understand. This way, asset owners still have a single solution which has multiple uses and offers one true version of all data. As all parties are in the chain managing
and exchanging information in a CDE, there will never be a missing link. Via a clear audit trail of all asset data, the access to and provenance of all records is maintained. This means asset owners can question and query a trusted data store to answer everyday queries about assets in their estate at any stage.
Contracts, contracts, contracts
A CDE feeds into the asset owner’s wider common data ecosystem, enabling the client to have a comprehensive view of the information on a given project and/or asset. To use an office analogy, a CDE is essentially an electronic filing cabinet housing copies of audited information. Yet asset owners have to be explicit about what information the CDE must contain, and must outline their individual requirements in the contracts to maximise the CDE’s performance. As an asset owner, at the start of the
contract you will procure both the asset and a level of detail about digital information. A well written contract must be produced, as this will act as a reference point for what the contracting teams have to deliver. It will also be a vital archive if and when maintenance upgrades are required. Having a contract that clearly outlines
requirements will help provide a greater understanding of the purpose of the information. When asset owners come to operate their buildings, this record will enable them to make proactive decisions, instead of turning to their supply chain to acquire information which should belong to them. Contracts also prove to be indispensable when it comes to correcting a building which is not performing as it ought to. To give an example: an asset owner has unwittingly accepted a building with an inefficient sprinkler system. The building owner has to a degree accepted liability on handover. If something happens, the owner is held culpable first, and not the party that fitted the system. However, with
FOCUS
a CDE containing the contract, which clearly defines who is responsible for the sprinkler design and installation, modifications can be made in a timely manner.
Stimulus for change
In complex buildings, the fire system may be managing all manner of inputs and outputs as a fire spreads, including smoke control, graphical indication, voice evacuation, door closures, direct connections to monitoring stations and gas suppression. The Grenfell fire tragedy represents a dark
period for the construction industry, and we should all be united in our hope that this event will spur the sector on to make important changes to the way it works. An asset owned CDE is part of this change, complementing the ‘golden thread’ of information by creating an unbreakable chain in which every piece of data regarding a built asset can be retrieved at any time. With data fragmentation and unreliability
such important concerns for the construction sector, surely the adoption of a system that provides one version of the truth across a building’s lifecycle is a valid solution to ending this disconnection?
Stuart Bell is sales and marketing director at GroupBC. For more information, view page 3
www.frmjournal.com JUNE 2020 35
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