The starting point for the assessment of the condition of any educational estate is through the completion of a planned maintenance survey. the purpose of These surveys is to assess the fabric, mechanical and electrical and site of premeses to inform the school where to prioritise capial expenditure, or as supporting evidence for applications such as the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF).

The general procedure is to produce a report containing a summary of the worse condition items based on the DfE condition rating criteria along with corresponding costs. This is often presented as a vast amount of data which can be very difficult to navigate and not very user friendly, meaning that schools or Trusts often remain confused about the priority of works on all but the most obvious defects.

However, We do it differently……….

As our service is based on the creation of replica digital models of your estate, these models are created with all the defects with accompanying DfE rating and cost recorded in the same location in the model as it is in the existing building. A dashboard will also be provided showing an overview of the condition and cost data.

Why is this better than the original method of producing a report?

There are several reasons why this method is superior to the original production of paper or PDF reports.

Exact location of defects – This means no ambiguity on where a stained carpet is or a defective fire door. This allows for a much more targeted approach to estate management which will ensure money is spent in the right areas.

Elements grouped based on their DfE rating – Each element group such as doors, windows, carpets etc will be grouped based on their DfE rating such as C2 or B3. These are on layers so can be visible or hidden at the click of a button, or colour coded showing their exact location within the model.

Tender – Ultimately, all defective elements in a building will need to be replaced at some point. This is when the quality of information provided to the tendering contractors is of paramount importance. Very rarely (unless it is a very large project) does the contractor have the luxury of a 3D model for pricing. However, as the design of the building is already completed, design collaboration for works as simple as carpet replacement can take place with styles and colours being viewed in the virtual world before committing in real life.

However, if you would still like your condition data delivered the traditional way through condition reports and planned maintenance programmes, we can provide this service.