The PPM Maintenance Process Explained

The PPM Maintenance Process Explained

Any commercial building surveyor undertaking PPM Maintenance should ensure that the initial discussions they have with their clients regarding the instruction enable them to understand their client’s requirements to guarantee the outcome meets their expectations.  

A client’s requirement will be dependent upon what their interest is in the commercial building, for example whether they are a landlord or tenant; what the extent of their maintenance liability is; how long they are likely to be responsible for the commercial property; and what their intentions are for the building in the short, medium and long-term. However, typically the PPM Maintenance will require a methodical approach to understand the current condition of the property. 

A clear process can be followed to ensure a robust level of detail is obtained and to enable the production of a valuable and practical document:

Desktop Review

As part of the process to obtain appointment a commercial building surveyor should ensure that they request as much information from the instructing party as possible to assist with accurate calculation of a fee proposal and to assess the depth and level of the survey which will likely be required. It is recommended that information such as as-built drawing information; O&M manuals; and maintenance/service records etc. are obtained which will provide a clear understanding of the size and complexity of the commercial building, its function and the level of maintenance that has been undertaken to the property throughout its life. Drawing information is also very valuable when undertaking the on-site ppm survey to enable roofs and elevations to be numbered and areas to be zoned, particularly on larger buildings.

Consultant Team

It is also important to understand what other consultants and specialists may be required to assist and contribute to the report. A Planned Preventative Maintenance Survey will typically incorporate the findings of a mechanical and electrical consultant, with specialist advice from a lift consultant. Larger, more complex instructions may also lead to other consultant’s being engaged such as structural engineers, quantity surveyors and sometimes environmental consultants.

Facilities/property management knowledge 

Initial discussions with facility and property managers are extremely valuable and are recommended to be undertaken as soon as possible. Sometimes the appointed commercial building surveyor may have previous experience with the property, however where this is not the case it is normal for the surveying team to meet with the facilities manager to talk through any on-going maintenance issues, any significant expenditure which they deem to be necessary, what the annual service charge budget is, and what the most appropriate methodology is for accessing all parts of the commercial building. 

Use of as-built records and O&M

Often the desktop exercise as described above does not yield a great amount of information owing to records not being held in electronic format. O&M Manuals and as-built information (if available) is frequently held on site in folders and it is therefore important to allocate sufficient time to review this information to understand what maintenance/servicing works have been undertaken to the property in recent years (if any). 

Undertaking the survey 

Where access equipment is required, the location and timings of its use should be agreed with the building manager and any associated licences will need to be put in place. It is imperative that the surveying team is suitably co-ordinated by the lead surveyor (typically a building surveyor) to ensure that there is minimum impact on the building occupiers and general public. Different consultants will need to inspect difference elements and components of the building. The key elements for a commercial property surveyor and mechanical and electrical consultant are as follows:

• Roof; elevations; windows; doors; internal areas; external areas. 
• Heating/cooling system; power; lighting; fire detection; ventilation; data; lifts; any other specialist equipment.  

Building Surveyors will record the construction type, condition and quantities to enable them to accurately produce their report.  

Life cycle assessment and budget cost information 

When drafting a PPM report a building surveyor will also review the condition of elements against industry standard data on the deign life of certain elements. This assists a building surveyor with appropriately scheduling the replacement or repair of an element where the condition may at present be reasonable, although repairs will be required in the long-term. 

Industry standard cost data will also be utilised to provide accurate budget costs for the maintenance items identified. 

Client specific requirements 

Once the ppm report is drafted a building surveyor will typically review the elements and look to align similar packages of work, or work where access may be required to the same area of the commercial building. This will assist with procurement and costs. In some instances it is necessary to phase works over a number of years to assist with client budget. 

A planned preventative maintenance report will typically be issued to a client in draft format. Once the client has had time to review the building surveyor will normally arrange a date to meet with the client to review the report in detail. This gives opportunity for feedback and to enable maintenance works to be altered in line with any specific client requirements. 

It is recommended that the PPM remains a live document and is updated by a facilities manager regularly. The PPM report should be updated by undertaking a desk based exercise every 3 years and the commercial property should be surveyed every 5 years.  

At Commercial Building Surveyors, we offer PPM Maintenance (Planned Preventative Maintenance, PPM Surveys, PPM Schedules)  in the following locations: PPM Maintenance Bristol, PPM Maintenance London, PPM Maintenance Manchester.