In creating our unique Standard O&M Manual, we consulted the leading building industry's standard for O&Ms, a document by the Building Research and Information Association (BSRIA) entitled 'Handover, Informtion and O&M Manuals' (BG 79/2020) by Nick Blake. Our Standard Manual is designed to exceed the requirements laid out in its Section 4.6 - what used to be referred to as a Class D O&M.
This latest BSRIA document was largely based on BSRIA's earlier publications AG 1.87/1 and then BG1/2007, which remain the most commonly cited documents within project specifications. However, since that guide was written, there have, of course, been many advancements in the building services sector which the latter document takes on board.
This major revision is just one of the many changes Office-Scope has incorporated into its Standard Manual, which is now in its sixth main version.
Office-Scope produces O&M Manuals in two broad stages.
The first stage is a draft copy, and contains all the text elements of the manual, together with a proposed contents list for any inserted items (eg literature and certificates). This first draft is produced in-house, without direct involvement from the client, and using the base information they provide, such as drawings and copy quotes.
The second stage involves the production of final copies of the manual, following on from feedback received from the client's project team and some further information, such as drawing schedules, provided by the client.
The whole process is controlled by TOMMS® (Total O&M Management System) - our online production control system. TOMMS® enables clients to track progress of their manual, forward missing information and access the various files online whilst the document is still in production.
Production times for the first stage are dependant upon the size of the project, but they begin at 1 week and rarely exceed 2 weeks for all but the largest projects (those in excess of £5m), where a 3-week time frame is usually more than sufficient.
The production time for the second stage is normally 1 to 2 weeks.
The interim phase (if required) will in general last only a few days.
All of the time frames above are based on the receipt by Office-Scope of all the information required to produce the manuals.
The cost of our O&M Manuals is determined on a job by job basis and guide prices cannot be provided. Obtaining a cost is very simply, just send us the specifications and drawings for the job (full set, latest revision, PDF preferably) and we'll provide a fixed price quotation by return.
The Office-Scope Standard O&M Manual has 15 sections: 11 text-based and 4 inserted items.
We produce all of the textual content for our manuals, as well as sourcing all the required manufacturers' literature for Section 12. Sections 13-15 contain certificates, specialist manuals and record drawings. These are handled in the following manner:
Certification - If time allows, and if the certification is available, we recommend that our clients forward the certificates to us for their duplication and insertion into the manual. This involves no extra cost.
Specialist manuals - The specialist manuals, such as Controls and Fire Alarms, are self-contained publications produced by the specialist subcontractors, from whom we will request that a draft is issued to the client for their comments. We also offer optional reprographic services for the specialist documents.
Record drawings - In most cases, record drawings are produced by the client. To accommodate these drawings, we allow sufficient space within the manual itself and also provide enough plastic pockets to hold the drawings. As with other inserted items, if time allows, the client may send the drawings to us, already folded to A4 size, so that we may include them in the manual. As an additional service, we can also plot, fold and insert the drawings on our clients' behalf at a nominal cost.
Our Standard O&M Manual format with its 15 sections is accepted by 90% of our clients and we also have simpler formats for less complex and/or smaller projects (other formats = Abridged (10 sections), Addendum (7 sections) and Handbook (5 sections)).
However, we understand that not all clients and projects are the same, so we are able to change our format to meet the requirements of most consultants' specifications, should a different Sections arrangement be preferred. This may be just a case of re-arranging our sections to suit the client, but it may sometimes mean a more fundamental shuffling of various sub-categories.
Regrettably, there is one situation where we are unable to comply with a change to our standard format manual and this is where a template-based system has been specified. We have found that in such cases the client usually has a particular technical author already in mind for the project, who will have their own standard manual format.