Put very simply, your O&M manual should contain all of the information regarding the operation and maintenance of a building. It’s different from other documentation, such as the health and safety information, although there will be some content overlap.

The O&M information should also not be mistaken for the Construction Handover Pack that is given to the new building owner or facilities manager from the contractors at handover. It forms part of the pack – but isn’t the whole pack entirely. Although, again, there are some overlaps.

Aside from typically being a requirement of the building contract, O&M information is essential for the efficent and safe operation and maintenance of a building.

And, this is important for several reasons:

• Safety of occupants – when things are correctly maintained and operated, they are generally safer for the users and occupants of the building.
• Cost savings – correct operation and routine maintenance and inspection can prevent costly repairs and replacements during a building’s lifecycle.
• Longevity of the building and its facilities – properly maintaining equipment, systems and components of a building can help them last longer, again reducing the need for replacements or disposal.

On top of this, much of the information required in an O&M manual is legally required by the building safety regulator.

There’s no definitive guide to what must be included in an O&M manual, it all depends on the complexity of your facility and its equipment.

But, we’ve produced a list of the content that you may include:

On average, the market suggests that between 0.1-0.2% of project value is allocated to the provision of O&Ms

Different factors affect the final cost, such as the complexity of the facility, size of the project and level of detail required.

As you can imagine, gathering, curating, presenting and maintaining O&M information is time-consuming and requires skill and experience, so the cost reflects the extensive data collection, technical writing, graphic design, printing and distribution.

The responsibility of creating and maintaining O&M information falls on multiple people involved in the construction and handover process.

Key parties include:

Architects and designers – O&M should begin at the design stage of the building and architects and designers should provide detailed information about the buildings components, systems and equipment in their drawings, specifications and documentation.

Contactors – During construction, the main contractor and their teams are responsible for making sure accurate information about the components, systems and equipment is documented. They should also collaborate with the architects and designers to ensure the as-built drawings are up to date if any changes occur on site.

Building/facility owners – Throughout the building’s lifecycle, the owners of the building are ultimately responsible for the creation and maintenance of O&M.

Facilities managers – After handover, and once the building is in operation, the facilities manager is responsible for using the O&M manual to carry out routine maintenance, inspection and repairs.

As the responsibility for creating and maintaining comprehensive and up-to-date O&M is split between several people and teams, clear communication and effective collaboration is crucial.

Problems can occur with traditional O&M information, when it’s seen as a last-minute contractual obligation that produces inaccurate, multi-format data that is inaccessible and provides little value to end-users beyond handover.

That’s why the Building Safety Act 2022 requires O&M information to have a digital audit trail, a golden thread of information that’s identified, stored and updated throughout the building’s life cycle.

Operance is the world’s first purpose-built golden thread O&M platform that allows you to create and use O&M data to operate and maintain facilities in one app.