Specification makeover to maintain standards

Author : Tim Fryer

20 December 2012

Client and contractor demand has resulted in the biggest change in the SFG20 maintenance specification since its launch over two decades ago. Guardians of the specification, B&ES, believe the changes will drive down costs for clients, consultants and contractors.

The Building & Engineering Services Association (B&ES) has announced new customisation and prioritisation components for its industry standard maintenance schedules, to help users simplify the tendering process; reduce building maintenance costs; and ensure compliance with relevant legislation.

Economic challenges faced by the building maintenance industry have powered the launch of the new SFG20: the most comprehensive and budget-friendly product update to impact building maintenance standards since the SFG20 launch over 22 years ago.

Clients, consultants and contractors can now customise maintenance regimes to streamline the tendering, budget, compliance process. Bruce Kirton, B&ES Publications Chief Executive, said: “SFG20 has long been recognised as the backbone to the building engineering services maintenance industry. But with that recognition comes the responsibility to help our customers work efficiently and deliver against austerity budgets. The new SFG20 rationalises the way clients, consultants and contractors work together, streamlining the tendering process and associated project management.”

Designed for contractors, consultants and end-users, the SFG20 web service now offers bespoke maintenance models for specific building types including schools, commercial offices, banks, prisons, libraries, hotels, retail units and car-parks – with more to come. By customising the core task library to suit a range of needs, clients, consultants and contractors can ensure relevant statutory/regulatory compliance and prevent the costly over-maintaining of assets. Inclusion of RICS’ new rules of measurement finally completes the build, maintain, replace standard life-cycle costing model, and new criticality ratings enable clear prioritisation of maintenance tasks to streamline budget and project management.

The new three-part SFG20 is comprised of:

- Core: Dynamic web service with over 400 industry standard maintenance specifications covering all principal types of heating, cooling and ventilation, installation plant, and electrical services, complete with regular technical updates.

- Customiser Compliance: The new Customiser tool allows users to create a bespoke building maintenance task library, including addition of new non-core tasks such as fabric maintenance, and print bespoke booklets of applicable standards. Customiser includes links to all relevant statutory/legal obligations and references, together with regular updates to define compliant maintenance.

- Customiser Service Model: Enables users to prioritise maintenance regimes using simple criticality ratings to model multiple ‘fit for function’ service regimes that avoid under or over maintaining assets. Pre-defined functional models (such as schools, retail, offices) allow users to refine their specific requirements. Client/site specific data can then be printed as a customised pdf or downloaded into tender documents and FM software (subject to licence) as required.

The SFG20 application form can be downloaded at www.sfg20.com