Description: It has never been more important for owners, occupiers and maintainers to keep accurate records of their buildings. As well as the need to comply with a growing body of health, safety and environmental legislation, there is also mounting pressure to limit the costs of using buildings. An operation and maintenance (O&M) manual is a valuable tool to help achieve these aims. It defines the requirements and procedures for the effective operation, maintenance, decommissioning and demolition of the building, and includes details of the building’s construction, history and maintenance, instructions for its operation and maintenance, and guarantees and warranties. This user-friendly guide looks at the benefits of O&M manuals, indicates the likely readership and provides advice on how to specify, procure, use and maintain a manual. It gives essential guidance on structure, format and content, provides checklists and investigates the options for applying IT to the production, maintenance and use of these manuals, covering operating systems, on-line documentation storage and electronic data interchange. Although aimed principally at medium and large new construction projects, the basic principles are also applicable to smaller projects and existing buildings.

Keywords: project management, procurement.

Contents: 1 Before you start, 2 Concept of an O&M manual, 3 Contents and format of the general records volume, 4 Contents and format of the operations volume, 5 Contents and format of the maintenance volume, 6 Specimen documents, References