Project Brief
We successfully coordinated the delivery of an extensive, complex programme of RAAC inspection surveys at 250+ critical infrastructure sites for a major UK telecoms provider. The live telephone exchanges are operational 24/7, classed as high-risk (electrocution) environments, and presented individual challenges with partial occupation and limited access.
Solution
Our initial appointment in 2023 was to complete 32 RAAC surveys within just two months. Our survey methodology followed IStructE RAAC Guidance, and services provided included:
- Attending site to investigate the condition of any RAAC present in standard and non-standard building types, in a range of constructions and with alterations. Our work involved:
– Measurement of deflections
– Recording cracks and defects
– Recording evidence of water leaks
– Hammer tap testing for signs of debonding concrete
– Recording panels cut after manufacture
– Recording of any alteration or penetration through panels after construction
– Investigating plank end bearings - Providing a report classifying critical, high, medium, or low risk conditions for each area
- Advising on further intrusive / opening works required for unseen / inaccessible areas
- Advising on options for remediation, closing-off areas as necessary, and general safety
- Providing propping drawings and details as required
As RAAC was identified in Phase 1, our appointment was extended to include a further 234 assets. Of these, 153 had RAAC, 26 had none, and 55 had none in accessible areas surveyed.
To manage the herculean scale of the project’s later phases, we collaborated with our client to develop a bespoke tracker system containing key asset information. Our in-house engineering team took responsibility for managing efficient delivery from all our offices by:
- Populating information in the tracker daily. Rather than emailing weekly updates to CBRE, we set up the tracker spreadsheet on the Sharepoint CDE. This allowed our client to monitor our progress in real time, and ensured everyone was using one source of accurate information
- Efficiently coordinating the workload for 11 engineers working in small teams, including planning routes that minimised travel time whilst maximising the number of sites visited
- Completing risk assessments/RAMS for all site surveys
- Coordinating site access that adhered to the telecoms provider’s designated convenient working hours
- Communicating daily with the client and engineers to manage logistics and resolve queries
- Creating a templated report, providing key information in a consistent structured format
- Highlighting sites requiring further/additional re-inspection/monitoring
“Having worked with Adept for a couple of years, I feel I’m in a good position to provide some positive feedback. Managing a programme covering 250+ buildings provided a number of challenges, mainly that few buildings were the same and all provided their own inspection challenges. We found Adept helpful and constructive in finding cost-effective solutions. We will no doubt be seeking Adept’s assistance for yearly checks of our buildings and for any supplementary requests that come in where other buildings need new roofs etc. We have sought out alternative suppliers to provide cost comparisons and to compare reports etc, but we always come back to Adept. If you are in two minds about using Adept, I would strongly recommend using them as they have been great for us. With a programme of this size, there have been minor issues as anyone would expect, but it’s how Adept have managed those issues and resolved them that counts the most.”
Daryl John
Senior Project Manager – Extra Works
CBRE
