Value for money in planned maintenance painting

Value for money in planned maintenance painting

E D Suttie & W Thorpe

COST E18 27 April 2004 Paris

Introduction

! Background in the UK

! Current practice

! Housing stock owners

! Painting contractors

! Priorities for maintenance painting

! Specifications

! Partnering initiatives

! Conclusions

Background

! £1 billion (€1.5 billion) maintenance of buildings

! What is ‘value for money’ ?

! Reduce unnecessary maintenance activities

! Reduce costs of incorrect surveys

! Improve process selection

! Higher standards of performance and quality

! Improve site practices

! Minimise waste

! Move away from short-term first costs

Project

! Illustrate current practice and identify priorities

! Existing specifications, site practice and workmanship

! Opportunities to introduce best practice

! Information needs of the groups

! Clear basis for performance based quality certification

! Partnership in the whole supply chain

! Leading by example

! Deconstruct the circle of blame

! Stimulate move to pay more now and save much more in the medium to long term

Current practice (housing stock owners)

! Local Authorities and Housing Associations (Social Housing)

! Procure 60% of UK construction

! 700 to 100,000 properties

! 50 surveyed

Housing stock owners

- -

7 15

Others (fencing, 18

galvanised metal windows)

5*

4-25 7

55

Aluminium windows 27

and doors

5*

4-15 7

45

PVC windows and 28

doors

5 4-7

5 65

External cladding 53

6 4-12

5 80

Internal walls and 72

ceilings

6 2-12

3 70

Internal windows and 58

doors

5 4-10

3 90

Concrete and 94

masonry

5 4-7

2 100

Soffits, fascias and 125

bargeboards

5 4-7

1 100

Timber windows and 149

doors

Median

Maintenance cycle (years)

Range of maintenance

cycles (years) Median

ranking position Percentage of questionnaires

Cumulative score Components

Maintenance officers

Priority of factors that make a good maintenance painting contract

! Quality of workmanship

! Positive feedback from tenants

! Value for money

! Completed within budget

! Compliance with specification

! Completed on time

! Causes minimum disruption

! Compliance with Health & Safety

Painting contractors

! 2 to 750 painters

! 85% include repair of substrates

! Two thirds have nationally qualified painters

! Run apprenticeships

! Benefits from closer links

Painting contractor

Priority of factors that make a good maintenance painting contract

! Lowest price

! Satisfaction from previous work

! Previous experience with clients housing stock

! Health & Safety issues addressed

! Qualification of painters

! Members of approval or quality scheme

! Environmental awareness

Sources of best practice guidance used

Coating manufacturer

PDA BRE

Independent experts

Coating manufacturer

PDA's Chartered

Institute of Building

Independent experts

housing stock owners painting contractors

Awareness of training and quality schemes

Dulux Trade Contractors

Scheme

Quality Mark Akzo Nobel

Training Link

None

Dulux Trade Contractors

Scheme

Quality Mark Akzo Nobel

Training Link None

Other

housing stock owners painting contractors

Origin of specifications

In-house Coating

manufacturer

BS 6150 Other

In-house

Coating manufacturer Housing stock

owner PDA BS 6150

BS 8000-12 Other

housing stock owners painting contractors

Priorities for planned maintenance

! Understanding the

performance of materials

! Improving value for money

! Evaluation of site practices

! Training and education

! Guarantees of performance and workmanship

! Extending maintenance intervals

! Satisfaction

Evaluation of site practices

! Understand the organisation

! Communication routes

! Site inspections

! Continuous improvement

! Target setting (clearly understood)

! Tenant liaison and feedback

Training

! 75% of contractors have difficulty recruiting qualified painters

! Importance of summer and winter work to maintain full time employment

! Invest in training and staff development to provide job security, develop management structures

! Education needs….

! Best practice maintenance painting

! Approvals schemes

! Cost effectiveness of long-term specifications

! Cost benefit analysis studies

! Standards of college education need to raised

Guarantees

! Guarantees of

! Performance (contractors)

! Workmanship (housing stock owner)

! Numerous approved contractor schemes

Extending maintenance intervals

! Commodity design, build and installation

! Improved coatings products

! Improved maintenance practices

! Intelligent maintenance specification

! concentrate on severe exposed material

! Routine care

Obstacles to change

! Lack of money

! Temptation to award contracts to lowest priced, risk of “cutting corners”

! Move from save now first costs (cheap and often maintenance) to save later (spend more now and save a lot later)

! Labour costs far outweigh materials costs

! Demonstrate benefits of case studies

! Reluctance to change

! Tenant expectations

Developing a specification

! Consider the following:

! Best practice

! EN 927

! Quality Assurance

! Suitable contractors

! Routine care

! Procurement options

Best practice guidance

! 15% contractors and 7% housing stock owners use BPG

! Sources of best practice

! Coating manufacturers

! Painting & Decorating Association

! Trade Association of Painting Contractors and Operators

! Local Government Association

! BRE, PRA, TRADA etc.

! BS 6150, BS 8000 Part 12

EN 927

! Performance based classification for wood coatings

! Test methods for key properties

! link to substrate

! commodity

! Reliable performance is essential

Quality Assurance (QA)

! Commitment to quality procedures

! Issue of hand over certificates

! Inspection of workmanship

! Signing off

! Reporting of work

! Procedures for recording difficulties

! Engaging all members of the partnership

! Framework for understanding performance and encouraging setting of mutually agreed standards

Benchmarking

! Uses Key Performance Indicators (KPI) to measure

performance against targets and provide feedback on how to improve

! “KPI help identify weaknesses and get us to do something about them”

! KPI further link to Critical Success factors (CSF)

! Training (painters skill level)

! Performance (quality of job, repair, surface preparation etc.)

! Satisfaction (client and tenant)

CSF

! Measured using…

! surveys

! site inspections

! monitoring housing stock

! KPI & CSF use data such as

! Percentage of satisfied tenants

! Content of training programmes

! Number of trainees

! Qualifications ‘per painter’

! Units without paint failures after four years

! Time and resource savings from partnering

! Improvements

! Address tenants concerns

! Expand staff training

! Review coating product selection

CSF for benchmarking tool

Partnership

Frequency and content of meetings with the contractors

Frequency and content of meetings with the coatings manufacturer

Frequency and content of meetings with both parties at once

Lines of communication Site visits

Opportunities for review and update Concise specifications

Contractors understanding of specifications LA & HA officers understanding of

specifications

References to manufacturers recommendations

References to and use of best practice guidance

Training and Skills

Extent of sub-contracting

Painters with nationally recognised qualifications

Apprenticeship schemes

Health & Safety training for contractors staff Opportunities for development

Customer satisfaction

Canvassing the views of the tenants Action with respect to complaints Dissatisfaction levels

Dissemination of findings Review process

KPI Toolkit

! CBPP “Housing KPI Toolkit”

! KPI include

! predictability (time and cost)

! client satisfaction (product and service)

! maintenance time and cost

! safety

! environmental impact etc.

! Having a benchmarking tool it is then crucial to

! manage feedback

! provide access to training

! develop continuous improvement

Other considerations when developing specifications

! Suitable contractors

! Routine care

! Fungal washes and cleaning cycle

! Routine care practices are significant

! Appearance and service life improvements

! Joinery manufacturers ‘Manual of care’

! Link to maintenance contracts

! Housing stock owner

! Tenant

! Procurement options

! Egan report (best practice and efficiency)

! Best Value

Achieving better performance

! British Woodworking Federation

! Timber Windows Accreditation Scheme

! Factory finished showcase windows

! Dissemination to end users to create ‘the pull’

! Extend existing schemes to include

! Handling, packaging and transport

! Installation

! Manual of care for owners

Partnering initiatives

! Encapsulates practices and factors that influence maintenance painting

! Partnerships of housing stock owners, painting contractors and sometimes the coating manufacturer

! 75% contactors say this has raised standards and quality of work

! Typically include…

! Quality, best practice, training, monitoring of standards, inspections, reporting, communication, complaints procedures, feedback management etc.

Benefits of partnering

! Housing stock owner

! Saved resources from reduced tendering activities

! Save resources form reduced inspections (clerk of works does the initial then the contractor)

! Premature failure agreements

! Initial efforts deliver costs savings

! Assign work to those specifically skilled

! Painting contractor

! Maintain your own paint work

! Assured employment throughout the year

! Invest in staff

! Involvement and ownership of process

Some partnering initiatives…..

The Quality Mark Scheme

! Painters can demonstrate commitment to quality

! Users can select such painters

! Customer focussed and simple

! Painters independently inspected and approved

Dulux Trade contract Partnership

! Contractors accreditation scheme

! Approves non-domestic painting contractors to professional specifiers

! BS 6150 and BS 8000 Part 12

! Commitment to quality such as ISO 9002

Akzo Nobel Traininglink

! Professional skills card system

! Mechanisms for continuous improvement

! Decorators can be accessed by specifiers and housing stock owners

! Commit to quality

Akzo Nobel Smart maintenance

! Egan report “Rethinking construction”

! The Best Value Act

! Value for money

! Improving practice

! Improving user satisfaction through partnership

! Developed since project began

Johnstone’s paints

! Best practice training modules

! Product focussed –understanding performance

! Surface preparation, damage repair etc.

CSCS initiative

! Recording system, skills and competency card for CITB

! Fosters continuous development

! CIB new entrant scheme

Partnering summary

! Bespoke - between housing stock owner and contractor

! Natural extension of the working relationship

! Five years, often more than one contractor

! Premature failures rectified in agreed timeframe at no cost penalty to client

! Coating manufacturer conducts inspections

! Repairs sub-contracted to specialists

! Built on skills, experience and knowledge of housing stock

! Contractors invest in staff and training

Recommendations

! Housing stock owners and contractors should

! Engage in partnering discussions

! Learn from exemplars in industry

! Consider annual works (summer and winter)

! Encourage routine maintenance

Conclusions (1)

! Most planned maintenance painting relates to exterior coated wood

! Training is fundamental for raising standards

! Communication and partnering are key to future success

! Partnering saves time and resources for all concerned

! Partnering and specifications must incorporate best practice guidance

! Promote case studies to encourage culture change

Conclusions (2)

! Value for money can be delivered if we review operations to include

! Product specifications

! Repair of damaged substrates

! Surface preparation and application

! Routine care

! Partnering

The future looks wood

Acknowledgements

Hankinson

! Colleagues

! UK Government (DTI)

! Project partners