What Pre-Construction information Should Good installers ask for?

Your time is valuable, so why do some installers insist on site visits for pre-construction information which you already have prepared?

pre-construction information
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What is a pre-construction survey and pre-construction information?

The pre-construction survey is crucial in identifying what pre-construction information is available and required. Pre-construction information is defined under Regulation 2 of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 which states that the description means information in the client’s possession or which is reasonably obtainable by or on behalf of the client, which is relevant to the construction work and is of an appropriate level of detail and proportionate to the risks involved, including—

(a) information about—

(i) the project;

(ii) planning and management of the project;

(iii) health and safety hazards, including design and construction hazards and how they will be addressed; and

(b) information in any existing health and safety file;

The information provided should be proportionate to the risks involved. The section should also be read alongside the requirements for designers under Regulation 9. This states that designers must eliminate, so far as is reasonably practicable, foreseeable risks to the health or safety of any person effected by the works, maintaining or cleaning the structure, or using the structure as a workplace.

While the Regulations do not expressly require designers to eliminate risks to those living in developments to be used for residential purposes, we interpret the need to eliminate the risks to those ‘maintaining or cleaning the structure’ as including those who will be living in the property, or the workers that they employ to do so.

With this in mind, a competent installer should be asking for any information which includes any detail about the project, site, and development which has already been prepared. This should include information about the state that the site began in, before work started, and the intended outcome for the project.

The pre-construction information should cover key aspects of the project including:

  • Existing site detail;
  • Proposed site detail;
  • The purpose of the installation (e.g. personal preference, or to satisfy an insurer or building control);
  • The outcome of any fire risk assessments or fire engineer reports;
  • The available water supplies, room, and routes for pipework;
  • Access, removal, and drainage options;
  • Detail of any hazardous areas or materials (such as asbestos);
  • Any other health and safety or project requirements.

Why rely on pre-construction surveys?

There are several key pieces of legislation which should be considered at this stage, notably:

The CDM Regulations require construction clients to provide pre-construction information to every designer and developer at as early a stage as possible. Conversely, the CDM Regulations also require designers to ensure that Clients are aware of any compliance issues as soon as they become involved in the design, this includes during the estimation and tendering stages. A designer’s request for pre-construction information is therefore their opportunity to comply with their own CDM obligations.

More recently, the Building Safety Act has placed a greater emphasis on early design. High risk projects now require detailed designs before planning will be approved. There is an intention to roll this out to every project in the coming years, to include even the smallest projects.

In reality information at this stage is simply indicative of design intent, but a review at this stage is vital to ensure that everyone is working towards the same goal. Pre-construction surveys include a review of the available and relevant material and highlight any gaps in information which may need to be addressed. It’s important that the information provided at this stage is approved and accurate.

How do you ensure that the information provided is accurate?

Whether you’re working on a new build or a retrofit: Sprinkler installers tend to find themselves enlisted towards the end of a new developments (although there’s a lot of benefit to reaching out to them as early as the planning stages). At these stages, you’ll more than likely already have some information which has been provided by other contractors for the works. Reliable sources of information include:

  • Architects;
  • Fire engineers;
  • Other specialist contractors

There should be enough detail for designers to understand the accuracy of the information provided. For example, the date of drafting. Any drawings should include the scale used (and to which size print the scale applies, e.g. 1:100 @ A1) with at least one dimension to confirm that the scale is correct.

Confirmation of the methods relied upon, tolerances, and assumptions made are also important at this stage. A drawing which uses a tolerance of +-15mm will have drastically different onsite results compared to one which offers +-150mm.

What information should installers be asking for?

The CDM is forgiving in that it expects the pre-construction information to be proportionate to the project. The information listed here is reflective of larger projects, where a more comprehensive level of detail is to be expected. Smaller projects may have different expectations.

Pre-instruction information focuses principally on the the Health and Safety elements of the construction. The items listed here are not necessarily a comprehensive list of all of the information which an installer may require. Installers may require further information as part of the pre-contractual stage, or during the installation itself for the purposes of co-ordination. In some cases, there may even be information required after the installation in order to confirm the commissioning detail (a good example of this would be integration with Building Management System).

Sprinkler installers should be requesting the following information as part of the pre-construction information:

  • A description and overview of the project;
  • A programme of works or (as a minimum) key dates for the works;
  • Contact details for the project team;
  • Floor plans, which should detail the nature and hazards of each room;
  • Sectional drawings, which should show void depths;
  • Fire risk assessments;
  • Fire engineering reports;
  • Environmental risks and restrictions;
  • Occupancy detail (who will be using the property);
  • Access, removal, and traffic regulations;
  • Site rules and any other information which would be expected at the site induction;
  • Details of any clients’ or insurers requirements;
  • On site and construction risks;
  • The construction phase plan;
  • The health and safety file;
  • Any other potential pre-construction information which may be relevant.

How does the required pre-construction information vary by project type?

The CDM Regulations state that the pre-construction information provided should be proportionate to the risk presented by the project itself. The wording here is important. What is considered proportionate is weighted against the risk of the project, not the size of the project. Although a project may be short lived or low value, the risk itself may be significantly larger than higher value projects.

The pre-construction information detailed within this article is the typical level of detail for a fairly substantial project. Lower risk projects may not require the same level of detail. Equally, higher risk projects may require more.

It’s always best to weigh these points on a case by case basis. Regular consultation with and between your contractors is the most prudent way of ensuring that the information that they have access to is appropriate, up to date, and reliable.

What is the best way to provide pre-construction information?

There is no proscribed way of providing pre-construction information. Different contractors may have their own policies, procedures, and preferences. However, the Building Safety Act has introduced the need to a ‘Golden Thread of Information’. This is a central channel of information which, if exercised effectively, would refer onto all other pieces of information (from all involved in the development) either directly or indirectly. There’s no doubt that the way in which this information is monitored, maintained, and presented with standardise over time.

Marpal suggest that the handover process for pre-construction information be completed through the use of a Pre-Contract Information Pack (PCIP). Although this isn’t expressly defined by the CDM Regulations, the method is a sensible one and provides an easily repeated format for all projects. (see: What Should Be Included Within The Pre Construction Information (PCI)?).

The CDM itself simply states that pre-construction information should be provided in a format which is ‘in a convenient form and should be clear, concise and easily understandable’. We recommend that the following formats are exchanged via an FTP service (such as WeTransfer, Microsoft 365, or Autodesk Vault):

  • Documents to provided as pdf , with fillable fields where required;
  • Drawings provided as dwg;
  • Spreadsheets to be provided as .xlsx
  • Specialist files to be provided in their native format (such as .fhc etc).

What if you don’t have all of the information available?

The CDM Regulations expect Clients to provide all information which is reasonably obtainable by the Client or on their behalf. This can mean chasing around the other contractors for the most up to date and accurate information. However, we generally offer to reach out to the other contractors on the Clients behalf (providing the Client is willing and able to authorise this).

Typically, Clients will already have much of this information in their possession already.

If information is required which isn’t already available, or reasonably obtainable, the first question to consider is whether or not gathering or creating this information is proportionate to the risk presented by the project. If not, it may be appropriate to use an alternative source of information. If it is proportionate, this information will be need to be gathered and shared.

In some cases, the required information will not be available for some time. This isn’t unusual, particularly for new builds when there’s not anything in place to survey. Pre-construction information is often reviewed, revised, and updated throughout the co-ordination period of the project. In which case, there should be some alternative available at the early stages which confirms the expectations and intent for later stages.

We can often assist with the preparation and monitoring of this information and Clients are encouraged to reach out if this be beneficial. Sometimes a site visit is required and it simply makes sense to have the specialist carry out the survey. In these cases, a phone call is often all that’s required.

When is a survey required and what should it include?

Surveys aren’t generally required when surveying the pre-construction information. Particularly with new builds (when there’s often no site to survey), the exercise can largely be a desk exercise.

However, there are exceptions to this. In cases of retrofit, or where underground pipework is to be used, a site survey by the sprinkler installer or others specialists can be required. For example, where the ground risks contaminating the water in the pipes, specialist barrier pipework may be required. We would expect the Client to enlist a specialist to identify any such risks and communicate this within the pre-construction information.

Where the work is to apply to an existing building, or the construction work is already at an advanced stage: it may be advisable to survey the site to consider the accuracy of the detail provided within the pre-construction information. Key aspects which may be reviewed as part of this survey include:

  • The accuracy of drawing detail and dimensions;
  • Access, removal, and storage restrictions;
  • Structural components and elements which are in place

What support is available for this stage?

The Building Safety Act emphasises the need for all contractors to support the project as a whole. Your contractors should support you with preparing and confirming all information and documentation throughout the project, including pre-contract information. Often, architects, Principal Contractors, and Principal Designers can be the sensible first points of call for pre-construction information at each stage. They’re expected to monitor and maintain this information throughout developments.

For us, we offer support throughout, as needed. This can be bespoke or general, such as the Sprinkler Academy for Developers and Regulators. This is a free series of resources which is further explained on our ‘Start here’ post.

To find out more about how we can support your development, contact us today.

Read more from the Sprinkler Academy for Developers and Regulators

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