The handover of a project should be planned from Stage 2. At Stage 2, the Project Manager should engage with the Project Team and Imperial College London stakeholders to develop the handover plan. The handover plan should be updated throughout the project. Items that should be included in the handover plan are listed on this page.

A robust handover plan is key to ensuring that the project is completed on schedule with zero defects, and that O&M manuals and the H&S file are delivered on time. The PM will not issue a completion certificate unless the O&M manuals are completed.

Key stakeholders that should input to the handover plan:
Project Manager, Senior Supplier, User Coordinator, Consultants, Building Manager, ICT Manager, Archives Officer (Projects), Estates Development and Projects Health and Safety Manager, Engineering Team Manager, Maintenance Manager, CAD Manager, contractor and sub-contractors.

Handover (Stage 6)

Key documents to be read in conjunction with this guidance

Appointed contractor to produce and update

  • Commissioning and witness programme 
  • Project defects close out 
  • O&M manuals
  • H&S file

Other Imperial College London documents related to handover

Handover (Stage 6)

Design Stage (Stages 2 to 3)
  • Establish key programme periods and dates to include: Contract completion dates, ICT installation period, user fit out period, furniture fit out, direct order installation period and others. Consider a buffer period and understand user priorities and timescale
  • Consider phased handover and establish key dates
  • Arrange an ICT programme for installation of switches, cabinets, activate data sockets, WiFi units, etc.
  • With the users, create a list of direct order items and dates for procurement and installation (i.e. signage, furniture, equipment, recycling bins)
  • With the Engineering Team, decide the commissioning/witness requirements including witness of BEMS (agree whether 100% validation is to be carried out by Imperial College engineers or external engineers)
  • Decide upon the required information and format for the O&M manuals with the Archives Officer (Projects)
  • Agree the requirements of a Technical Author for the O&M manuals and review the approval process for the manuals
  • Establish the requirements for the H&S file 
  • Establish the formats and standards for final drawings with the CAD Manager
  • Identify information that will be handed over in the BIM model
  • Identify the room numbers that will be used throughout the project with the Space Manager
  • Decide upon any requirements for training and familiarisation with the Estates Facilities Team
  • Establish if the contractor is required to produce a “user friendly” manual/instruction booklet with Estates Facilities and the User Coordinator
  • Create a list of spares that will be required with Estates Facilities
  • Agree with the fire officers the removal/replacement of fire extinguishers
  • Identify what is required by third party approval- time scales and engagement with these parties (i.e planning/1851 Commission, Home Office, Police, environmental agency, insurers etc)
  • Establish requirements for connection to public utilities in coordination with the Imperial Energy Team and Engineering Team
  • Agree maintenance arrangements for new buildings in order to assess appropriate specifications
  • Decide requirements for post-handover (soft landing)
  • Obtain the existing asset register, identify assets that will be removed and draft a list of new assets.
Tender Stage

The PM is to ensure that handover requirements established during the design Stage are incorporated in the tender document, including:

  • Requirements for “as built” drawings format as per the  
  • Requirements for O&M manuals format and contents 
  • Estates Facilities requirements (spares, training, inspections) 
  • BIM requirements
  • Imperial College London requirements for inspecting/checking/witnessing installations including BEMS.
Tender appraisal and appointment

The PM and Cost Consultant are to ensure that the accepted programme takes in to consideration key dates of the handover plan.

Ensure that the tenders make allowance for all items related to the handover plan included in the works information.

Construction Stage 4 to 7

The PM will update the handover plan regularly and monitor what actions are completed according to the plan.

Early phase of construction

  • PM to organise the Record document strategy (Stage 4) meeting
  • PM to update the handover plan with dates of completion of commissioning, testing, witnessing and issuing of O&M manuals
  • Contractor to prepare a draft asset register and PM to request asset numbers from Estates Facilities (help desk)
  • Contractor to issue a draft content list for O&M manuals and a 'tracker' with dates 
  • Contractor to issue a preliminary list of as built drawings
  • Key dates for Imperial College London inspections (i.e. completion of M&E first fix before installing ceilings etc.) to be agreed with the Engineering Team, Maintenance Manager and the contractor. Invites for site inspection should be sent in advance
  • Agree with all parties, including Imperial College London Engineering Team and Estates Facilities, the requirements for attendance to commissioning, and witness tests. For some labs, the H&S Officer may be required to witness some commissioning and testing
  • Confirmation of BEMS 100% validation and Engineering Team 10% witness
  • Agreement on the programme for installation of items supplied by client: direct items, signage, keys, extinguishers, bins, computers, telephones, furniture, equipment etc.

Mid phase of construction

  • PM to update the handover plan
  • The draft issue of the asset register to be submitted to Estates Facilities to input the asset codes
  • Contractor to issue draft O&M manuals for comments. If information for the O&M manuals is available earlier than completion, this information should be issued for comment as soon as possible to avoid delays
  • Issue of draft “as built” drawings for comments
  • BIM model updated and checked 
  • Contractor to present detailed commissioning programme
  • Agree with the users the requirements for keys and cylinders. PM to order cylinders via Imperial College security
  • Monitor progress with third parties engagement and sign off.

Late phase of construction
(time to be agreed, generally 2 months before completion, for projects with a short programme this can be overlapped with commissioning periods)

  • PM to update the handover plan
  • PM to prepare and update the handover check list
  • Contractor to update the commissioning programme
  • Comments on draft O&M manuals and H&S file to be returned 
  • Comments on “as built” drawings to be returned
  • BIM model updated and checked 
  • Finalise programme and coordination for installation of items supplied by client: direct items, signage, keys, extinguishers, bins, computers, telephones, furniture and other equipment
  • Diary invites to be sent out in advance to Imperial College stakeholders for witnessing and commissioning validations, pre handover and handover meetings
  • Asset numbers confirmed with Estates Facilities and labels fixed to assets.

 

During commissioning and snagging
(generally 1 month before handover)

  • PM to update handover plan and check list
  • Contractor to invite Facilities Manager, Engineering Team and ICT to witness test as per commissioning programme 
  • Contractor to invite M&E Supervisors to commissioning days and witness test as per commissioning programme 
  • H&S Officer to be invited to commissioning tests as required
  • Contractor to issue final BEMS documents to Validation Engineer and Engineering Team
  • Contractor to call BEMS Validation Engineer for 100% BEMS Validation
  • Contractor to invite all supervisors to inspect the completed works
  • Supervisors to issue a list of snags to PM and Engineering Team
  • Contractor to invite Engineering Team, ICT Team and Estates Facilities Team to inspect the completed works
  • Engineering Team/Estates Facilities to issue a list of comments/snags to PM
  • Contractor to invite Imperial College BEMS engineering for 10% witness (for small projects, an Imperial College BEMS engineer can do 100% validation)
  • Contractor to compile a full list of project snags and dates of rectification (project close out list)
  • Asset register is completed during commissioning, including the input of serial numbers and installation dates
  • Contractor to update O&M manuals with commissioning and testing certificates; to incorporate any comments from Imperial College London and supervisors, and issue to the Imperial College archivist for approval
  • Users and third parties are invited to inspect the works as required.