This document discusses Government Soft Landings (GSL) and its implications for facilities management from a BIFM perspective. It begins by defining Soft Landings as a process of graduated handover of a new building by the project team for up to three years post-completion. It then examines how GSL aligns with the RIBA Plan of Work stages and the role of FM at each stage. Key barriers to GSL implementation are identified as costs, language/cultural differences between teams, and lack of skills and data compatibility. The document concludes by arguing FM must be involved earlier in projects to ensure buildings meet operational needs.

1. Mike Packham,
BIFM
BIM
(incl. GSL)– from an
FM Perspective

2. 2 |
Contents
 Setting the Scene
 Soft Landings
 The Benefits
 The Barriers
 Conclusions

3. 3 |
Setting the Scene (1)

4. 4 |
Setting the Scene (2)
“There is too much focus on the capital
expenditure and not the operational expenditure.
Key to the success of BIM is the collaboration
between interested parties, and not the often-
arcane discussions on data sets and technology
protocols.
FM will only be weakest link in the BIM-chain if it
is not involved.”
Deborah Rowlands (2013)

5. 5 |
Ratio of Design / Construction to Maintenance /
Operations
Setting the Scene (3)

6. 6 |
Soft Landings (1)
GSL is mandated in 2016 with BIM Level 2
Objective
“ to align construction and design of
asset with operation and use”

7. 7 |
Soft Landings (2)
The Golden Thread that pulls together the three key
components of the workplace environment

8. 8 |
Soft Landings (3)
Definition
>“Soft Landings is the process for graduated
handover of a new or refurbished building, where
a period of professional aftercare by the project
team is a client requirement – planned for and
carried out from project inception onwards – and
for up to three years post-completion”

9. 9 |
Soft Landings (4)
• Soft Landings versus GSL
• Triple bottom line – Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
• Impact on business profitability and policy
• Two aspects:
• Financial (“Hard” benefits)
• Non-financial (“Soft” benefits)

10. 10 |
Soft Landings (5)
• “Hard” Benefits:
• Direct cost reduction through, for example, more
efficient construction or manufacturing processes`
• Money saving measures – e.g. reduced business travel
• Profit making activities – e.g. selling surplus energy to
the grid

11. 11 |
Soft Landings (6)
• “Soft” Benefits:
• Increased productivity (through employee satisfaction)
• Competitive advantage (e.g. through opening up new
markets)
• Brand strength (e.g. through community engagement)

12. 12 |
The Benefits
> Change of emphasis from the design/construction process to
how well the built environment matches organisational
requirement
> Involvement at an early stage of building managers and end
users allowing for early challenges of the practical implications
of design concepts in terms of how they may impact upon on-
going maintenance and operational costs
> Ensuring that full training, commissioning and handover is
provided at an early stage, which reduces the cost of a
protracted handover and means the building will reach optimal
performance sooner.

13. 13 |
The Barriers (1)
Value for
Money
• Cost

14. 14 |
The Barriers (2)
• Cost
Extra processes cost
Declining
influence
on costs
N.B. Importance of integrated team effort
(Design, Construction, FM, Finance etc.)
(Kelly and Male, 1993)

15. 15 |
The Barriers (3)
> Language / Culture
> End Users/Occupiers
> Design/Construction Team
> Facilities Managers

16. 16 |
The Barriers (4)
Business Understanding
Value
Financial
Management
Quality
Risk
Information Management
Asset Management
Design/Construction
SustainabilityHealth & Safety
Legal Issues Procurement
Operational Issues
• Skills

17. 17 |
The Barriers (5)
• Big Data
Planned Activity
versus
Reactive Activity
versus
Refurbishment / Modification

18. 18 |
The Barriers (6)
• Data compatibility
??

19. 19 |
Conclusions (1)
BIM and FM: Bridging the gap for Success
(BIFM FM Leaders Forum 2012)
> Continue to raise the
profile of FM across the
construction industry,
demonstrating its value
and how it can help deliver
more effective buildings
> Clarify what is meant by
the lifetime value of
buildings, particularly the
fact that it includes
operational as well as
construction costs

20. 20 |
Conclusions (2)
> Keep pushing for the involvement of facilities managers at
specification stage, where they would be in a position to work
with designers on creating digital plans of work
> Become involved in the development of standards, systems of
classification and datasets, ensuring that the technology is
developed in a way that is useful for FMs
> Ensure it is in a position to lead best practice for FM as the
industry adapts to BIM.
The BIM Toolkit – Level-2 BIM

21. Questions?

22. 22 |
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23. Mike Packham,
BIFM
Government Soft
Landings
and
the Future of FM

24. 24 |
Contents
 Definition
 RIBA Plan of Work
 Digital Plan of Work
 Practical Issues
 Soft Landings Champion of the Future
 What’s Next?

25. 25 |
Definition (1)
>“Soft Landings is the process for graduated
handover of a new or refurbished building, where
a period of professional aftercare by the project
team is a client requirement – planned for and
carried out from project inception onwards – and
for up to three years post-completion”

26. 26 |
Definition (2)
The Role of FM in Projects
“If you want a building to be sustainable from
design to demolition, that looks beautiful, is well
made and delivers the operational service to its
end users that it was conceived to do, you must
engage all stakeholders throughout the process”
-Steve Owen – FM180

27. 27 |
RIBA Plan of Work (1)
“The RIBA Plan of Work 2013:
•acts across the full range of sectors and project sizes
•provides straightforward mapping for all forms of
procurement
•integrates sustainable design processes
•maps Building Information Modelling (BIM)
processes, and
•provides flexibility in relation to (town) planning
procedures.”
(Source – RIBA Digital Plan of Works 2013)

28. 28 |
RIBA Plan of Work (2)
8 stages
8 task
bars
The process consist of:
•0 – Strategic Definition
•1 – Preparation and Brief
•2 – Concept Design
•3 – Developed Design
•4 – Technical Design
•5 – Construction
•6 – Handover and Close Out
•7 – In Use
The Task bar or Themes are:
•1 – Core Objectives
•2 – Procurement
•3 – Programme
•4 – (Town) Planning
•5 – Key Support Tasks
•6 – Sustainability Checkpoints
•7 – Information Exchange
•8 – UK Government Information Exchange

29. 29 | Figure taken from PAS1192-2:2013 – Copyright Mervyn Richards
RIBA Plan of Work (3)

30. 30 |
Digital Plan of Work
Stage 0
Strategy
Stage1
Brief
Stage 2
Concept Design
Stage 3
Developed Design
Stage 4
Technical Design
Stage 5
Construction
Stage 6
Handover & closeout
Stage 7
In Use

31. 31 |
Core Objective:
Identify Client’s Business Case and Strategic
Brief and other project requirements.
Stage 0
Strategy
FM input should be from an advisory perspective
•The existing building (if a refurbishment)
•The FM strategy in support of the wider business aims
•Sustainability
•The ability of the current FM operation to support the new
addition and suggestions for addressing those concerns

32. 32 |
Core Objective:
Develop Project Objectives including Quality Objectives and
Project Outcomes, Sustainability Aspirations, Project Budget,
other parameters or constraints and develop Initial Project Brief.
Undertake Feasibility Studies and review of Site Information
• Unless this is a new build, FM is most likely the custodian of the
required information
• On a new build, there will be a whole host of information learned
by FM over years of building operations that will be of value to the
“conceptual” team
• Not all FM Managers are experienced project managers, designers
or engineers however; there is much experience of all aspects of
planning with the CRE and FM sector
• Sourcing people with this experience to advise and assist in
planning will pay for itself quite quickly.
• This is also an appropriate time for some “what ifs”
Stage1
Brief

33. 33 |
Core Objective:
Prepare Concept Design, including outline proposals for
structural design, building services systems, outline
specifications and preliminary Cost Information along with
relevant Project Strategies in accordance with Design
Programme. Agree alterations to brief and issue Final
Project Brief.
• Consider using FM at advisory level, this is the FM’s bread and
butter.
• FM here is beneficial but not essential
• Many of the discussions will relate to tables and calculations used
as standard across the industries but, the cautionary note here is
‘just because the book says it’s correct, doesn’t mean it’s the best
solution.’
Stage 2
Concept Design

34. 34 |
Core Objective:
Prepare Developed Design, including coordinated and
updated proposals for structural design, building services
systems, outline specification, Cost Information and Project
Strategies in accordance with Design Programme.
• FM should be given the opportunity to review and provide an ‘FM
Health check’.
• This simply enables the operator’s perspective to be taken into
account.
• This is also a point where an information exchange takes place. It
is therefore an ideal time for FM to review information that may be
required later, i.e. during operation, and ensure that it will support
the needs of the operator and, more importantly, the reports and
measures to be provided to the building owner.
Stage 3
Developed Design

35. 35 |
Core Objective:
Prepare Technical Design in accordance with
Design Responsibility Matrix and Project
Strategies to include all architectural, structural
and buildings services information, specialist
subcontractor design and specifications, in
accordance with Design Programme.
• As above this is another opportunity for ‘FM Health check’
Although this would now be more likely to involve looking at
compatibility and conflict between systems from an
operator point of view.
Stage 4
Technical Design

36. 36 |
Core Objective:
Offsite manufacturing and onsite Construction in accordance
with Construction Programme and resolution of Design
Queries from site as they arise
At present, apart from cases where an existing building is being refurbished, an
FM presence is often not considered or seen as a requirement until the
handover period.
FM (even if a temporary / consultancy position) should start to manage the
lifecycle of the building from this point. There are number of reasons for this:
•The FM has the whole lifecycle in mind rather than looking to the handover
date
•Most issues described as ‘snagging’ are in fact errors or faults that have either
been missed during clash detection or are not managed during construction
•‘Snagging’ can last up to 24 months in some cases past the handover date.
This can cause legal and contractual issues out of all proportion to the actual
issues.
•It costs more to rectify a problem once other elements of the program have
been completed.
Stage 5
Construction

37. 37 |
Core Objective:
Handover of building and conclusion of Building Contract.
As this is traditionally where FM steps in, there should be no
real changes. Hopefully, FM is more involved in the BIM
process, this will be less like skydiving into a pond of
alligators than it has in the past. At least BIM involvement
should provide us with an inflatable and a paddle!
An FM who has managed the building literally as it ‘comes
out of the ground’ will have a much richer understanding of
it. The knowledge and experience gained during the
construction phase will enable much better understanding
and ‘feel’ for the building. Couple this with an information
system as part of the fabric of the building and you are
streets ahead of a traditional FM who receives a building cold.
Stage 6
Handover & closeout

38. 38 |
Core Objective:
Undertake In Use services in accordance with
Schedule of Services.
Post Occupancy Evaluation has been a core task of FM in new
buildings of many years.
The addition of this stage to the RIBA Plan of Works at least
indicates that people are thinking that little bit further than the
hand over date and understand the need to confirm that the
building provides the services it was originally designed and
build to do.
Stage 7
In Use

39. 39 |
Practical Issues (1)
Plan of Work
Stage
Activities to be undertaken Typical problems arising if this activity
is not carried out
Strategy • Contributing to pre-briefing discussions • Specifying a new building where
refurbishment of an existing building would
be appropriate
Brief • Inputting into strategic requirements relating to
operational issues
• Giving advice on the requirements setting within
the brief
• Ensuring that end users’ needs are incorporated
into the planning process
• Inflexible building services that cannot cope
with organisational churn
• Inappropriate standards for environmental
policy
• Inadequate control provided at an individual
level
Concept and
Definition
• Ensuring that any strategic facilities requirements
have been incorporated into design
• Contributing to assessment of design
• Checking that the cost plan considers operation
costs where this is required
• Inadequate plant room space leading to
difficulties with services maintenance
• Eliminating design features or failing to
install backup systems leafing to loss of
business function
• A building that is too costly to maintain
within the available resources

40. 40 |
Practical Issues (2)
Plan of Work
Stage
Activities to be undertaken Typical problems arising if this activity
is not carried out
• Design • Reviewing the design and ensuring that functionality
has not been compromised
• Reviewing the design and ensuring that operating
costs meet financial criteria
• Checking design limitations
• Roof mounted plant space with inadequate
walkway access
• Equipment that is difficult or costly to replace
• Over complex design resulting in under
performance
• Build and
Commission
• Ensuring that the chosen tenders comply with key
requirements
• Ensuring that the commissioning procedures are
appropriate
• Witnessing that commissioning has been properly
carried out
• Introducing unsuitable alternative solutions
• Under-performing services resulting in
occupant discomfort
• Excessive energy costs
• Handover and Close
• Out
• Ensuring that handover documentation is adequate
and complete
• Ensuring that facilities staff and end users have been
instructed in using facilities
• Misunderstanding of building operation leading
to energy waste and occupant discomfort
• Operation and End
• Life
• Ensuring that post- handover services are in place
(e.g. post – handover commissioning)
• Obtaining information on building performance;
ensuring that feedback is given to the design ream
and appropriate follow up action is taken

41. 41 |
‘The Soft Landings Champion of the
Future’
Negotiator Administrator Politician
Motivator
LawyerConfessor
Actor
Warrior
Tactician

42. 42 |
What’s Next (1)
Drawn from a range of Service, Software providers,
Consultants and Academics
Paul Thomas – Robertson Facilities Management
Laura Zitver & Peter Brogan – BIFM
Greg Kemp – ARUP
Hugh Henderson – Mace Macro
Jackie Furey – Baker Stuart
Jacqueline Walpole – FSI
Jason Clark – UBS
Mike Packham – BWA
Roy Whitaker – Leeds Met University
Stephen Beadle – FES
• Soft Landings Task Group

43. 43 |
What’s Next (2)
• Extract from BSRIA Soft Landings Framework
Stage Action Purpose Initiator Participants Scope of duties
P1
Environmental and
energy logging
review
To clarify responsibilities and the
scope of energy logging and
review
Facilities
management
Design team Constructor Review and agree routine
for future logging.
Integrate with the
requirements if the
Building Logbook
P2
Building readiness
programme
To ensure coordination to site
activities, and witnessing by the
designer and / or client
representative
Constructor Design team, Client,
Constructor, User
representative, Facilities
manager
Provide updated sub-
programme in good time
ahead of any
commissioning start
P3
Commissioning
records check
To verify adequacy of records Facilities manager Design team,
Constructor, Facilities
manager
Include evaluation and
decision points in design
programme
P4
Building services
maintenance contract
To ensure there are no gaps in
support, post-handover
Facilities manager Design team,
Constructor, facilities
manager
Agree subjects, target(s)
and appropriate
measurement methods
P5
Training programme To ensure adequately trained
operation and maintenance staff
are in place, pre-handover
Facilities manager Facilities manager,
Building services,
Maintenance contractor
Agree decision makers
and criteria to sign-off
P6
BMS interface
demonstration
To demonstrate operation and
fine-tuning of systems
Design team Design team,
Construction User
representative, Facilities
manager, Building
services, Maintenance
contractor
Decide form of incentive.
Agree targets and define
measurements criteria
Stage 3 worksheet example: Pre-handover

44. 44 |
What’s Next (3)
> Shown against both the RIBA and Soft Landings stages
> Each stage has a list of activities and tasks for the FM to
consider
> Is a useful checklist of activities – not a replacement for
the knowledge and experience a good FM will bring to a
project
> Allows for the FM joining a project after start
> Builds on the work already published
> Open source for further development
> Sign-post to further reading
• The BIFM Soft Landings Guide

45. 45 |
• The BIFM Soft Landings Guide
Each of the 8 stages has a number of themes:
> Health Safety & Environment
> People
> Process
> Procurement
> Space
> Technical
The themes are colour coded on each stage to support
understanding the flow of work
What’s next (4)

46. 46 |
• Example lines from RIBA stage 5 Construction
People Plan the training as part of the
building commissioning in
Handover and Close Out
See BRSIA Guide Seasonal Commissioning BG
44/2013
Process Review the 'As Constructed'
Information
This is a document check of the construction
information about installed assets. Where
specialist equipment is fitted this allows time to
set up maintenance contracts and to book
training on the equipment with the installation
team
Procurement
Procure FM operations service
provider
Procurement of the FM operations provider in
order they are in place to participate in handover
process (if not already completed as part of
Stage 4 Technical Design)
BIFM Good Practice Guide - Procurement
Space Space planning and move
management planning
BIFM Good Practice Guide - Space Planning &
Management
Technical Review and comment on
contractor technical submittals,
drawings and samples
Check against the FM design guide issues in
Stage 0 Strategic Definition
What’s next (5)

47. 47 |
• Development
BIFM will edit, design and publish the document in
consultation with other professional bodies such as RIBA and
BSRIA
Beta type product – needs user testing and feedback
It is not a refined and perfect product – it is a starting point
for further, more detailed guidance moving forwards on this
subject
What’s next (6)

48. 48 |
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Facilities Management
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