6. Building handover and completion

Handover, commissioning, tuning and completion activities ensure the building and all services operate effectively, efficiently and as intended.

At the completion of a build, project consultants are required to complete activities that ensure functionality and induct users.

Project consultants are responsible for ensuring that:

• practical completion under the contract is achieved
• contract and design documents are complied with
• workmanship is up to standard
• regulatory requirements have been met
• inspections have been completed
• commissioning reports, testing, validation of system performance and completion statements have been obtained
• authority sign-off has been obtained (for example, from the fire brigade)
• warranty information has been identified, checked and provided
• Occupancy Permit or Certificate of Final Inspection has been obtained
• Essential Safety Measure (ESM) requirements have been specified and understood
• statutory signage and component identification has been completed
• termite protection is in place, and
• certification and notices are provided.

Smoking is banned within four metres of all entrances to early learning facilities, primary and secondary schools in Victoria, and within the school grounds, under an amendment to the Tobacco Act 1987. It is a legislative requirement that each school installs suitable ‘No smoking’ signs at all entrances to the school grounds. Downloadable templates can be found on the Department of Health's Resources and factsheets – tobacco reform webpage.

Completion and handover timeframes differ for early learning facility delivery than from schools. In the case of early learning facilities, third party service providers are appointed approximately six to nine months prior to start of the new school year i.e. April–June. The service provider is the only entity that can apply to the regulator for approval to operate an early learning service.

The appointed service provider will undertake service establishment activities that may include submitting an application to become an approved service provider prior to practical completion of the facility. Information that must be included in an application in relation to the physical environment include the following plans prepared by a building practitioner:

• a soil assessment or statement about the soil assessment outcome
• copy of planning permits if required, and other planning related permits, and
• a certified DE area measurement form.

The Principal Design Consultant (or Project Manager where appointed) is responsible for providing all documents pertaining to the built form and site conditions required for registration. Where these documents are prepared by the builder, the Principal Design Consultant (or Project Manager where appointed) must ensure the requirement to prepare and provide all documents required for registration is captured adequately in the building contract.’

The VSBA Project Manager will work with consultants to gain these documents prior to practical completion.

Furthermore, as practical completion is reached the early learning facility service provider is required to submit an Occupancy Permit, a Building Permit, As Built plans and evidence of a lease agreement.

The approval process includes a site visit by the regulator. This occurs after practical completion once the service provider has installed all equipment and connected services for operations. Where the regulator identifies non-compliant elements that must be rectified prior to service approval the VSBA Project Manager will have to determine the process to rectify the elements prior to the start of the early learning term which aligns with school terms.

6.1 Commissioning and tuning

Commissioning, handover and tuning initiatives ensure all building services in new school and early learning buildings operate to their full potential and as designed. Contractors must undertake appropriate commissioning activities before building handover for the following building systems:

• mechanical services
• Building Management and Control System (BMCS), sub-meter monitoring systems, and/or smart monitoring and or control systems for individual services.
• automated lighting controls
• electrical systems (such as photovoltaic systems or other electrical generation, electrical supply, distribution systems),
• security systems (such as access systems and alarm systems)
• hydraulic systems (such as sensor-controlled fixtures, emergency shut-off valves, emergency showers, rainwater or stormwater harvesting systems, pumps, and septic systems)
• fire detection systems, smoke alarm systems and emergency warning systems
• fire protection systems, including pumps and other equipment
• lifts and any other vertical transport devices, and
• operable building envelope components that are mechanically actuated or interfaced with HVAC systems or the BMS (including automatic doors)

Projects must undertake tuning, including meetings between relevant designers and trades and the sustainability consultant (if one has been appointed), review of feedback from the school, and review of energy and water sub-metering data, on a quarterly basis, for 12 months for the following building systems:

• mechanical services
• Building Management and Control System (BMCS) or smart monitoring and or control systems for individual services
• automated lighting controls
• rainwater or stormwater harvesting systems, and
• operable building envelope components that are mechanically actuated or interfaced with HVAC systems or the BMCS (including automatic doors)

6.2 Essential safety measures

ESM are fire and life safety items installed or constructed in a building. When correctly maintained, ESM support students and staff to evaluate safety in the event of a fire or other emergency.

The details of ESM features are specified on occupancy permits, and the maintenance schedules for ESM items must also reflect these details. Fire systems must be regularly maintained to ensure their performance and function. At the completion of capital projects, project consultants must provide maintenance instructions and logbooks that allow school asset managers to perform required essential safety maintenance.

Fire system maintenance procedures must comply with the following standard:

A valid fire hydrant system testing report providing the results of the hydrostatic, pressure and flows testing is to be obtained prior to the handover of the asset. If no valid fire hydrant system report is available, an investigation including hydrostatic, pressure and flows testing must be obtained.

6.2.1 Manual and logbook

Project consultants must provide an applicable building manual logbook for essential safety measures. This will provide details for all asset items that require:

• inspection and testing under the Building Regulations for essential safety measures, and production of these records as specified in the Occupancy Permit or Certificate of Final inspection
• inspection and testing required by any authority
• preventative maintenance to prolong life.

6.3 Building operations and maintenance

Building operations and maintenance information for all buildings systems and structures must be provided by project consultants at project completion. The information must address the intended use of the building. It must allow operators and users to understand a building's systems, and their operation and maintenance requirements.

Information that is required from project consultants includes:

• preventative maintenance to prolong life including procedures, tests and schedules
• corrective maintenance requirements, including repair requirements
• maintenance to ensure the facility’s warranty status
• links or references to all relevant operations and maintenance information
• descriptions of building systems, including their use and performance
• descriptions of activities for ongoing compliance
• re-commissioning procedures
• building tuning protocols
• guidance on keeping information up–to-date
• a summary sheet of relevant building service contacts
• operating parameters and procedures
• service contacts, and any warranties and certificates
• up-to-date drawings incorporating at least:
  • mechanical, electrical and hydraulic drawings and schematics covering all associated nominated building systems
  • architectural, facade/building envelope drawings
  • architectural layout of the base building
  • digital photographic records to underground services
  • safety data sheets (SDS)
• trouble-shooting:
  • examples of potential faults, and how to repair them
  • frequently occurring faults or adjustments
  • issues found and resolved during commissioning.

6.3.1 Certificates

Project consultants must provide the following certificates during building handover:

• development approval
• building approval
• determinations
• fire engineering reports
• occupancy certificates
• registrations and licences
• engineer certificates
• utility providers, and
• authority consents.

6.3.2 Sustainable operations

In addition, information aimed at assisting the facilities management team to operate the building for optimal sustainability outcomes should be provided. While there are no specific requirements for the content that must be presented, the following typical information can be provided:

• details on targets or operational benchmarks for energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, potable water, and indoor environment quality including air quality and thermal comfort indices. These should be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timebound) goals aimed at assisting the facilities management team to optimise performance of the building
• details on the metering and sub-metering strategy employed by the building, including any instructions for data collection and analysis
• description and location of a sustainable procurement framework (if available)
• description of basic function and operation of any nominated building systems that building users may come in direct contact with, including any occupant-activated controls
• description of initiatives designed to enhance energy efficiency and minimise greenhouse gas emissions, and measures that must be taken by users during day-to-day operation to maximise their effectiveness
• description of initiatives intended to enhance and minimise water use and the measures that must be taken by users during day-to-day operation to maximise their effectiveness
• description of the operational waste requirements for the building users, including which waste streams can or cannot be collected for recycling at the premises
• list of relevant contacts for maintenance information, operational issues, complaints or other feedback (such as relevant facilities management team contact details and online request/feedback forms)
• description of alternative transport initiatives promoted within premises (such as bicycle facilities, end-of-trip facilities, car-pooling or car-sharing) and the location of a transport plan (if available)
• information on how to maximise the efficiency potential offered by base building services and nominated building systems, and
• information on how to best maximise daylighting, sights and views.

6.4 Training

Onsite training should be provided by project consultants for all systems, and should include basic theory about systems’ operation, routine maintenance, identification of faults and recommended courses for rectification. Training should be provided at two levels: basic operational training for routine users of facility and systems, and more detailed technical training for facility maintenance staff.

Project consultants must perform the following training activities as part of the handover process:

• submit a program for training well before the proposed date of the training, include detailing the contents of the training program and the minimum time necessary for the formal instruction on how to operate mechanical, electrical and fire systems
• training session times should suit the principals’ nominated representatives. Training sessions should allow sufficient time and be sufficiently detailed to ensure that staff unfamiliar with the equipment or systems will be able to operate them competently
• respond to queries and provide additional advice and support to the principals’ representatives throughout the defect liability period
• provide a schedule of completed training, including evidence of original attendees and content covered during respective training sessions
• inform teachers on the pedagogical design intent of spaces, and
• minimum of two training sessions should be provided, one at practical completion and another one-and-a-half months after practical completion.

6.5 Update triggers

Project consultants, as part of the handover process, must identify triggers for updating operations and maintenance information. Triggers for updating operations and maintenance (O&M) manuals and information should include:

• refurbishment of a base building space
• recommissioning, retro-commissioning, or replacement of nominated building systems
• change to building owner targets or benchmarks
• when a new operational process is introduced or an existing one is changed, and
• when a new tenant fit-out is finalised (if applicable).

6.6 Termites

All school projects should now incorporate protective measures against termite attack on the buildings forming part of the project. These measures create barriers to concealed access, but do not ensure permanent protection without active and ongoing maintenance. Maintenance requirements applying to the selected system of protection should be communicated to the school and its operation and maintenance manuals.