Flag Property Management System

Overview

In November 2005 we were awarded the Building Magazine award for Technical Innovation for the application which is known as Flag.

The system is designed to be used by all elements of the contracting team. Typically this is Clients, Supervisory Officers, Housing Clients, Subcontractors and Suppliers.

Flag is a Process Management application which requires a standard set of activities to be undertaken for each property that exists on a project. The user cannot proceed to the next part of the process until the preceding task has been completed.

The process sequence is:

- Sending letters to residents inviting them to contact the contractor to make a survey appointment.
- Making an appointment for the survey process and managing this process.
- Entering a survey. Flag has the ability to have any custom survey pre-loaded into it. Not only can it record what is required but also when it is required for Asset Management purposes.
- From the survey answers it can generate pre-works items which need to be carried out before work to the property can start. Typically this is the design drawings for the kitchen, heating system, bathroom, additional surveys such as asbestos or damp and a pre-works electrical test certificate.
- After the pre-works activity is complete, start dates are confirmed with residents for the work to take place. Flag has a contract programme uploaded at the start of the project and the Resident Liaison team work to gain access to the dwelling on the date that is indicated on the programme. In the event that no access can be gained the application has the ability to suspend work to the property.
- Works orders are issued to every subcontractor detailing the works they are required to carry out to each individual property. The order is priced and links directly back to the survey document.
- Properties are recorded as started on the day that access is actually gained.
- While 'In Progress' variations may be added to the property for any additional work that is required. These form a part of the as built record and the sub contractor accounts
- Prior to handover pre-completion items also need to be uploaded. Once again these are derived from the survey document and typically are CP12, NICEIC and Resident Satisfaction forms.
- When all of the above process elements have been achieved the property is handed over for inspection.
- Flag has an Asset Manager module allowing the inspecting officer to see all key data about the works undertaken, including the ability to recall any uploaded document that has been placed on the system. Snagging or rejection of the work can also be entered via this module

In addition to the process functions within Flag there is a complete range of ancillary routines that control and manage the refurbishment work process. These are:

- Suspensions
- Pass to Housing
- Voids
- Right to Buy
- Sub Contractor Works order issuing
- Sub Contractor Works Orders
- Disrepair cases
- Out of sequence working
- Resident Waivers
- Notes
- Resident Liaison visits
- Customer satisfaction surveys
- Complaints
- Call back requests due to product failure or sub standard work
- Lease Holder Pricing including issuing of Section 20 notices
- Valuations
- Other letters and appointments
- Add Variations
- KPI monitoring
- Automatic letter and e-mail generation
- Cloned surveys
- Future expenditure calculations

In addition to process and additional functions, Flag has a comprehensive reporting module allowing information to be derived for any part of the process or ancillary routines.

Flag is a website which can be accessed from any location with an Internet connection and computer devise capable of using a browser. This has led to the development of PDA technology into Flag allowing the real-time recording of information on site or in residents properties.

There are a number of ways that this technology assists in the construction process:

- Sharing records, all members of the construction team have access to the same information, viewable on-line in real-time. This is a massive time saving element for meetings.
- Transfer of information. Flag can output required information in CSV format for upload to other systems.
- Information retrieved. Any drawing, record or picture uploaded onto the system can be re-accessed at any time. Flag is a great system to access as built records. It is simple to use and navigate.
- Planning - Flag is a real-time application that is constantly updated to reflect the current situation on the project both in terms of progress and finance. It has a detailed and unique contract programme that is both target and as built depending on the progress achieved to individual properties. As a consequence calculations to overall expenditure and finish date are accessible at any time.
- Milestone Programme - As well as the master programme each property has a unique milestone programme that is updated as works are completed. As we know how many days we have been working in a property and what % it is complete we can estimate the completion date. This is very useful in terms of anticipating inspection dates for properties currently in progress.
- The Valuation is calculated automatically by Flag because it knows what work is being undertaken to every property and what progress has been achieved to date. It also produces all of the substantiation for the valuation including retentions. In this way it becomes imperative for us to keep the system entirely up to date or we under value our work.

Examples of where this technology has assisted the construction process.

Islington PFI round 2

Details of the scheme:-

The scheme is to manage 4,100 properties for a period of 16 years. The total contract value is in excess of £450 million, the major works element is £153 million.

The scope of the works is to bring the current stock up to decency standards as detailed by central government. Subsequent to the refurbishment the remainder of the contract sum is to manage the stock going forward for a fixed period of time.

What has Flag added to the project?

Dealing with large volume of work to isolated properties requires exceptionally good administration if you are to have access to the completed records associated to each element of work undertaken. Flag provides a complete database of uploaded drawings, resident choices and as built photos that is used by all members of the construction team.

These types of project require absolute professionalism when it comes to keeping residents informed. Flag automatically generates key correspondence at the correct time and issues it to residents. In this way they are kept constantly updated with the date that works are starting, the nature of the works and the subcontractors undertaking them, the likely completion date, any variations necessary in addition to the original works and the time implication of them. This has significantly improved the way that residents feel about the work that is necessary to their property. They feel more in control of the situation.

Works monitoring is a large aspect of any major scheme. On this project there is a complex matrix of reports required to monitor the way that resident satisfaction is going along with procedural compliance for access protocols and recording of adherence to contract timescales. Flag automatically generates the required reports as a by-product of the process entries from the construction staff, the manager responsible for sign off of completed work and resident satisfaction questionnaires.

The project has a number of milestone targets in terms of progress against the original contract programme. Flag has available at any time the current milestone figure that has been achieved. This is overlaid against the target in a simple graphical format.