Professional Services
- Introduction
- Risk Management Services
- Whole-Life Cost Modelling for housing schemes
- "What If" exercises for housing schemes
- Standardisation/off-site assembly in Housing: Durability Assessments
- An Improved Construction Process: Technical
Reviews during Design and Construction
- Warranties and Risk Financing
- Stock Condition Surveys & Remedial Works
1. Introduction Back to the top
The CDD is published by Building LifePlans Ltd (BLP), in association with
Building Performance Group (BPG), who research the data.
BLP is a risk management organisation that partners with Housing Associations,
Developers
and commercial construction clients in providing risk reduction services, as
well as structural and component insurance and warranties. We operate to cover
both traditional and innovative building solutions.
BPG offers professional services to the general and commercial construction
industry, including PFI bid information, asset management consultancy, stock
condition surveys and repair and refurbishment solutions.
The CDD is based on 15 years of data on the relative durability of construction
components, and is backed by the claims experience that an underwriter would
want to rely on to know what actually, empirically would happen to components in
use. It is an unrivalled source of information on component life prediction.
However, the true value of the data lies in its use in real-life investment,
planning and maintenance decisions in construction projects through the
application of appropriate professional expertise and judgement.
Users of the CDD are welcome to discuss any of the following value-added services
that are available:
2. Risk Management Services Back to the top
It is a commonly held idea that all anyone has to do about risk is to try
and insure it somewhere, and/or contract out of it. This is, of course, very far
from the whole story, as recent events, both national and worldwide, have served
dramatically to highlight some of the consequences that can come home to roost
from an insufficient understanding of risk.
There is a growing awareness that everything an individual does - or fails to do
- brings with it a risk, and that there is real mileage in seeking to manage
those risks; insurance is actually only one, often final element of a process of
identifying and managing risks.
The CDD is a risk management tool. The reason for its existence is to
offer guidance on the relative durability of components of differing quality.
BLP also operates an enhanced application of the CDD, called CACTUS, which is a computer system for applying detailed design, detail and
workmanship checks. The use of CACTUS together with the durability data delivers
a robust risk management methodology that underpins BLP's insurance process,
giving the necessary reassurance to our underwriters for the provision of the
BLP warranty.
The quality management service will be of relevance to any Housing Association
seeking to achieve or maintain Client Charter status, both in terms of
demonstrating a process for risk management, or for minimising defects through
"right first time" construction and, by application of BLP's component cost
information, optimising the whole-life costs of any construction solution.
Contact:
3. Whole-Life Cost Modelling for housing schemes Back to the top
The CDD is the starting point for whole-life costing exercises, so that
uncertainty in the maintenance and replacement of building components in any
scheme can be minimised. BLP applies cost data to generate costed maintenance
plans.
Contact:
4. "What If" exercises for housing schemes
Back to the top
The CDD can form the basis of alternative "what if" choices on components, to
see how the balance of capital and maintenance expenditure on a project would be
affected by choice of components.
Contact:
5. Standardisation/off-site assembly in Housing:
Durability Assessments Back to the top
Whether you are a manufacturer looking for type-approval, or an employer or HA
looking to maximise opportunities for standardisation, BLP offers durability
assessments on systems, off-site manufacturing and Modern Methods of
Construction, whether at manufacturing stage or in situ. The Housing
Corporation has approved BLP for certificating innovative methods of
construction, and these assessments can be delivered in short timescales.
Contact:
6. An Improved Construction Process: Technical
Reviews during Design and Construction Back to the top
On the principle of "right first time" BLP is pleased to offer a technical
review service to minimise the potential for defects to occur, whether at the
design, specification, component selection and workmanship stage. Our appraisals
are based on a structured checklist approach, and our overall service has
demonstrated a reduction in defects of over 50% (well in excess of the
Rethinking Construction agenda target of 20%)
Contact:
7. Warranties and Risk Financing Back to the top
The BLP risk management process is the necessary pre-cursor to a risk-financing
product, whether a standard 12-year warranty covering structural and component
elements, or a more innovative solution such as a captive or protected cell,
whether for a housing scheme or a commercial property. Our insurance solutions
stand up precisely because of the rigour of our risk management - they go
hand-in-hand to deliver the most comprehensive and total risk solution possible.
Contact:
8. Stock Condition Surveys & Remedial Works Back to the top
The collection of high quality stock condition information, through a variety
of methods to suit client requirements, will obviate the need for some expensive
re-surveys. The application of a comprehensive understanding of whole-life
performance to the specification, design, procurement and administration of
remedial works will bring benefits for clients interested in any
building types, including prisons, hospitals, offices, schools leisure buildings
and social housing. Contact:
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