Capturing as-built project information for facility management

Complete, accurate, and timely provision of as-built information plays a critical role in the optimal upkeep of a facility. Facility operators/maintainers usually are delivered a constructed facility without the necessary information to successfully operate/maintain it. Often costly retrofitting is required to establish the as-built information needed to support operation and maintenance. There is a lack of coordinated effort during the design and construction phases to effectively collect the as-built information for the proper operation and maintenance of a facility. Operation/maintenance represents the largest portion of the life cycle cost for a facility. The establishment of accurate and timely as-built information not only assists the operators/maintainers at the start-up and testing, but also lays the foundation for a good information management strategy throughout the life of a facility. Ideally, the as-built information can be collected by a well-structured information system which supports the collection, storage, and retrieval of as-built information throughout the facility life cycle. Such a system can provide a mechanism to collect and organize as-built information during the design and construction phases so that no redundant effort will be spent when a facility is constructed. This paper presents the results of a study that investigates the current practice of as-built information management and identifies areas for implementing computerized as-built information management systems.