Most O&M manuals that get sent back aren't badly written. They're missing something. Whoever put the manual together was never told what the client expected, so they found out when it came back with a list of comments, usually in the same week as handover.
This article covers what an O&M manual is, what goes in one on a commercial fit-out, and when to collect each part so you aren't chasing it at the end.
What is an O&M manual?
O&M stands for operation and maintenance. The manual is the handover pack that explains how the finished works are operated, inspected and maintained. On a fit-out, that means everything from the partitions and floor finishes to the lighting, small power and any changes to the fire alarm.
"O&M manual" is an industry term, not a legal one. The requirement for it normally comes from your contract. It's a standard deliverable under JCT and NEC contracts, and it's often tied to practical completion, handover and final payment. There is a regulatory angle too: the Building Regulations require whoever carries out the work to provide enough information for the fixed building services to be operated efficiently, and the O&M manual is the usual way that information gets handed over.
Once the job is finished, the manual is what the client's facilities team works from. They use it for routine maintenance, for compliance checks and when someone comes back to alter the space years later. A manual they can find their way around reflects well on you long after you've left site. A thin one means phone calls you can't charge for.
Start with the contract, not the folder
Before you collect a single data sheet, read the contract preliminaries. The format and contents of the manual are normally set out there, in the employer's requirements. Some clients have their own template, file structure and naming convention, and they'll expect you to follow it to the letter.
Find out early:
- whether they want their template or yours
- who reviews the manual, and how long they take to come back
- whether it's handed over digitally, in print, or both
- who on the client's side is dealing with it, with a name and a number
If you have a format of your own that a client has accepted before, it's worth asking whether they'll take it. Plenty of clients will, if the contents are complete.
The checklist
A fit-out manual is normally built in two layers. The first covers the project as a whole. The second repeats for every trade or package.
Project information
- Project name, address and a short description of the works
- Contract directory: client, designers, your own team and every subcontractor, with contact details
- Document register listing everything in the manual
- Statutory approvals, such as the building control completion certificate where the work needed one
- Any asbestos information you were given for the building
For every trade or package
- What was installed and where
- Supplier and manufacturer directory, with contact details
- Product data sheets for what was actually installed, not what was specified
- Operating, cleaning and maintenance instructions
- Recommended spares and where to get them
- Guarantees and warranties, with start dates
- Test and commissioning certificates
Drawings
- As-built drawings showing what changed on site (there's a separate article on as-built drawings)
Health and safety
- Residual risks and safety information for anyone maintaining the works
That last item overlaps with the health and safety file, which is a separate document with a separate legal basis. If you're not sure where one ends and the other starts, see O&M manual or health and safety file?.
The packages to run it against
On a typical commercial fit-out, I'd go through the "every trade or package" list once for each of these:
- Partitions and drylining
- Ceilings
- Doors and ironmongery
- Joinery
- Floor finishes
- Decorations
- Glazing
- Mechanical alterations
- Electrical: lighting, small power and data
- Fire alarm and emergency lighting
- Fire stopping
The fire-related packages need particular care, because fire safety information has its own handover rules. Fire safety information at handover covers what changed in 2023.
When to collect it
The single biggest improvement most firms can make is timing. Ask each supplier for their data sheets, warranties and maintenance instructions when you place the order, not at the end of the job.
The manual needs the most input in the last few weeks, which is exactly when your site team is busiest. Your subcontractors have finished their packages and moved on to the next job. Chasing a ceiling contractor for a data sheet three months after they left site is slow work, and it's usually the PM or the office administrator doing the chasing.
A simple routine helps:
- Set up one folder per package at the start of the job.
- Ask for the documents when you raise each order.
- File them as they arrive, and note what's still outstanding.
- Get test certificates on the day of the test.
- Issue a draft before practical completion, so comments come back while you're still on site.
The paperwork that holds up practical completion goes through this sequence in more detail.
Where it usually goes wrong
When a manual comes back, it's rarely the writing. It's usually one of these:
- data sheets for the product that was specified, when something else was installed
- warranties with no start date
- certificates missing because the subcontractor was never asked for them
- the client's template ignored, so the whole thing comes back to be reformatted
Each of these is cheap to avoid at the start of a job and slow to fix at the end.
Frequently asked questions
What does O&M stand for?
Operation and maintenance. An O&M manual explains how the finished works are operated, inspected and maintained.
Is an O&M manual a legal requirement?
The manual itself is a contract requirement rather than a legal one. The Building Regulations do require enough information to be handed over for fixed building services to be run efficiently, and the O&M manual is the usual way to provide it.
Can I use an O&M manual template?
Yes, if your client accepts it. Check the contract preliminaries first, because many clients specify their own structure.
What you get if you hand it over
We compile a Digital O&M & H&S File, from information you supply us, with your Company branding. You will receive a complete Digital O&M Package that complies with the BSA Golden Thread, in accordance with ISO9001, Section 7.5.2.
Request a call or email david@habgoodmanualsolutions.co.uk.
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