Asset Information Handover Guidelines from Planning and Construction to Operations and Maintenance (2024)
Chapter: 3 Users and Providers of Asset Information
CHAPTER 3
Users and Providers of Asset Information
Overview
Airports own a combination of tangible resources (e.g., buildings, equipment, and other physical objects) and intangible resources (e.g., brand value and intellectual property). Tangible resources can be viewed as a group of constructed assets, building systems, and individual components (e.g., hydrants, panels, chillers), working together to form the building systems (e.g., heating, ventilating, and cooling). These tangible resources should broadly be considered assets and are sometimes called “capital” assets. They have a higher value than other assets and represent long-term investments by the airport. Airports are concerned about and must be involved with asset capitalization, acquisition, construction, modification, and depreciation of these resources.
Capital projects include the construction, modification, and decommissioning of valuable resources acquired by an airport.
Each airport will have its own set of definitions specific to the term “assets” or “capital assets,” especially when using accounting standards and terminology. The assets airport staff members consider to be of high value or those with a long life should be included when drafting any asset information handover standard or other policy discussing asset acquisition, construction, modification, and depreciation.
Many diverse airport groups are responsible for the planning, design, construction, modification, and decommissioning of constructed assets. Various departments have roles within every phase of these processes, and when an asset comes into use, these departments also have roles in maintenance, operations, and management. Consequently, many departments and individuals have an interest in the transition from design and construction project to asset ownership. The roles of these departments and individuals and their informational requirements must be well documented to avoid disrupting airport operations and to support asset ownership, operations, and maintenance. In design and construction, the responsibility of airport stakeholders and participants is to make their needs and requirements known, and the responsibility of design and construction teams is to use their ideas, talents, and knowledge to create assets that meet airport stakeholder needs. Understanding the responsibilities of these team members throughout each of these processes will help ensure a successful asset information handover.
Just as airports will differ in which assets they deem critical, airports will differ on who or what groups of individuals or entities they consider to be “project stakeholders.” The airport’s stakeholders might differ from one project to another, but typically they will be individuals representing specific internal groups that are actively involved in most projects, have any level of interest in the project either during or after design and construction, or will be directly affected by the newly constructed facility. Sometimes a port, municipality, county, or city government might also be considered a stakeholder because they have an interest in the project (depending on the airport’s particular governmental organization). Stakeholders are those individuals within the airport
who are actively involved in the planning and design process—including the asset ownership that occurs once the new project is complete. Stakeholders could also include the finance and accounting or budget arm of the airport. “Participants” differ slightly from stakeholders in that they might not be directly affected by a newly constructed asset, but they contribute throughout the planning and design process.
Stakeholder and Participant Roles
Airports vary in size and complexity; some have a massive internal staff organized into departments or groups. In these airports, an entire department can be identified as a stakeholder because that department has a role in any design and construction project. Smaller airports might enlist third-party consulting firms to support at least some design and construction activities. Typically, groups that should have that seat at the table, as either stakeholders or participants, include the following:
- Planning and design or those who are responsible for planning and design projects, whether they are internal airport staff design teams or those responsible for managing the contracts of third-party design providers
- Maintenance
- Operations staff
- Finance, budget, or accounting staff
- Legal, or those responsible for managing contracts
- Those responsible for defining capital projects, sometimes a different group from the planning and design group
- Environmental
- Fire department
- Security
- Communications
- Art program manager (if this role exists)
- Survey
- Operational Readiness, Activation, and Transition (ORAT) team (typically seen within much larger airport organizations and sometimes referred to as Operational Readiness and Airport Transfer)
- Information technology, or those responsible for collecting data for internal software systems (e.g., CMMS)
Developing a successful, cost-effective, design and construction project relies on several airport staff members and appropriate communication from this airport staff to whatever design team is brought in to assist in project development. There are many (sometimes hundreds) of design and construction project participants, beginning with the initial sponsor’s idea of the project, moving through its planning, design, and construction phases, and ultimately transitioning to asset management and ownership of the constructed asset. Having effective communication throughout each of these phases and being able to appropriately communicate what you, as an airport owner, need in the way of asset information handover upon project closeout is key. The effectiveness of this communication will in part depend on having concise, complete, and coordinated construction documents—including project execution plans, specifications, and contractual project closeout requirements. During the planning through construction phases, regardless of the project delivery method chosen, the developers, providers, and users of the asset information available during closeout (asset information handover) are many.
The airport, as owner, could have a specific department or group of individuals responsible for the asset once constructed. These individuals might be tasked with monitoring issues with
the asset, updating its maintenance record, knowing the requirements of tenants that impact the assets, and keeping informed of all other projects that impact the asset. The end goal is knowing what an airport owns and how to keep it operational.
The design team is composed of various participants who are each responsible for a discipline or part of the project. The traditional roles include architects, interior designers, landscape designers, engineers (e.g., civil, mechanical, fire protection, electrical), cost estimators, and more. Every one of these individuals or groups of individuals serves a distinctive role within the design team and must support and communicate with one another.
The terms “contractor” or “constructor” refer to a design/build team, a general contractor, or a much more specific contractor, such as one providing specialized airport equipment (e.g., baggage-handling system).
Construction Documents
Construction documents are defined as the conditions of the contract, the specifications, the drawings, documents specifically identified as such within these contract vehicles, and the active or native files of the same. Several professional organizations have been and continue to be involved in helping practitioners understand construction documents and providing example documents, including the American Institute of Architects, the Engineers Joint Contract Documents Committee, and the Design-Build Institute of America. Governmental organizations also have versions of such standard documents for use by asset owner agencies and design and construction teams.
Roles and Responsibilities
Every organization should establish and specifically identify the required responsibilities of design and construction team roles, especially those of their internal staff. Examples of possible internal staff positions and applicable responsibilities follow.
Project Manager
The project manager is responsible for ensuring that the assigned project runs smoothly in accordance with airport requirements and that asset information handover documents (the project closeout submittals) are accurate, complete, reviewed, and submitted in accordance with the contract documents. This individual should stay engaged throughout the entire life cycle of their assigned project and should document the impacts (especially negative) to a successful asset information handover as the project progresses. The project manager should also be responsible for scheduling meetings with the team members who have the knowledge and expertise to address potential issues that could arise. In some instances, this individual might be considered the airport owner’s representative, representing the airport’s interests from the owner’s perspective. This role might include communicating with those responsible for any CMMS or asset management system, document management, or financial software systems that maintain content for purposes of asset ownership. The project manager or a team managed by the project manager should also ensure that the identified asset data attributes have been accurately captured prior to acceptance of the project.
Project Controller
The project controller is responsible for providing appropriate cost and schedule support as each relates to the estimated total cost of the project and overall schedule. This individual should
also be a meeting participant in those discussions that address asset information handover processes and requirements.
Cost Estimator
The cost estimator is responsible for developing a project’s by-asset valuation based on the construction team’s provided schedule of values. This duplicate project cost estimate helps serve as a guideline or reference.
Construction Management
Construction management is responsible for supporting communications between the project manager and the construction team, especially for those assets that have been completed and are ready for airport occupancy and use. This individual/department may provide construction cost support to the internal cost-estimating staff.
Maintenance Representative
The maintenance representative is responsible for representing the airport’s interests from the maintenance department’s perspective, identifying and helping ensure that the content that is made available at asset information handover within the project closeout documents is accurate and meets the maintenance department’s requirements. This individual/department might be also responsible for the data upload into the CMMS.
Others (as Needed)
Depending on the project scope, other resources such as an information technology department representative, someone from airport operations, or individuals associated with other, unique parts of the project (e.g., art installations) should be involved with asset information handover meetings/discussions. These resources may support asset identification or help determine the timeline for airport “occupancy” or for when an applicable asset type will be handed over. More generally, these individuals help to ensure their respective areas of interest are a part of the asset information handover process.
