Asset owners face significant information management challenges, which in turn means they are struggling to comply with the Building Safety Act (BSA).
According to a survey of 35 asset owners in the UK conducted by software provider Zutec, little more than a quarter (27%) said that asset information is properly digitised and managed within their organisation to ensure compliance with the BSA.
Significantly, nearly three-quarters (70%) noted challenges with managing building information across disparate systems and formats, making it difficult to achieve the golden thread. Zutec noted that “organisations often rely on tools like SharePoint or Dropbox, which are not optimised for unified data management or compliance needs”.
This issue is further compounded by the high volume of legacy data in various formats, such as paper, Excel and PDF, which are not meta-tagged to support searchability. As a result, 55% of respondents struggle to locate this information, 27% find it difficult to update, and another 27% reported challenges in accessing and sharing it.
The survey also revealed a growing demand for software solutions that focus on accessibility and functionality. Asset owners prioritised easy searchability and findability, with 75% citing it as their top requirement. Additionally, 67% emphasised the need for tools that make data storage and retrieval intuitive and efficient.
Asset owners also want the ability to:
- create comprehensive audit trails of information (47%);
- monitor real-time dashboards (40%);
- access reports and analytics (40%) and
- conduct gap analysis (30%).
CDEs and fire safety solutions wanted
The survey respondents expressed their intention to invest in solutions to overcome current limitations. Priorities include tailored document management platforms or CDEs, as well as specialised fire safety solutions, each cited by 22% of respondents.
Digital tools for audits and inspections, such as fire door audits, were also identified as key investment areas by 22%.
Zutec chief marketing officer Maria Hudson said: “The regulatory landscape has created a complex, yet essential, environment for asset owners to digitise their data. By embracing a centralised platform with dedicated dashboards to manage data, and leveraging robust solutions built to manage BSA compliance, the industry can move toward greater efficiency, safety, and compliance, while also ensuring better maintenance management and inspections.”
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