The challenges of standardising information in Scottish schools

In 2019 the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) embarked on a programme that would fundamentally change the way buildings were handed over to make them easier and more efficient to manage. The SFT was given the task of managing the £2bn Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP) for the Scottish government. Under this programme, local authorities receive funding for new schools, which is linked to the delivery of certain conditions.

One of those funding conditions is that these local authority clients must follow a process to ensure that their contractors supply information about new buildings digitally and in a standardised way.

At the outset SFT consulted with industry, including BIM Academy (now Okana), seeking input into the framework. Heading up this within Okana was associate, Dr Melanie Robinson.

The LEIP has been executed in three phases so far, with the first schools handed over in 2023 with more this year and others in the pipeline. Robinson says that through seeing the first schools undergo the entire process, those involved are starting to understand how the clients of the new buildings are using the information handed over to them. While measured evidence of benefits is yet to emerge, some lessons have become clear.

First, a bit more background about the standard – known as the Standard Information Management Programme (or SIMP). It was developed through significant industry consultation and contribution, and is aligned with ISO 19650 standards and the UK BIM Framework guidance. It has three primary objectives:

“SIMP breaks things down into manageable chunks for client organisations that aren’t necessarily digitally advanced,” explains Robinson. “Quite a few local authorities still manage their buildings within a single Excel workbook, for example, let alone have a CAFM system in place. So, this plan was created to ensure that everyone, including those at that level of maturity, could achieve digital handover information in a structured way.”

Given it aligns with ISO 19650, it begs the question why another ‘standard’ is needed to layer on top? Robinson explains: “ISO 19650 is quite a flexible standard, and it still creates the opportunity for different clients to do things their own way. Having a standardised approach that is ultimately government-led means that all local authorities do things in the same way.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Robinson says implementing the new standard has been hard work. “There has been a massive upskilling and learning curve. It’s particularly difficult for those that don’t have facilities management systems or software at all. There has also been a learning curve for us as information managers in terms of how to work with the clients to differentiate what they need versus what they want, and how to have those conversations.

“Then from a delivery team perspective, there have been interesting challenges because part of the SIMP process mandates the use of Uniclass classification codes, which stipulate how information is structured in common data environments.”

Robinson explains that this means creating a standardised folder structure that is aligned to these classification codes. Although classification is part of the ISO 19650 standard, she says: “We haven’t necessarily been great as an industry in adopting that. But now there’s this process in place, we’re starting to see the value of using that and being able to use the codes to specify, deliver and search for deliverables.”

She adds: “I think there is a bit of a misnomer in industry about the common data environment being a single document management system. That’s not usually the case. The challenge is how we get information with all this good metadata and classification and naming, from one system to the other without losing that information. It’s testing not just our capabilities, but also the software capabilities. And I’m hoping that it’s going to push the vendors to think about how to make this an easier process without wanting to lock us into their solution.”

As part of the LEIP funding, local authorities must appoint a client-side information manager, who has typically been a BIM consultant. This is to ensure the clients have the expertise and support from the outset, right through to handover. Many are now looking to employ someone in-house because they recognise the importance of the role.

SFT regularly meets with all the client information managers and contractors to support consistency of specification, delivery and the capture of lessons learned for sharing across the wider LEIP projects.

“What’s really exciting for us is that local authorities are extending the use of the SIMP to other buildings and other schools that aren’t being funded by LEIP, which shows you the value they see in this and the value they see in standardising how they ask for information, and therefore how they receive information back. I think that’s testament to the value of the process.”

Although full evaluation of the benefits of using the SIMP and digital systems is yet to take place, Robinson says that Okana did a study a few years ago showing that the time saved looking for information can equate to about half an hour per work order just through quicker access to reliable information. “That’s quite an astounding number when you think about all the buildings that any local authority has to manage and how many work orders they have in any given year.”

Currently, SFT is working with Scottish government bodies and public sector organisations to develop and adopt the SIMP resource further, such as  NHS Scotland, and housing trusts on the Art Works facility by the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh.

“Our plan is to keep educating the clients about where they can go next,” explains Robinson. “So, it’s moving from what they’ve got at the moment, digital handover information, into platforms where they can directly interact with their information. It’s also educating clients around how to maintain this information during the operational phase.

“For example, when a boiler breaks down and is replaced with a new boiler, how does that new information get integrated into this digital structure? It’s making sure that the naming convention is still understood and applied consistently over the 80-odd years that hopefully they have the school for.”

Robinson is hoping that evidence of the benefits of maintaining the system will become apparent from the schools that have been handed over.

“First,” Robinson responds, “clients must make sure that the contractual arrangements are appropriate for what they are asking for. Even though this is a national programme, it can’t be assumed that the delivery team will supply the information needed in the format needed unless it’s specified in the contract.

“They should also understand the value of information managers. A good information manager will provide education around the value of quality assurance, what validating information means and what that means for saving time, rather than reconfiguring it at the end to get it right.”

Robinson points out that auditing CDEs is becoming ever more important, especially in England and Wales where projects will need to comply with the Building Safety Act. “So, from our own perspective, there’s a lot of learning and growing to be done as information managers to make sure that we are ticking the right boxes.”

“There’s a lot to be learned from how Scotland is doing it in terms of applying classification and how it is applying information requirements against a developed asset grading criteria based on levels of criticality,” Robinson says. “SFT’s ambition is to work with clients and the supply chain long-term to identify and only deliver tailored information requirements of value.

“One thing that frustrates industry and frustrates delivery teams is providing information that feels like it’s never going to be used. Things like asking for serial numbers on a light bulb, and other irrelevant information.”

Robinson says the understanding from clients about the need to specify information they need at handover early on the project is changing. “I was on a couple of client calls this morning where they’re in [RIBA] Stage 1, and I thought: ‘This is ideal. Let’s get Viewpoint up and running, let’s get the naming convention in place and let’s start sharing information on there.’ When you do that, it changes the entire tone of the project because then you’re not having to drag people along. People are doing it from the very start and it then becomes a natural way of communication, which is fantastic.”

“Just forget about digital as the goal. Think about what information you need just to run your building, and then build it up from there. I see the information management piece as a translation task more than anything.

“Clients will know their buildings a lot better than I ever will. But my job is to take what their knowledge is and what they need, and translate that into a language that can be digitally delivered against and validated and then handed back so the client can manage it.”

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