Step 2: Detailed physical assessment and specialist reports

After the first 10YPP meeting and completed desktop assessment, consultants need to organise specialist reports and conduct a detailed physical assessment of the school property.

Level of compliance Main audience Other

Required

  • 10YPP Consultants

 

Physical assessment

To do a physical assessment, you will need to:

  • complete a detailed inspection of the school property to ensure all work items have been captured and any specific issues arising from the desktop assessment have been investigated
  • use the minor items form to record any minor maintenance items you identify during the assessment. You will need to provide a copy to the school, along with any hazards the school should record on their risk register.

We need to capture the works required in the condition assessment documentation but we do not require a description of what is wrong with the item. It is not a requirement that you include details of the actual condition of the item, nor detail any defects. Specialist reports may provide more detail if it is required.

When noting maintenance items, general descriptive words such as 'upgrade' or 'refurbish' do not provide enough detail on their own. To make sure you are providing enough detail you might say, for example, 'replace ceiling, wall and floor linings, hand basins, taps and toilets in the boys’ bathrooms' instead of 'refurbish toilets'.

Specialist reports

At this stage you should engage specialists to complete high-level reports on 5 key infrastructure features:

  • electrical
  • roofing
  • plumbing
  • drainage
  • boiler* and heating.

These reports confirm whether there are or are not any known problems with infrastructure services. Additional detailed reports may also be required if any problems are found during the condition assessment.

*We have a program of independent safety reports for all school boilers. Our report are loaded into MPlan as a separate specialist report. These reports should replace the need for you to acquire a high-level specialist boiler report.

If the school has a boiler of any type, check the strategic impacts in MPlan prior to engaging a specialist. See the boilers for school heating page for more information.

Boilers for school heating

Liability

Specialists must be able to certify that they are qualified to produce reports and have taken every reasonable step to identify any required work.

However, you are not liable if the condition assessment does not, at the time of inspection/writing, for example:

  • identify a problem with a boiler that later breaks down, or
  • a planned project proves more complicated and costly than expected.

Because we cannot pay your specialists directly, you will need to invoice the Ministry for the cost of the report, including a copy of the original invoice. Specialist reports and other disbursements are to be invoiced at cost.

Additional high-level reports or detailed reports will be paid for by schools from their operational funding, and the costs may be recovered from 5 Year Agreement (5YA) funds if a project results from these reports.

What to do with reports

Load each specialist and detailed report into MPlan as a 'strategic impact', one per report.

Ensure all strategic impacts have been updated. If you are unsure about existing weather-tightness or earthquake strengthening strategic impacts, discuss these with the school’s Ministry property advisor.

Once the assessments are complete:

  • enter the data into the MPlan system
  • assign priority codes to each project
  • assign element codes
  • assign trade codes
  • assign job type codes.

Use pivot tables to review and check your data.

Review all condition survey records to amend, supersede, add, close or delete work items.

Our 10YPP training for consultants covers how to code work items is in detail. Refer to your training materials for more information.

Priority codes

For condition assessment data in MPlan, use the following priority codes.

Most of the works in a condition assessment will be either priority 3 or 5.

Priority 1 – Health and safety

Work that if not completed in the specified year will result in a breach of health and safety regulations.

Priority 2 – High operational risk

Work that if not completed in the specified year will result in a major failure that prevents continued operation of the school or a school programme.

Priority 3 – Asset preservation

Work that if not completed in the specified year will result in unacceptable deterioration of the school assets/buildings.

Priority 4 – Low operational risk

Work that if not completed in the specified year could result in minor disruption to the school’s operation or to a school programme. For example, power loss to a block may close part of a school.

Priority 5 – Life-cycle replacement

A work that is not a priority 1-4, but is required to ensure ongoing functionality of the asset or building.

Developing the 10-year forecast

Use the data in MPlan to show an initial 10-year forecast of the costs of maintaining the school’s buildings and facilities.

Work with the school to align common works in the same year to improve delivery or reduce disruption to the school.

Condition assessment checklist

Use the checklist to ensure that you have completed all the steps in the process including those highlighted in the Ministry’s quality assurance requirements.

It is best practice to include a copy of your condition assessment checklist when you submit your completed 10YPP to the Ministry.

10YPP tools and resources

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