Mobile Solutions and Surveying Case Study

Planned Maintenance Surveys

Approximately 6 years ago we were asked by a local housing association to produce a 30 year planned maintenance profile and stock condition survey report for a proposed stock transfer of properties from Scottish Homes. The survey was carried out on paper forms and the information was then manually interpreted into priceable items to produce the planned maintenance profile.

As a one off, this was a perfectly reasonable and practical approach but the consultant who was overseeing the transfer, received a copy of our report and contacted us to see if we were interested in more work of this type.For another two years, we fine-tuned this paper/manual approach and carried out stock condition surveys for numerous small transfers either on behalf of the seller, the purchaser or the funder. It became clear that this type of work was starting to take up a larger and larger proportion of our overall workload and with the potential of much larger projects on the horizon in the shape of local authority option appraisals. We decided to review our procedures and take on board surveying systems that would increase our efficiency.
After contacting DataBuild and following a visit and demonstration by director Peter Lewis, we decided to purchase a total of 14 handheld computers, each operating the PowerSurvey surveying system software.

Continuity maintained
We were able to maintain continuity of our paper questionnaire by transferring it almost identically onto the handheld and we were also able to add further, more detailed, levels to the questions being asked. One of the biggest advantages to using the system was the fact that we input detailed schedule of rates into the handheld based on all relevant components within the questionnaire. This means that all the pricing of work categories is done as the survey is carried out and saves endless hours of manual calculations post survey.

The sheer scale of the surveys we now carry out would be impossible to do on a paper format and so the introduction of PowerSurvey has not only improved our procedures but has also meant that we are in position to tender for work we would not otherwise have considered.

Impressive technical support
There were and still are a number of problems we encountered either setting up a new questionnaire or running a survey for the first time as our staff learned the ropes. We have been particularly impressed with the technical support facility offered by DataBuild and from day one, every query or difficulty we experienced has been resolved immediately, over the phone.

Results at the touch of a button
The data collected through PowerSurvey is loaded onto a purpose written Microsoft Access database that allows us to produce the 30 year planned maintenance profiles at the touch of a button.

We have not had the opportunity to sit down and calculate the cost and time benefits that PowerSurvey has brought us, however, we are now employing less head office staff than we were at the outset but in the last 12 months we have carried out stock condition surveys and produced 30 year planned maintenance profiles for approximately 50,000 properties across the whole of Scotland. Enough said!