Strategic Facilities Review -
Reading University Maintenance Review

Over a number of years maintenance at Reading University had changed from primarily a Direct Labour Organisation (DLO) covering both planned maintenance and reactive (breakdown) maintenance to a predominantly reactive DLO with planned maintenance mostly being outsourced.

Coretex were requested to undertake a review of the organisation, maintenance system and procedures used within the university Maintenance Team, to inform a more rational and efficient operational model.

Project scope:

• Establish the right service structure and service response levels and available options.
• Identify the scope for multi skilling and to what standard.
• To establish if the right people within the department doing the right jobs? (possibly including integration of tasks/ trades and consideration of imbalances in skills)
• Determine the ideal size of the DLO team and what measures are required to adjust it.
• To identify the scope and roles of supervisors and DLO management

Coretex project process:

Demand/ Supply Analysis were used to identify the right service structure and service response levels and establish the ideal size of the DLO teamInternal department systems and processes were reviewedStakeholders for the services undertaken by the department were interviewed, responses analysed and used as part of the Demand/ Supply analysis

Project outcome:

• The number of staff was optimised and roles were redesigned for efficiency
• Further outsourcing was not desirable at that time – better value for money from in house delivery
• The overall management of suppliers was refocused to improve efficiency and reduce duplication
• Multi- skilling was introduced to create continuity, cut costs and improve time to solve problems.