Integrated Facilities Management of Qantas' Built Environment and Critical infrastructure
At completion of the warehouse conversion and refurbishment of Qantas’ Global Headquarters in Mascot, the airline operator needed a capable and competent facilities management provider to transition the new 50,000 sqm campus from construction to operations. In addition to technical expertise managing the unique sustainability features of the building, significant new plant and equipment during the defect liability period. Qantas’ objective was to contain repair costs beyond the scope of preventative maintenance. Qantas also sought a partner with a strong cultural fit, onsite presence and stakeholder management capabilities, highlighting the relationship between Qantas’ property management personnel and the facilities management team.
Qantas as occupier and Cromwell as the building owner needed a soft landing from construction to operations. A key responsibility was to preserve the design life and facilitate statutory maintenance to critical building infrastructure. Technical building maintenance and the management of assets to prevent failure included a new air-conditioning plant as part of a newly installed trigeneration power plant, lifts, and high efficiency lighting and water saving devices to reduce energy and water consumption.
PlaceHQ partnered with Qantas for seven years across three distinct stages:
Stage 1. Asset capture and Operations and Maintenance Plan (OMP) development.
Stage 2. Defect Liability Period (DLP) maintenance management.
Stage 3. Integrated facilities management services.
A bespoke proprietary Computerised Maintenance Management System (CMMS) was designed, developed and deployed by PlaceHQ, utilising comprehensive asset management automations and unique personnel authentication methodology to prompt and track work. A ‘technical triage’ approach utilised qualified onsite facilities managers for responsive rectifications.
PlaceHQ achieved effective operational management that optimised asset lifecycle costs and cost reductions via economies of scale, process automation, rationalisation of the supplier base, and scope reviews. All client stakeholders received regular reporting and dashboards detailing work in progress, costs incurred and savings realised via initiatives such as triaging and consolidating maintenance requirements.
PlaceHQ’s approach ringfenced Qantas’ maintenance costs, expedited rectification of faults and maximised operational uptime. As head contractor, PlaceHQ managed all invoicing, consolidating the administrative burden for Qantas who received a single Campus invoice per month. Our team was awarded runner up for Facility Management Australia’s (FMA) ‘Best Facilities Management Provider’ in recognition of our services to Qantas.
The unique campus design across four Grade A buildings with a 5-star NABERS rating included a steelwork atrium, glazed walls, a partially glazed roof over an internal street, internal stairs, footbridge and cantilevered meeting pods. Our responsibilities included maintenance of critical and complex business infrastructure, such as electrical mains cabling and water pipework from the Trigeneration plant and the mains switch rooms and heat exchangers servicing the buildings. PlaceHQ adopted a ‘technical triage’ deploying qualified onsite facilities managers to diagnose minor on-the-spot repairs from complex problems.
PlaceHQ’s Operations and Maintenance Plan (OMP) assigned roles and responsibilities with compliant processes and procedures to successfully implement the maintenance plan.Technical requirements in the OMP adhered to the manufacturer’s warranty requirements, relevant legislation and Australian Standards. PlaceHQ also developed a Maintenance Assets and Activities Program linking assets to planned, predictive and statutory maintenance, identifying operating parameters, frequencies and Australian Standards to manage compliance. The Spare Parts and Replacement Equipment Register ensured replacement parts were onsite to prevent downtime for prompt repair or servicing.
