O&M Manuals

What is an O&M manual?

An O&M manual (operation and maintenance manual) is the document handed over at the end of a construction project that explains how a building’s systems work and how they should be operated, maintained and looked after.

It is written for the people who will run the building: facilities managers, maintenance contractors, building owners and managing agents. A good O&M manual lets them find the right information quickly, maintain equipment correctly, keep warranties valid and meet their legal duties.

O&M manuals are usually a contractual requirement and one of the key documents needed for practical completion. They form the core of the wider building manual, which also brings together the health and safety file, fire safety information and building user guide.

What is included in an O&M manual?

Structures vary between clients and contractors, but a complete O&M manual typically follows a section order like this:

• Project information: project details, contact directory for the client, design team, contractor, subcontractors and suppliers
• Building description: the building, its construction, use and key design principles
• Health and safety: residual hazards, safe access and maintenance, and a link to the CDM health and safety file
• System descriptions: each mechanical, electrical, public health and specialist system, how it works and how it is controlled
• Operating instructions: start-up, shutdown, seasonal and emergency operation of plant and controls
• Maintenance requirements: planned preventive maintenance schedules, frequencies and recommended spares
• Manufacturer literature: product data sheets and installation and maintenance instructions for the products actually installed
• Test and commissioning records: commissioning results, test certificates and statutory certificates
• Warranties and guarantees: what is covered, for how long, and any conditions such as registration or servicing
• As-built drawings: final drawings, schematics and a drawing register

Every section should be indexed and cross-referenced so a maintenance engineer can find what they need in seconds, not hours.

M&E O&M manuals vs building fabric manuals

On larger projects, O&M information is often split by discipline:

• M&E (mechanical and electrical) O&M manuals cover the building services installations: heating and hot water, ventilation and air conditioning, cold water and drainage, gas, electrical distribution, small power, lighting and emergency lighting, fire alarm and detection, security and access control, lifts, renewable technologies, and building management and controls systems.
• Building fabric (architectural) O&M manuals cover the structure and finishes: roofing, cladding, windows and doors, floor and wall finishes, ironmongery, sanitaryware and external works, with cleaning and maintenance guidance for each.

M&E manuals are usually the most technical part of the handover, because every system has to be described, commissioned and maintained correctly. As well as system descriptions and operating instructions, a complete M&E O&M manual typically includes:

• Commissioning records and test results for each system
• Controls and BMS information, including control strategies, setpoints and time schedules
• Schematics, valve charts and distribution board schedules
• Planned maintenance schedules, often aligned to SFG20 or the manufacturers’ recommendations
• Statutory certificates, such as electrical installation certificates, fire alarm and emergency lighting certificates, gas safety records and water hygiene records
• Spare parts and consumables schedules

Our partner company Go Manuals can supply M&E O&M manuals for building services installations, so the M&E and building fabric information can be brought together in one consistent manual.

Whether these are produced as one combined manual or as separate volumes depends on the contract and the client’s preference. Either way, they need a consistent structure so the facilities team can use them together.

Who is responsible for producing the O&M manual?

Responsibility is usually set out in the contract documents, often in the specification preliminaries (for example, NBS section A37 on operation and maintenance of the finished building) or the employer’s requirements.

• The main contractor is normally responsible for delivering the complete O&M manual.
• Subcontractors and suppliers provide the information for their packages: product data, test certificates, warranties and as-built drawings.
• The M&E contractor typically provides the building services sections and commissioning records.
• The client decides the format, structure and level of detail they need.

Collecting, checking and compiling information from dozens of packages is a big job, which is why many main contractors appoint a specialist O&M manual company to manage it.

When should O&M manuals be submitted?

Most contracts require a draft O&M manual to be submitted for review before practical completion, with the final version issued at handover. The exact timing is set in your contract, so check it early.

To hit that date without a last-minute scramble:

• Issue O&M requirements to subcontractors when their packages are let
• Collect product data as items are procured and installed
• Track every submission against a checklist
• Allow time for the client or their consultant to review the draft
• Leave room for final commissioning results and certificates, which often arrive last

Why O&M manuals get rejected

Client reviewers and FM consultants reject O&M manuals for the same reasons again and again:

• Generic literature: brochures covering a whole product range instead of the model actually installed
• Missing certificates: test, commissioning or statutory certificates not included, unsigned or incomplete
• Design drawings instead of as-builts: drawings that don’t reflect what was built
• No operating or maintenance detail: product data included, but no explanation of how to run or maintain the system
• Warranty gaps: warranties not registered, expired start dates or missing conditions
• Poor structure: submissions bound together without an index or consistent numbering

Each rejection costs time at the point where the programme has least to spare. Checking content as it arrives, rather than just collecting it, avoids most of these problems.

How we produce your O&M manual

We manage the whole process, so your site and project teams don’t have to:

• Scope: agree the structure, format and content requirements against your contract and specification
• Request: issue clear O&M information requests to every subcontractor and supplier
• Track and chase: monitor every submission and chase anything outstanding
• Check: review information against what was installed and flag gaps early
• Compile and brand: structure the manual with a full index, branded by our graphic design team to your colour theme and design
• Issue: provide a draft for review, then the final manual for practical completion

Most O&M manuals are completed within 3–4 weeks of receiving the bulk of the information. See our process for more detail.

Digital O&M manuals

Paper O&M manuals sit on a shelf and quickly go out of date. We deliver O&M manuals digitally, with:

• Online access through our secure client portal, from any device
• Full revision history so updates are published as Rev 1, Rev 2 and so on, with earlier versions kept

Find out more about our digital handover services.

O&M manuals and your legal duties

O&M manuals help building owners and responsible persons meet several legal duties, including providing information on the building’s fixed services under Part L of the Building Regulations, managing fire safety under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, and keeping the golden thread of information for higher-risk buildings under the Building Safety Act 2022.

Read the full summary in our building manuals guide, or see our resources page.

Get a quote for your O&M manual

Whether you need a complete O&M manual from scratch, help finishing one that has stalled, or an existing manual brought up to date, we can help. Get in touch with a few details about your project and we’ll provide a quotation.