Passive Fire Protection - The Importance of Planning (Early Contractor Involvement)

Early Contractor Involvement - Background

Far too often do we see construction projects badly organised, mismanaged and commercially deteriorating, in turn creating a highly stressful, difficult working environment and strained relationships between the main contractor and subcontractors. One of the main contributing factors to this is Planning. A poorly planned project is doomed from the start. For construction as a whole, the Early Contractor Involvement model was first studied in 1976 and studies through the 1990s and 2000s proved that adopting such a model could generate an average 10% savings on project time and 7% on cost.

Passive Fire Protection – Early Contractor Involvement

When it comes to Passive Fire Protection, planning is key to achieving the fire strategy set out by the project’s Fire Engineer. Time and time again we find people calling us in at the eleventh hour to implement Passive Fire Protection systems that we’ve had no input in at design stage, often realising that the technical detail set out by the project’s design team during pre-construction is not achievable, causing delays and usually with huge commercial repercussions. That is why Early Contractor Involvement is vital.

PSTG Fire Protection and our partners provide FREE Early Contractor Involvement services. We will be involved at pre-construction/design stage to ensure that the correct systems are implemented and most importantly that they are achievable when considering the project specifics. This could include any of the aspects listed below:

• Fire Stopping details, including substrate preparation, service penetrations, service separation and so on. We can help to create project specific technical details if engaged at an early stage.
• Cavity Barrier layout and product selection.
• Fire Door and Ironmongery design and product selection, including issuing door and ironmongery schedules and elevation drawings. There is such a wide product range when it comes to Fire Doors and Ironmongery that it is imperative to explore options at a very early stage. Manufacturing lead times also cause huge issues with this area of Passive Fire Protection.
• Structural Fire Protection of Steel Frame or Concrete Frame. As an example, manufacturers of the intumescent coverings must be engaged at an early stage in order to provide “Loadings” which determine the product required and the thickness which it must be applied. There are a wide range of options when it comes to protecting Structural elements of the building from fire, so again it is key to explore these early with professionals.

Early Contractor Involvement allows us to educate the wider project team, develop positive relationships from the outset, address concerns about a project’s design, construction, and operations, allow us to explore any VE options in good time and mitigate any negative impacts that poor planning will have on the project as a whole. This all leads to reduced costs, tighter timescales, and better quality.

Passive Fire Protection is a moving target, frequent regulation changes and regular product development make it hard to keep up. As an experienced, committed and professional contractor with the relevant industry accreditations and trade association memberships we are aware of any changes the moment they are released.

Why bring in the professionals and tell them what to do? Make use of the technical input you receive from experienced professionals at an accredited company and then implement these in the design of your fire strategy/fire protection systems. PSTG Fire Protection will join calls, attend meetings, and even provide technical details as part of our FREE Early Contractor Involvement service. It really is a no-brainer. Get in touch today.

www.pstg-fire.co.uk

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