OPW Supporting Accommodation Officers in Client Departments/Offices

OPW is continuing to provide support and advice to Accommodation Officers in our client Government Departments/ Offices during the COVID-19 pandemic. As part our communications strategy, we have developed this web page which provides an overview of OPW’s strategic objectives in relation to the management and maintenance of our estate portfolio. This online resource includes details of the property maintenance services that we deliver to client Government Departments/Offices from OPW’s budget allocation and from client funding.

Details of the OPW supports available are listed below which includes guidance for managing closed buildings. It also includes a link to OPW’s webinar for the Accommodation Officers’ Network, which was held on 7 May 2020. The webinar focused on ‘Planning for the safe return to our normal place of work” and comprises a series of practical, short presentations. We have also attached other supporting documentation on this page.

This is an active web page and we will upload further information for Accommodation Officers on an ongoing basis.

If you have any feedback, suggestions and/or if you wish to share information with Accommodation Officers on this page please email us at propertymaintenance@opw.ie

OPW has responsibility for delivering the following strategic objectives in relation to its Estate Portfolio:

• to manage the office accommodation portfolio through appropriate acquisitions, disposals and leases in line with its asset management portfolio strategy
• to protect the intrinsic value of all State property assets by proactively implementing effective planned and preventative maintenance and efficiently delivering reactive maintenance. This ensures that:

the condition of buildings/accommodation is maintained on an ongoing basis;

OPW’s estate portfolio building fabric-related health and safety obligations are met and

costs associated with claims on the surrender of leased properties are minimised.

• to invest in capital building programmes that provide quality designed and built accommodation solutions for buildings within OPW’s estate portfolio
• to provide advisory services to government departments/offices and other external agencies
• to encourage practices that maximise energy efficiency and sustainability in public buildings

OPW is responsible for providing a shared service for statutory maintenance and general building maintenance in over 2,200 properties nationwide. Property Maintenance Services is responsible primarily for the provision of hard services such as repairing roofs and replacing windows. The building occupants are responsible for soft services such as housekeeping/cleaning and payment of utility bills.

Property Maintenance Services continue to develop a strategic approach to managing property maintenance, with a greater focus on planned and preventative maintenance programmes vis-à-vis reactive maintenance.

OPW funds and delivers capital programmes which include fabric upgrades, fit-outs, refurbishments, fire safety upgrades, energy saving initiatives, and security works involving government offices, Garda properties and National Cultural Institutions.

OPW also provides a shared service to facilitate departments/offices who require agency works to be carried out that were not covered by OPW’s maintenance and capital programmes. These works are referred to as ‘elective works’ which are funded by the Client departments/offices.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the government made a decision to close non-essential services at the end of March 2020. This meant that many buildings within OPW’s estate portfolio would be unoccupied for extended periods.

OPW emailed all Accommodation Officers on 31 March 2020 to convey their concerns that unattended buildings may develop faults that, if left unchecked, could cause significant damage. This could lead to major costs and disruption to services. OPW pointed out that the organisations occupying these buildings have responsibilities for reporting any issues in relation to the maintenance and upkeep of the buildings they occupy.

It is recommended that Accommodation Officers ensure that the building(s) they manage are visited and inspected regularly to ensure that no such problems arise. For example, many buildings contain essential services such as network and communications equipment including servers which are essential to support staff working from home. Even though many of these installations have some remote monitoring it is advisable to physically inspect them regularly.

During the COVID-19 pandemic the OPW Helpdesk continues to operate and is providing emergency and essential maintenance services on a 24/7 basis to its client government departments and offices. The OPW Helpdesk contact details are as follows:

OPW’s Regional District Inspectors continue to be available, by phone, for queries and consultations

OPW has commenced a series of webinars for the Accommodation Officers Network. The first in the series was held on 7 May 2020 titled – Planning for the safe return to our normal place of work – a link to the replay of session is below including the associated presentations and supporting documentation

OPW has developed this web page on www.gov.ie as a repository for useful information for Accommodation Officers

OPW issued two Accommodation Officers Newsletters last year and will issue another Newsletter shortly

The Annual Accommodation Officers Network Conference scheduled for 11 May 2020 in Dublin Castle was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We will reschedule this conference when it is safe to do so

The 2021 Annual Accommodation Officers network conference was held via webinar.

Please click on the following link to replay the session crowdcast.io The password is: OPW2021.

We advise you to use Chrome, Safari, Opera, Firefox or Edge. Internet Explorer may not be compatible. You should access the webinar on your desktop or laptop.

The following are the slides from the presentations at the conference.

The following is the Q&A from the conference:

The two OPW webinar sessions held on 7 May 2020 were opened by Commissioner McMahon and closed by Maurice Buckley, Chairman of OPW. Click on the link - OPW Webinar for Accommodation Officers - to replay the afternoon session. The password to replay the webinar is OPW2020

We advise you to use the latest version of Chrome, Safari, Opera, Firefox or Edge to get the best out of the webinar. Internet Explorer may not be compatible. You should access the webinar on your desktop or laptop.

On 21 May 2020 we held the second in a series of OPW webinars for Accommodation Offices in our client Departments/Offices. Click on the link - OPW Webinar for Accommodation Officers - to replay the session. The password to replay the webinar is OPW2020

We advise you to use the latest version of Chrome, Safari, Opera, Firefox or Edge to get the best out of the webinar. Internet Explorer may not be compatible. You should access the webinar on your desktop or laptop.

The State Claims Agency (SCA) published a Risk Advisory Notice on their website.

Click on the following link to access the COVID-19 Building Reoccupation Risk Assessment Template.

https://stateclaims.ie/uploads/publications/COVID-19-RAN-Buildings-Reoccupation-Final.pdf