Post occupancy evaluations

The aim of post occupancy evaluations is to objectively assess the performance (both practical and environmental), value for money and user satisfaction of capital and other major building projects with a floor area greater than 250 sq m. A review of the design will be carried out when occupants will have had time to “live” in the property and see how it works in practice.

The evaluation will be arranged by the Oxfordshire County Council Corporate Landlord (OCCCL) and must be carried out between 11 and 13 months after practical completion and involve the following personnel:
• Head of Establishment
• Client directorate
• Service provider
• Principal contractor
• OCCCL

The purpose of the post occupancy evaluation (POE) is to learn lessons for future projects avoiding mistakes that have been made but also embracing what has worked well. It is not a “blame game” but part of a continual improvement process.

The record of the Post occupancy evaluation will include the best features of a project that are worth repeating (up to a maximum of six) and those features that have not performed as well as expected and can be improved up on (up to a maximum of six).

Post Occupancy Evaluation to include:

• Functionality Details
• Build Quality Details
• Building fabric (Internal and external)
• Service provision (Ventilation, heating, acoustics, daylighting etc)
• Impact on building users
• Defect Record and Feedback Sheets

Details of any teething problems with the building will have been entered on the Defects record sheet at the time they arose and any issues that needed dealt with raised at the time of arising using the Feedback sheet.

Photographs are to be included as evidence

The evaluation is also to include an assessment of the following:

• User satisfaction (summer and winter)
• Compliance with contract KPI's
• Compliance with Energy Standards
• Energy and water consumption details and comparisons against predicted consumptions and yardsticks, provided at design stage, including any relevant comments.
• Value for money.
• Issues raised at the Completion Review

Minutes of the meeting will be taken and circulated to all parties involved with the project. In some cases a report will be required. An example Post Occupancy Evaluation report can be found in the documents section of the manual.

The best practice and any other documents in the manual are to be updated as a result of lessons learnt.