Certificate of Completion

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To achieve the Final Certificate and completion:

Item	Action
Start the process	Start the process well in advance of the end of defects! We want to complete the works by the end of DLP. Start 2 months ahead of the scheduled Final Completion date so all issues are identified and closed out by Final Completion.
Favourable situation	Create a favourable situation where there is no good reason to withhold Final Certificate or the retention guarantee as security against Hutchies. Ideally the client will be more than happy to release Hutchies because we’ve performed well.
Contract Documentation	Thoroughly review the Contract and Project Documentation for any Final Completion requirements
Defects inspection	Call for contract defects inspections so they can occur in a timely manner - remembering clients will have various people to schedule for assistance including project managers/defect experts, designers and building managers.
Planning	The people involved may have other commitments and may require some lead time to lock them in. The building operators/occupants may have time restrictions including shut down periods which require careful planning.
Supervisor	Make sure we have allocated a supervisor that has time to deal with the issues and has exceptional communication skills in this environment (who knows how to treat people decently)
Distribution list	Maintain the correct distribution list for the project defects email so the people that need to know about an issue are contactable
Central email	Use the central project defects email address to accept new defects and distribute information.
Phone calls	We don’t screen calls or avoid issues – a completed building means the people involved have their work and personal life disrupted so it doesn’t take much for them to be frustrated. It’s like a new car breaking down and the proud new owner having to stand by the side of the road waiting.
Contact	People that don’t have success contacting us, or getting us to attend to defects fall back to regulators and thats not at all what we want
Good Relationships	Maintain that good relationship with the building manager/building owner/body corporate – continue healthy positive communication – if there is an issue we want them to be upfront and tell us. The closer we are to them, the more likely they will want to work with us. Remind them of the need for maintenance.
Maintenance	Verify all required maintenance has been completed by the relevant subcontractors under the contract (fire pumps, air conditioning, lifts etc) and ensure you tell the owner/body corporates that maintenance is complete and they need to engage others to take over the ongoing maintenance
Attend to issues	Attend to issues/defects that are raised progressively – don’t delay them or let them build up without clear agreement. The more time people have to look at a defect once they identified it, the more irritated they become and will go looking for more to escalate the importance of dealing with them. Don’t leave people hanging and thinking we have no care or consideration for their needs (which are typically backed to contract and statutory rights)
Be polite	Be polite, helpful and respect the building managers/building operators/owner’s privacy and time. Don’t presume they are working around us like they are here to do us a favour. Don’t think every owner is sitting around waiting for us, or that you can arrange for them all to be home at the same time, so the work is efficiently completed.
Defect inspection	Complete our own a full project defects inspection at 12 months to ensure we identify any issues during the initial operation/use of the building. Use the Quality and Services teams to assist Note once again – this isn’t lip service – refer defects period guide
Defects list	Combine all defects lists and review. If there are issues that need discussion, do this quickly to agree the list. The longer the takes the more frustrated people get and the more they dig in – and more to the point, the more they look which means the more they will find and the list only gets worse.
Sensible judgement	Use sensible judgement to review the defects – and appreciate regardless of the contract people will have their position on what is acceptable and there is precedence of what is the minimum acceptable quality in documents like the ’Standards and Tolerance guide’
Building handover	Once a building is handed over and occupied, we lose control or easy access and the works are inefficient – it’s that simple. This is why we want to build good quality to begin with to avoid this costly exercise
Complete works	Complete any required works to a good (Hutchies) and acceptable (contract/statutory warranty) standard
Check defects	Consider the works carefully and implement controls to ensure suitable security, safety, protection of building works and building contents (including vehicles), and cleaning are provided
Written confirmation	Get written confirmation that the acceptance of the defects from whoever raised the defect to close it out
Don't leave	Don’t leave any loose ends!

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