Technical Services
Current at: 10 May 2010 (C)
Technical Advice & Information
If you work in the housing industry and you have a compliance or workmanship question, call As-Built Learning Exchange (ABLE).
T: 9317 3648…M: 0412 010 939...or click Contact ABLE in the grey sidebar.
A wise old sage once said “you don’t have to know everything; you just have to know someone who does”. If ABLE doesn’t have the information they are likely to know “someone who does”.
ABLE is not a regulator. This means you are free to raise the issues you need answered. And, because ABLE works with designers and draftspeople, estimators and schedulers, construction managers and supervisors, tradespeople and suppliers, you can be confident that you will be talking to someone who understands your issue.
Building Issue Research & Investigation
For builders, this service provides access to an impartial third party that works with recognised experts-in-their-field to collect the technical evidence needed for effective issue resolution. Used this way issue research and investigation is a pro-active way to manage client and/or contractor building issues.
For suppliers and regulators, this service provides the opportunity to undertake effective local practice research and investigation, to develop solutions that are relevant to local practice, and to be recognised for making a practicable contribution to affordability, compliance and workmanship outcomes.
When research and investigation services are requested ABLE will invite the business, regulator or association to enter into an Exchange Agreement whereby ABLE manages the research and investigation process and they agrees that what is learnt from the investigation can be used by ABLE for the development of better local practice information and resources.
Technical Document Review & Development
Technical documents can be a pro-active tool to manage client expectations and ensure that contractors understand what the builder expects of their work.
A technical document review checks for inconsistencies in the descriptions used in your Specification, Addenda, Purchase Order, Variation and/or Sub-Contract Agreements and other documents that can lead to misunderstandings or that do not reasonably limit what the client can expect.
The review process looks at what you are undertaking to deliver to the client, what sub-contractors are agreeing to deliver to the builder, and provides the opportunity of a third-person review of your current document systems.
Examples of gaps that the review process can discover are:
- Compliance descriptions that are too open and that commit you to a greater scope-of-compliance than is required.
- Workmanship descriptions that do not reasonably limit what the client expects.
- Sub-contract and/or supply work practice descriptions that do not reflect the work and/or materials standards you have undertaken to deliver to the client.
ABLE has a suite of technical document templates that can be adapted to suit individual builder practices. When working with ABLE to adapt these resources builders access the knowledge gained from developing the resource and the benefit of working with someone who knows how to best adapt the resource in your building process.
When a technical review is requested, the Builder is invited to enter into an Exchange Agreement whereby ABLE manages the review process and provides Open Exchange Use rights for local practice resources, and the Builder agrees that what is learnt from the review can be used by ABLE for the development of local practice information and resources.
Training
ABLE provides workshops for designers and draftspeople, pre-start and contract administrators, estimators and schedulers, and supervisors and tradespeople.
Content is tailored to suit the work role and local practice information and resources are used to translate national regulations into local practices.
ABLE also provides in-house training programs. These are run where people work (in-office and on-site) using what they work with (drawings, trade descriptions, take-off sheets etc). These sessions provide an opportunity for people to learn about compliance and workmanship in the context of their own workplace and the actual decisions they are required to make.
The Workshop Learning Model illustrates how workshop content is structured to achieve specific “knowing” or “doing” outcomes. This approach ensures that individuals learn what they need to know, and then how to use that knowledge to make in-the-moment decisions.
ABLE Workshop Planner
The Workshop Planner provides a framework for thinking through the subject, intent, role, format and location decisions that lead to the development of a useful learning experience.
BCA Design Compliance
Local Government Building Surveyors are asking for the 2009 Glazing Calculator Add-Ons Common Practice Solution to be used for compliance reporting.
Technical support calls suggest Building Professionals will benefit from a workshop that provides the opportunity to discuss the assessment of more complex residential construction.