It’s time contractors stop delivering static handover information that goes stale and start focusing on delivering information clients can trust, with the Digital Asset Manual
For years, contractors have shouldered a disproportionate share of blame for poor O&M handover outcomes, despite operating within a fragmented process they don’t control.
Static O&M manuals, typically assembled under pressure in the final weeks before Practical Completion (PC), were never designed to support the dynamic reality of early life operations. The result is familiar. End user clients inherit outdated information, FM teams spend months rebuilding asset data and contractors are criticised for “handover failures” that were inevitable from the start.
The good news is that a shift is underway. Digital Asset Manuals (DAM) are redefining how asset information is managed between construction and operations. They represent the evolution of digital O&Ms, moving from static document sets to structured, managed asset information that continues to evolve after handover.
This shift gives contractors a real opportunity to reduce late-stage friction, align expectations across the supply chain and deliver a handover outcome that genuinely supports the client.
Why traditional O&M manuals fail contractors
The construction industry generates enormous volumes of information throughout design, installation, commissioning and verification. Yet traditional O&Ms freeze that information at a single moment in time, usually when the building is changing most rapidly.
In the final weeks before PC, subcontractors are completing works, commissioning results are still being validated and last-minute changes are being resolved. Contractors are expected to chase documentation, reconcile conflicting asset data and package everything into PDFs, all against a fixed deadline.
The traditional process forces contractors to:
- Chase and coordinate multiple subcontractors for late information.
- Reconcile inconsistent asset lists and naming conventions.
- Deliver unstructured PDFs instead of validated data.
- Absorb risk for information they didn’t define.
Even when everything is “delivered”, the building continues to change. Early life space reconfigurations, firmware updates and warranty replacements all occur within months of occupation. None of this is captured in static manuals, leaving O&Ms obsolete almost immediately and contractors exposed to criticism long after they’ve left site.
Digital Asset Manuals are designed to eliminate this problem.
What Digital Asset Manuals change
A Digital Asset Manual is not a document. It is a living, structured asset information model that evolves with the building during the critical early life period.
DAM captures:
- DLP period changes and clarifications.
- Commissioning updates.
- Early failures and replacement events.
- Operational tuning adjustments.
- Ongoing compliance updates.
Rather than freezing information at PC, DAM keeps it current until the building stabilises, which is typically around year three. For contractors, this removes the last-minute scramble to assemble mismatched information sets and replaces the traditional handover dump with a managed information lifecycle.
Handover stops being an end point and becomes a controlled transition into operations.
How contractors benefit from DAM
Contractors have the most to gain from DAM adoption, both commercially and operationally.
Smoother handover and fewer disputes: Clients receive a structured, validated asset model that continues to be maintained beyond PC, reducing end of project tension and post-handover rework.
Clearer supply chain requirements: When asset information structures and classifications are defined early, subcontractors deliver consistent data throughout the project, removing the need for manual reconciliation.
Alignment with ISO 19650: DAM supports a clear progression from PIM to AIM to Living AIM, enabling contractors to meet information requirements confidently and repeatedly.
Reduced compliance and reputation risk: By capturing changes and corrections beyond PC, DAM protects contractors from future disputes linked to outdated or incomplete information.
A stronger value proposition to clients: Delivering DAM demonstrates a commitment to lifecycle outcomes, not just capital delivery, creating a powerful differentiator in a competitive market.
Why contractors must encourage clients to specify DAM early
DAM works best when it is mandated by the client. When the O&M provider and information framework are specified early, ideally at RIBA Stage 2 or 3, contractors benefit from clear deliverables, aligned expectations and fewer late stage surprises. Without this, each project reinvents the wheel, driving inconsistency and inefficiency across the supply chain.
Contractors have a strategic role to play in encouraging clients to specify DAM early, because it ultimately improves delivery for everyone involved.
DAM good information means DAM smart operations
Digital Asset Manuals represent a shift the industry has needed for years.
They eliminate the limitations of static O&Ms, reduce late-stage risk for contractors and ensure buildings begin operation with accurate, reliable information.
For contractors, this is more than compliance. It’s smarter delivery, smoother projects and better client relationships. It’s a chance to lead.
Discover more about DAM good information at glidertech.com.
*Please note that this is a commercial profile.
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