Practical application of RCM to local authority housing: a pilot study

This paper presents part of an EPSRC research project carried out by the Construction Management Research Unit at Dundee University. The objective of the research was to apply integrated logistics support, to the development of cost‐effective maintenance strategies for existing building stock. Techniques such as failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) and reliability centred maintenance (RCM) were tailored for application to construction projects and a pilot study was carried out on a sample of 18 houses drawn from Dundee City Council housing stock. A comparative analysis of condition survey, FMEA and RCM is provided. The main objective of this paper is to evaluate the benefits of applying RCM to existing building stock. The pilot study shows that the use of RCM can lead to a reduction of 18.5 per cent in maintenance costs.