Asset Surveying Services for PPP/PFI, Public, and Private Sector Estates
Strategic Asset Surveys Aligned with Compliance CoBP and Lifecycle Needs
Opex Consulting offers UK-wide asset surveying services tailored for public and private sectors, including NHS Trusts, MOD sites, schools, and local authorities. Our structured surveys support PFI CoBP requirements, lifecycle modelling, statutory compliance, and facilities management (FM) investment planning, CAFM and reset and PFI handback.
We specialise in condition-based asset data collection covering Mechanical & Electrical (M&E), Building Fabric, Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment (FF&E), and Medical Equipment, with outputs designed to meet the legislative and contract compliance demands including NHS Estatecode standards and lifecycle planning, while setting the foundations for best practice FM delivery.
Our surveys are designed around the RICS NRM3 taxonomy, ensuring data consistency, extensibility, and long-term use across systems and reporting needs. From day one, we engage all stakeholders to define the end uses of the data, ensuring surveys are structured to capture everything you need, the first time, as well as ensuring a collaborative process.
We utilise industry standard collection software that allows us to capture not only
asset data and condition but also capture photographic evidence to ensure
auditability and aid QA in the process.
What our Asset Surveys Include
Mechanical & Electrical (M&E) Systems
- HVAC systems
- Fire protection systems
- Electrical systems (HV/LV)
- Medical gas systems
- Water management systems
- Decontamination assets
Building Fabric Elements
- Roofs external elevations
- Wall and floor finishes
- Joinery, doors, and windows
- Sanitaryware and internal partitions
FF&E & Medical Equipment
- Full Group 1–4 classification
- Serviceability grading and tagging
External Infrastructure
- Landscaping
- Drainage
- Hard surfaces
- Outbuildings
Key Features of Our Survey Approach
Our Deliverables
Why Choose Opex Consulting?

Our surveys are designed for precision, consistency, and full digital integration — turning data into reliable operational insight.
- NRM3-Based Taxonomy: Ensures consistency for CAFM, FM systems, and lifecycle models.
- Condition Grading: NHS Estatecode or contract-specific standards.
- Detailed Attributes: Asset-level records include make, model, serial number, year, life expectancy, and cost to replace or repair.
- Lifecycle-Ready Outputs: Captured for integration into lifecycle models and asset investment plans.
- SFG20-Linked: Assets linked to SFG20 maintenance schedules to inform or populate your PPM strategy.
- Visual Evidence: Digital photographs of each asset for verification and contextual analysis.
- Tagging Options: Asset tagging using barcodes, QR codes, or RFID—compatible with your existing systems.

Clear, structured outputs ready for direct integration into your CAFM and lifecycle tools.
- Flat data files structured to match client CAFM and lifecycle model templates.
- Asset-tagged inventory with photos.
- Custom dashboards.
- Detailed condition and lifecycle reports.

At Opex Consulting, we approach asset surveying as an integral part of the asset management process. We consider all practical and contractual requirements and tailor the survey scope to meet those needs. Our focus is on collecting the right data, not just more data, to ensure compliance and operational efficiency.
- Contractual Perspective: We think about asset data from a full contract-compliant perspective, with expiry/handback in mind, as well as ongoing operational requirements to ensure the asset is performing at its intended level at all times.
- Experienced Surveyors: Our M&E surveyors are highly experienced in complex environments like acute hospitals.
- Commitment to Excellence: Our process and surveying activities are set up to achieve good or best practice outcomes. To achieve this and meet all contract requirement, this may mean it is more expensive, but we conduct surveys diligently, focusing on excellence and ensuring the survey outputs can feed best practice asset management and therefore buildings that deliver for their occupiers.
Case Study: NHS PFI Handback Preparation
Summary
Challenge
Solution
Outcome
Each project we deliver combines technical expertise, contractual understanding, and practical delivery — ensuring outcomes that are both compliant and commercially sound.
- Client: NHS acute hospital trust operating a large, complex PFI estate.
- Challenge: Addressing incomplete asset data, compliance risks, and preparing for contract expiry.
- Solution: Comprehensive asset survey and data reset aligned to NHS standards and PFI handback requirements.
- Outcome: Improved compliance visibility, lifecycle-ready asset data, and a smoother handback process.
Resetting the asset management delivery and also preparing for PFI contract expiry, and solving issues with incomplete asset data and potential compliance issues.
Opex Consulting conducted a comprehensive asset survey, focusing on M&E systems, building fabric, FF&E and medical equipment. The survey was aligned with RICS NRM3 taxonomy and NHS Estatecode standards. The process also needed to allow efficient and accurate maintenance and lifecycle planning, and accurate estate data and history, being able to reset the CAFM system with data that allows full control of the ongoing delivery, reporting and preparedness for handback.
- Identified critical compliance gaps.
- Allows visibility of asset performance over time.
- Reset of the maintenance planning and reporting.
- Provided lifecycle-ready data for future planning.
- Supported a smooth handback process, avoiding potential financial penalties.
FAQs: Asset Surveying
Q: What is the purpose of an asset survey?
Q: How long does an asset survey take?
Q: Do you provide surveys for specific sectors?
Q: How do you ensure data accuracy?
Q: Can you integrate survey data into our existing systems?
Q: What makes Opex different?
Buyer's Guide: Choosing a Surveying Provider
Experience
Experience
| What to Look For |
|---|
| Look for providers with experience in your specific sector. |
Standards Compliance
Standards Compliance
| What to Look For |
|---|
| Ensure they follow recognised standards like RICS NRM3 and NHS Estatecode. |
Data Integration
Data Integration
| What to Look For |
|---|
| Confirm that they can deliver data compatible with your existing systems. |
Quality Assurance
Quality Assurance
| What to Look For |
|---|
| Assess their commitment to accuracy and thoroughness. |
Cost vs. Value
Cost vs. Value
| What to Look For |
|---|
| Consider the long-term value of accurate data over initial cost savings. |
Need trusted, compliant asset data for your estate or PPP/PFI handback?
Request a callback from our technical survey team today.