Week 40
Sam: These 120 go to the client. The rest stay with us.
Reading the parts list.
Part 3 · The Journey
Handing Over
Who says it's finished?
Before you start
In the story
The client got everything, and could find nothing. This lesson shows who signs off, and what actually goes to the client.
Back to the story
The right way: Just send them everything
Same handover, planned on the parts list
Week 50
Aisha (design manager, lead firm): All 120 here, all checked, and they all fit together.
Authorising the delivery.
Week 51
The Clerk of Works: Accepted.
Nearly smiling.
Sent everything2,000 files, nothing authorised, everything rejected, six weeks late.
Planned the handover120 documents, authorised by the lead, accepted by the client, on time.
Do you know which of your documents go to the client, and which stay with you?
Continue your journey
Story 11: The drawing in the van
Rex's diary. Week 45. Drawing 042 has moved on a revision since it first went to site. Dave says he's got it in the van. I'm sure it's fine.
The right way, explained
Shared isn't finished. The firm leading the work checks the whole delivery and authorises it. The client checks it's what they asked for and accepts it. Only what's on the parts list goes to the client. Everything else stays with you.
In the town See it in the town: who says it's finished, and where does it go then?
The scene
From the shared table to the published shelf
Parcels on the shared table carry S codes: shared, and fit for something. To become published, they make one more trip. The firm leading the work authorises the delivery, the client accepts it, and the S becomes an A. If it isn't right, it comes back with comments. And some parcels never make the trip at all. Pick a stop to see what happens there.
Pick a stopThe last leg
Shared
- On the label
- IM calls it
- Watch out for
This is Authorisation & Acceptance!
Moving information from shared to published: authorised by the firm leading the work, then accepted by the client.
In ISO 19650 the lead appointed party reviews and authorises the information model (everything being handed over, taken together) for submission, then the appointing party reviews and accepts it, and it moves to the published state. In the UK, status codes show the journey: S4 when it's shared for the lead to authorise, S5 when it's shared for the client to accept, then an A code once it's authorised and accepted, numbered for the work stage. Only the information in the delivery plan needs to make the trip.
Sam's Heads Up S and A codes are the UK way, not the only way
The S0 to S5 and A codes here are widely used. Plenty of clients use them. Plenty don't, and some invent new ones halfway through the job.
Check your project's status codes before you share, authorise or build anything. "Approved" on one job can mean "please don't build this yet" on another.
Sam's Heads Up Every status is a promise
Share something "for coordination" and you're telling everyone they can build their work on yours, and you're standing behind it. Share it "for information" and you're only saying: here's where we've got to.
So pick the status for what it's really fit for, not for whatever gets it off your desk. And if it reaches you marked for information, don't build on it.
Fix it Handover coming up?
Handover
coming up?
- List what the parts list says the client gets. Only that.
- Check each parcel's S code, then get the delivery authorised.
- Agree with the client how they'll accept it, and write it down.
A note for the Coordinators (that's IM): plan every delivery milestone on the parts list on day one: what the client gets, when, who authorises it and how the client will accept it. Handover is the biggest milestone, not the only one. Handover is a journey, not a dump truck!
The handover test Before anything is handed over, ask…
Is it on the parts list?
PlannedYes, it's a parcel the client asked for.
Just in case"Send it anyway. You never know."
Who authorised it?
The leadThe firm leading the work, after checking it all fits.
NobodyIt went straight from Alex's laptop to the client.
Did the client accept it?
In writingYes, and it carries an A code to prove it.
ProbablyThey haven't complained yet, so…?
The real town Why does handover go wrong?
Because it happens at the end, when everyone's tired and the money's nearly spent.
Nobody planned it
The parts list said what to make, not what to hand over.
Shared feels like finished
S codes get mistaken for A codes all the time.
More feels safer
So everything gets sent, and nothing gets found.
The client's checks are a surprise
Nobody asked what they'd be checking against.
ISO 19650 Sign-off in the standard
| ISO 19650 step | Who | Status on the way |
|---|---|---|
| Submit the information model for authorisation | Task teams, to the lead appointed party | Shared as S4 |
| Review and authorise | The lead appointed party | Authorised, or back with comments |
| Submit for acceptance | The lead appointed party, to the client | Shared as S5 |
| Review and accept | The appointing party (the client) | Accepted: published with an A code |
Based on the ISO 19650 series: the ideas come from the standard; the plain-English wording, examples and advice are InfoTown's. ISO 19650 and its UK National Annex are © ISO and BSI. You'll hear the same language across the industry. Read more for free in the Information Management Initiative (IMI) Framework guidance from BSI and nima. For the full requirements, use the standard itself.
UK National Annex The codes used at handover
Status codes
| Code | State | What that means to you | Build from it? |
|---|---|---|---|
S4 | Shared | Shared for the lead firm to review and authorise. | Not yet |
S5 | Shared | Shared for the client to review and accept. | Not yet |
A1, A2… An | Published | Authorised and accepted, with no comments outstanding. The number is the work stage: on this site A5 is construction and A6 is handover and the as-built record. | Yes, for that stage, if it's the latest |
B1… Bn | Deprecated | Accepted in part, with comments. The Annex still lists it but marks it deprecated, so you'll see it less and less. If you find one, ask which comments still apply. | Ask first |
Revision codes
| Code | When | What that means to you |
|---|---|---|
P01, P02… | Shared | A shared draft. The number goes up every time it's shared again, so check you've got the highest one. |
C01, C02… | Published | The published version, authorised and accepted. Higher is newer. Build from the latest C, with an A status. |
An S code says what something may be used for. An A code only says it's been authorised and accepted, and the n is the work stage. The Annex ties n to the work stages in BS 8536-1 (buildings) and BS 8536-2 (infrastructure), since brought together in BS 8536:2022, unless your project's information standard sets out another approach. On this site, construction is stage 5 and handover is stage 6, so a construction issue is A5 and the as-built record is A6. Why each A code was issued isn't in the code at all: your project's information standard has to say.
Every status and revision code, and the naming rules, are in one place: Lesson 7, The labels.
Based on the UK National Annex to BS EN ISO 19650-2. Your project's information standard can add to it. ISO 19650 and its UK National Annex are © ISO and BSI. InfoTown explains the ideas in its own words, for learning; you'll hear the same language across the industry. Read more for free in the Information Management Initiative (IMI) Framework guidance from BSI and nima. For the full requirements, use the standard itself.