Technical Review Meeting (TRM)

Description

The Technical Review Meeting (TRM) is a focused online meeting where the project Design Team presents the Mechanical, Electrical and Public Health (MEP) elements together with Security, ICT and Health, Safety and Environmental to Imperial stakeholders and receives structured feedback. This will be undertaken through a series of dedicated discipline driven meetings, to be arranged independently or through a timed agenda, depending on project complexity. 

The purpose of the TRM is to: 

  • Encourage collaboration between the Design Team and TRM members. 
  • Ensure the design is in accordance with Imperial's requirements from a design and operational perspective.
  • Enable the Design Team to present outstanding items from previous design stages which may require further direction from TRM members. 
  • Assist with delivery of the project in line with Imperial's Building Engineering Services Particular Requirements (BESPR), Standards and Codes of Practice. 
  • Review any "exceptional" items not in compliance with Imperial standards, whereby options and recommendations will need to be presented to and approved by the TRM group.
  • Discuss sustainability and energy saving initiatives with regards to MEP services and any subsequent life cycle cost assessments. 

At the TRM, the Project Manager will introduce the project team and give a brief description of the project. The project team lead will then present the relevant design stage, structured to include the following sections: 

  • Architectural (very brief overview as the focus of the meeting is on MEP)
  • MEP (Mechanical, Electrical & Public Health)
  • Structural (very brief as no internal expertise, only done when context is important to other disciplines) 
  • Fire
  • BMS (Building Management Systems)
  • Metering 
  • Network Cabling & Programme 
Tracking

Comments and questions from the Engineering Teams and other stakeholders are encouraged during and at the end of the presentation. The TRM will be recorded and shared with all attendees after the meeting. The Project Manager will record all comments and questions raised during and at the end of the presentation on the TRM/TAG Comments Tracker, noting the department raising the issue - completion date for the action - and who notifies of action completion. The tracker will be kept live in the relevant Project Folder in Box, where all Project Team and TRM members will have access to edit/amend accordingly. Unanswered items within the tracker will be reviewed at the next design stage review, with the view that all items should be closed out. 

Pre-TRM Documentation

At the beginning of each design stage, independent Pre-TRM workshops should be arranged with the appropriate TRM members per discipline in order to run through initial design philosophies and strategies etc. This will be completed with all TRM disciplines where relevant, or with a smaller selection where applicable depending on project complexity. All relevant design documents, (including Design Stage Reports) must be sent to the Engineering Technical Assistant (via propertyengineeringteam@imperial.ac.uk) and other TRM members a minimum of one week (five working days) prior to the TRM. Any comments during the Pre-TRM review/discussions will be captured in the TRM tracker as per previous section. Changes made to the design within the week leading up to the TRM can be discussed in the meeting and documented in the "TRM/TAG Action Tracker" where appropriate. The Project Manager should ensure that each RIBA design stage (0-5) has a TRM date planned into the project programme. 

Engagement

The TRM must be arranged by contacting the Engineering Team (propertyengineeringteam@imperial.ac.uk). The email should include: 

  • Project number
  • Project name
  • Project description
  • Design stage to be presented

The TRM should be held 1 week prior to the TAG meeting where possible. The Project Manager will forward the TRM invite to the relevant project Design Team members and Imperial stakeholders, including: ICT, Safety (including Fire Safety), Property Facilities Management, Maintenance & Critical Infrastructure and relevant Project User-Coordinators. 

Forms & Links

All documents should be added to Box on each RIBA stage as the Common Data Environment (CDE) for records management purposes. 

Approvals and Compliance Review

TRM members are responsible for reviewing the Design Team's proposals to validate whether Imperial requirements have been met, and other project-specific building and site constraints have been addressed. TRM members should also review the design to assess whether proposals are expected to deliver best value for money to Imperial (e.g. appropriate supply chain, whole life v. capital cost considerations and energy efficiency). 

Any "exceptional" items not compliant with Imperial requirements must be presented to, and approved by the TRM group. The TRM reviewers' comments and the Design Team's responses should be captured within the "TRM & TAG Action Tracker", with a strategy for addressing matters raised clearly set out and timescale to complete actions. 

At the end of the meeting, the TRM group will confirm acceptance of design and no objection for this to move on to the next RIBA stage (subject to TAG sign off). No project will be signed off to proceed to RIBA 5 (construction) unless all items are closed in the tracker at the end of RIBA 4 (with the exception of those items proposed for sign off at TRM during RIBA 5 or as part of the Tech Sub approval process). 

Imperial and in particular the TRM and TAG groups will hold no design responsibility by accepting signing off any design presented on these forums. These are advisory groups and quality check points provided by the Property Division in order to ensure good practice and adherence to standards. It is the Design Team and Main Contractor's duty, as specified in their appointment documents, to comply with all relevant legislation and applicable Imperial standards. 

Repeated Subsequent RIBA Stages 

The process should be repeated for each design stage (RIBA 0-5). For larger or more complex MEP projects, the number of TRMs should be arranged in order to work through the design thoroughly. Unanswered items within the tracker will be reviewed at the next Design Stage TRM, with the view that all items should be cloed out before progression to the next stage.