​​Adaptability and reuse

Common asset standards and specifications will, over time, have the effect of minimising any significant differences in condition and transfer values during relocations of agencies.

Standards

• When an agency is vacating space where the lease has not expired and that space is to be occupied by another agency, the departing agency shall, if the existing hard fit-out is in accordance with the Workplace Standards and Guidelines for office space and generic in type (ie not a specific design, eg a call centre and not required by the incoming agency), leave it in place so that it can be reused by the incoming agency.
• Where the hard fit-out lessee assets remaining in place have a residual financial value, they shall be purchased by and transferred to the incoming agency at their current book value. It will be the responsibility of the departing agency to provide to the incoming agency a schedule, verified by the departing agency’s Chief Financial Officer or equivalent, of the hard fit-out lessee assets to be transferred and their current book value. This may require a physical audit of the hard fit-out assets to be transferred, undertaken by either the departing agency, or suitably qualified asset cost consultants.

Guidelines

• Agencies should, for each of their sites (Including if applicable contents of off-site furniture storage facilities), record the lessee assets in a physical asset register (PAR). Holding lessee asset data at an appropriate level will enable agencies to better understand what lessee assets they own and where they are located. This is useful information to have when lessee assets need to be efficiently and easily identified, confirmed and transferred between agencies.
• Agencies should record lessee assets in their PAR by asset component (eg workstation chairs, meeting tables, and office desks) and component quantity (eg five workstation chairs). It is not necessary, unless an agency is undertaking asset tracking or full condition rating assessment, for asset data to be recorded at the discrete component level, ie a single desk or a single chair. The Asset Management Data and Information section provides guidance on what data agencies should collect and record in a PAR.
• Office areas should have a generic fit-out to make it easy for different agencies to share the same space or for agencies to shift from one space to another with minimal modification.
• When an agency is vacating space where the lease has not expired and that space is to be occupied by another agency, the departing agency should leave as much of the existing soft fit-out in place as possible, so it can be reused by the incoming agency. What soft fit-out assets remain will be determined by mutual agreement between the departing and incoming agency. The soft fit-out lessee assets should be transferred to the incoming agency on the same basis and using the same methodology as for hard fit-out lessee asset transfers between agencies.
• Agencies should endeavour to reuse and recycle soft fit-out assets instead of purchasing new assets; if it is feasible, economically sensible and facilitates new ways of working. See Scenario 1.
• Hard fit-out surfaces should be of a type to ensure that any damage caused when agency fixtures are removed is minimal. Where possible mount signage to timber or plaster surfaces. Tiled or stone type surfaces should not feature penetrations for signage or branding features.
• Agencies should also refer to GPG's Workplace Standards and Guidelines for office space paying particular attention to the standards and guidelines developed for the ‘Choice of work settings’, ‘Shared collaborative and quiet spaces’ and ‘Mobility and adaptability’ principles.