Reliable operation for the residents of Umeå
Sustainable, energy-efficient and reliable. These are three guiding principles that underpin Bravida’s framework agreement with Umeå Municipality. Bravida’s automation department ensures that properties such as schools, care homes and other municipal buildings run smoothly.
The city of Umeå has many different municipal properties where it is extremely important for installations such as heating and lighting to function perfectly, particularly in the dark and cold winter months. The framework agreement with Bravida provides the municipality with a comprehensive automation solution to install and maintain energy-efficient systems for municipal properties. The agreement has recently been expanded to cover three out of four control systems in the municipality and runs until 2027.
The assignments that the automation department receives from the municipality vary. There are often several different projects running simultaneously, requiring good communication with the client.
“We have a very good relationship with the municipality, with regular coordination meetings to agree on what needs to be done going forward and what technical solutions we can use,” says Filip Larsson, branch manager for automation at Bravida in Umeå.
Collaboration between disciplines
In all, about eight employees from Bravida work with the municipality, including project managers, automation engineers and technicians. Bravida also has separate framework agreements with the municipality for electricity and ventilation.
“This is very positive and makes our work much easier. We have a very good working relationship with the other disciplines,” says Filip.
When a new project starts, there is a ready-made routine for the workflow, which he sees as a real recipe for success.
“When we start a new project, we always go out on site together with one of our clients from the municipality. This gives us a shared understanding of the situation and allows us to jointly develop improvement proposals and decide what needs to be done. The municipality has good technical knowledge of its systems, and we bring expertise in areas such as energy efficiency and the technical solutions that produce the best and most energy-efficient results.”
A good dialogue with the customer also helps to ensure that the work runs smoothly and that questions or problems can be addressed quickly and effectively.
“For example, if we discover that something else might need to be addressed over and above what the customer ordered, we always contact the municipality beforehand to discuss it. Having such a quick and easy dialogue is definitely a success factor in this collaboration,” says Filip.
Modernisation and future-proofing
One of the biggest projects carried out by the automation department is an upgrade of an old control system to a new, more future-proof and modern system. This was a project that lasted for two years and involved replacing the hardware in the various properties, changing the software, and programming the new system. More than 20 properties were included, and several control units were installed in each property. Among other things, the control system in one of the municipal swimming pools was upgraded.
“It was a crucial phase in the project when we arrived at the swimming pool. It was very important for the transition to the new system to go through without any disruption, and without affecting the services or the residents,” says Filip.
Secure IT environment
A challenge in working with Umeå municipality is the IT environment. As the municipality has stringent demands for a secure IT environment, all work on the control systems software has to be done in that environment. This means that good communication with the municipality’s IT department is important.
“For example, if we are to install a new system, the IT solution must be ready before we get started. This generally works very well, but of course it does require a bit of foresight and planning.”
The collaboration with Umeå municipality has also made an impact on the internal skill levels in the department.
“We have strengthened our expertise in technical solutions and project planning, which we benefit from in other projects.”
FACTS
Client: Umeå municipality.
Bravida’s assignment: Automation.
Timetable: Framework agreements for three of the municipality's four control systems running until 2027.