Short Duration Site Office Lines

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1. Introduction and Background

This brief is aimed at construction companies and it explains how you can help us deliver your site office line in a timely manner.

2. How You Can Help Us

Root cause analysis shows that you can help us achieve success by giving some attention to the following aspects:

a) Use the Correct Product

You should order construction site office lines via your CP as ‘short duration lines for a site office’. This is a specific product that ensures your order is referred to Openreach planners direct for survey. A ‘standard’ line would probably be automatically issued to a singleton engineer without checking the line plant implications, which are often not straightforward. Also the ‘end of life’ cease process for this product (unlike the ‘standard’ version) includes the removal of plant for safety reasons. If your CP orders a ‘standard’ line, the order will be cancelled with a request for a new order to be issued with the correct product.

b) Ensure Clear Contact Details

Unsurprisingly, communications failures are a frequent cause of delay and cost. We need a contact that can be reached without delay; somebody with the authority to agree how, when and where the service should be terminated on site. This ensures our survey and planning teams are able to have a meaningful dialogue with the right people in your company and that the right decisions are made to meet your requirements. For example, it is not unusual for the site office location and/or installation date to change after we have agreed requirements. It helps if we can avoid this happening unnecessarily.

c) Use Site Distribution Points (SDPs)

An SDP is a cabinet (installed and owned by you) within which we (Openreach) can install our network terminating equipment (NTE). It is a solution that should be considered and agreed (or otherwise) at the first site meeting between our field planner and your representative. All cabling beyond our NTE will be yours. We can install cabling beyond the NTE under timescale charging arrangements. The SDP should not affect your CP’s processes. However, it would be helpful if the initial job notes indicate whether you would be prepared to agree the use of an SDP, thus assuring due consideration at survey stage. See Appendix 1 for further details.

d) Use Excess Construction Charges Bandings

Another potential source of delay and confusion is the time it takes to receive approval of excess construction charges. The use of excess construction charges bandings (where you pre-authorise charges up to a prescribed limit via your CP) greatly reduces the impact of this factor and is helpful. You should consult your CP if you wish to consider this option.

Please also note that jobs are automatically cancelled if quoted charges are not authorised by the CP within 30 days of Openreach submitting the charge details (to the CP). We have seen many cases where this happens and the job has to be re-ordered as a consequence.

e) Encourage CPs To Use Our Escalations Process

Within the Openreach Service Management Centres (SMC) there is a dedicated team who deal with escalations where Openreach have failed on a commitment to their customers, as long as the problem fits within our set criteria. CPs should escalate such orders to this team so they can be addressed without going back to the start of the process. See Appendix 2 for further details of the circumstances that apply.

Appendix 1: Site Distribution Points (SDPs)

1. What is the problem? We need to minimise the time and cost involved in delivering service to construction site offices.

2. What is an SDP? A site distribution point (SDP) is a cabinet within which we (Openreach) can fix our NTE. It is owned and installed by you, not by us or by your CP. It avoids the need to wait for site offices to be located on site (a frequent source of delay).

3. What is the process? When we first meet your representative on site, we will offer the option of using an SDP . It is up to the you to pick this option and there is no obligation to do so. If you do choose it, we agree a suitable location, you install the SDP cabinet and we then terminate the service – using an NTE (approximate height 135mm, width 111mm, depth 51mm) – within the cabinet.

4. Where should the SDP be located? The SDP should be fixed rather than movable. They should be positioned so we will always be able to get safe access during the life of the service – i.e. during the construction phase of the project. See item 7 for a detailed checklist for our survey planners.

5. What is the spec. for the SDP? The cabinet must be robust enough to protect our NTE from physical damage. It must be suitable for our NTE to be fixed inside easily – eg. screwed onto a wooden back plate. It must be big enough to house all the external NTEs we will need for your site office(s). It should not be shared with other CPs or other utilities (especially electricity suppliers). See item 9 for a typical fact sheet. Please note we cannot recommend a particular cabinet supplier. You are free to pick your own supplier.

6. When is the SDP removed? The SDP should be removed by you after the service is ceased and we have removed the NTE(s) and associated cable(s).

7. SDP Checklist (For Our Field Planners)

a. Verify the number of the lines required on the order, and ascertain the likelihood of further orders at a later date.

b. At the initial site meeting / on-site survey, establish the site boundary, site hut location/s and any foreseeable move of the site hut at a later date.

c. Identify and agree any Openreach equipment to be maintained in the vicinity and any diversions that maybe required.

d. Locate / identify nearest Openreach network /supply point.

e. Agree the most cost effective location for the installation of the SDP, taking into account costs, lead-times and any Local Authority Traffic Management Act (TMA) requirements. (April 2008 document).

f. Agree how the SDP will be fixed in it’s location and agree the supply and location of the appropriate duct feed.

g. Agree responsibilities within the site boundary, eg. who installs ductwork to the SDP and who carries out excavations (duct stores would be supplied by Openreach up to the SDP).

h. A charges quotation will be issued by Openreach to the CP based upon the above items. This quote will include the timescales for installation in working days, upon receipt into Openreach off confirmation of the order.

i. Authorised quotation – No work will be undertaken to provide service until acceptance of the quotation is received back into Openreach. (the 30 day rule still applies).

j. The construction should be advised to contact Openreach to confirm when the SDP has been installed and to arrange for duct delivery.

k. Agree / confirm on site connection date of Openreach cable to SDP.

l. Final service delivery date to be established with CP.

8) SDP Datasheet (Example Only)

The cabinet is designed for the delivery of basic copper based PSTN line services to complex sites. It is not designed for services requiring electronic terminal equipment, such as ISDN.

a. Fixing of Cabinet

The cabinet may be concreted into the ground with no special preparation. However, it is recommended that the base is bolted to a concrete plinth so it can be reused. This will be dependent on the security of the location. The concrete plinth should be raised to a level slightly above ground level. The access to the base of the cabinet for cable entry should not be submerged.

b. Cabinet specification

The cabinet is a compact enclosure designed to minimise the harmful effects of condensation and heat without the additional cost of providing such ‘Controlled Atmosphere’ environments. This is achieved by providing a weather-sealed enclosure inside a strong, well ventilated external enclosure. Achieving an IP rating of IP56 overall. Making it particularly suitable for exposed locations e.g. line side distribution. The main lift-off cover is secured by means of a slam-latched bolt with a key (new boxes will have a BT No 9 Key) and optional padlock. Facilities are provided in this section for earthing.

The interior of the cabinet is equipped with weather seals and is secured using a simple latch mechanism. Cable access is provided by means of three removable rubber cable entries that will accommodate cables up to 22mm diameter.

The mounting frame supplied is marine ply and accepts a range of line connectivity/box connections or modules.

c. Dimensions and Capacities Dimension 200 Pair (typical example only – actual size requirements to be agreed with Openreach at site meeting)

· Height (total) 1335mm

· Width 300mm

· Depth 200mm

d. Materials

· Base is 2mm galvanised steel,

· Cover is 1.5mm galvanised steel.

e. Protection

· IP56 in standard format.

f. Finish

Polyester powder coating. The gloss finish enables graffiti to

be removed using mild solvents or mild abrasive compounds.

Appendix 2: Appropriate Escalations (Where We Caused the Problem)

a. Line ceased early before associated provide order.

Openreach ‘co-ordinated move’ must have been selected by the CP on the original order.

b. Order not fulfilled as requested:

· When products are missing from the order due to our error.

· When a re-number was not completed (as requested on the initial order).

· When the order was issued incorrectly or cancelled in error by us.

· When our engineer failed to attend on an agreed appointment window.

A valid escalation is not:

· When an incorrect order was due to CP’s error.

· When Matters Beyond Our Reasonable Control (MBORC) apply.

· When there is a dispute over access to the site.

c. Wrong line started

If the line is started at the wrong address due to errors in our records.

d. Incorrect records (address, product or aux line details mismatch)

If the order has closed with the wrong address or products missing, and the CP placed the correct requirements on their initial order.

e. Line plant failure and continuous delays

· When the dates on the order have been missed due to our delays.

A valid escalation is NOT:

· When the CP is not happy with the line plant availability date given.

f. Appropriate customer message not received by the CP (from us) within 24 hours of a job progress query being raised

End of document.

Issue 2 (April 2012) Page 1