Part 1: Choosing a Fitout Specialist
There are multiple reasons why a practice owner might be considering investing in a refurbishment or a new-build of a healthcare practice. Often, investors will delay their projects due to time constraints and costs, as well as the unknown of what is required during these projects. Dental and Medical Fitout Specialists such as the team at Consilo offer advice and guidance about the process, providing any information needed on your journey to a new practice.
Throughout Australia, numerous design and construction companies offer various services of differing levels of design and construction. Each designer, builder, or fitout company will have their unique focus: budget compared to high-end projects, they may claim to have short build-times, or some companies offer contracts with prime cost sums, making their contract look affordable in the beginning, while costs and fees add up during the project making the final project cost multiplied. There are many other unique selling agendas offered in the industry to consider.
These agendas aside, in a healthcare practice refurbishment or new build, there are several critical considerations that you will need to meet to ensure your practice is legal and meets Australian standards.
Follow our upcoming series on this to find out more about how to approach this process.
In this installment, we’re going to guide you through how to choose a fitout specialist, as well as building requirements in each state and what to look out for.
Selecting a fitout specialist
Often healthcare specialists think that putting a few walls up, organising a painter, electrician and a flooring guy is simple. At Consilo we follow the belief that we are specialists in our field like healthcare specialists are in theirs. We have a trialed and trusted fitout process that has created many healthcare practices throughout Australia. The knowledge, skill set, contacts, and credibility are the keys to repeated success in our trade. A perfect way to consider this is, would you have your Root Canal performed by a Bariatric Surgeon? Unqualified, and uneducated, and likely cause future problems.
Building licenses
Correct Building licenses are required for each state in Australia. Consilo owns adequate licensing in each state where we work and only allows licensed tradesmen onto our sites. This ensures that works are completed to building code in the relevant state. In addition to this, Consilo only starts work on-site when we have the necessary council building approvals and permits. We always complete our projects by engaging a private certifier, who certifies that the works are completed to the standards in that state.
Insurance
It’s important to confirm that your fitout specialist has a Public Liability Certificate, Professional Indemnity Certificate, and Building Works Insurance that is appropriate for Australia-wide. This protects our clients and their property throughout their journey with Consilo, from initial design through to construction works on-site and after-care.
Financial capacity
Consilo has been operating since 1999 under the reliable and professional management of the current Directors. Continual steady growth has ensured a stable second-generation company, free of encumbrances with a substantial monetary and tangible assets portfolio.
Regulations and guidelines
Consilo understands and maintains quality control checks to ensure we are designing and constructing in alignment with the current relevant governing health bodies’ rules, regulations, and guidelines for health practices. These include material usage and care specifications, recommended practice flow regulations, space, and disability regulations, among others which are dependant on the specific requirements of our Clients Business. We have a thorough understanding of an environmental management policy, ensuring Consilo adheres to all rules and regulations for waste management. We are also committed to ensuring that we minimise our carbon footprint.
Equipment
We know the importance of understanding equipment sizes, usage, and regulations. Consilo has years of experience with the equipment used in the healthcare industry. We have developed innovative solutions for ways to store your laboratory equipment, other handheld equipment, and created dispenser units for single-use plastic items. We understand the functionality of compressors and suctions units and the correct placement of these in the practice for maximum usage benefits. Knowing how the equipment works and is maintained, and how our clients intend to use this equipment, is invaluable background knowledge and resource that govern our designs and under slab works.
We hope this installment gives you clarity and confidence when choosing your fitout specialist. We hope to have built your awareness of the differences between Consilo and other designers, builders, and fitout companies. In our next installment, we will be taking a look at how to go about setting a project budget, as well as common building contract errors.
