Innovation Exchange Challenge: DfE + Innovate UK Pre-demolition Data Capture and Analysis

Parties interested in applying to the challenge should do so via Innovate UK's challenge site here: www.ktninnovationexchange.co.uk/challenges/447 ↗

The application form for this challenge will require applicants to provide company information and answer 3 questions - Idea Summary, Technology Readiness and Intellectual Property – each with a limit of 300 words.

Technical Requirements

Responses must:

Clearly identify in your submission if you are offering solutions for 1: Data capture and interpretation and/or 2: data analysis across building types

Demonstrate how data will be captured from construction sites, noting that the period between ‘soft strip’ being completed and demolition may be as little as 5 days. The pre-demolition window may also be subject to change and there cannot be any impact on overall project programme.

Use of a data capture method that is widely available in the market and therefore accessible to DfE framework contractors.

Provide opportunity for automated processes and demonstrate how these will be able to process captured data to accurately identify and distinguish between key construction materials and arrangements. DfE would like to understand how structural components can be differentiated e.g. precast vs in-situ concrete elements, different system build construction types, structural components in floor and roof systems etc.

Identify key construction types and structural arrangements, and demonstrate how technology solutions can identify,classify and assess any visible defects (e.g. cracking, staining, corrosion, moisture damage, section loss etc.), including for severity, to identify patterns and potential vulnerabilities associated with specific materials and structural arrangements.

Demonstrate how analysis outputs will communicate and summarise common defects, deterioration patterns and trends, enabling DfE officials to gain insights into structural condition across the estate.

Produce consistent records that support comparison across construction types, sites and estate level

Have the ability to “learn” and become an increasingly autonomous system

There must be a method for ingesting captured data and analysis outputs into DfE’s CDE, compliant with the data requirements outlined.

Demonstrate value-for-money over routine survey and manual reporting methods

DfE would also like to understand more about the system architecture, data processing rules, and data storage, management and retention rules that a live, routine service would require.

Following this challenge, successful applicant(s) may be invited to take part ina pilot study in up to 3 schools. Participation in the pilot is subject to DfE commercial procurement processes and budget availability.

Successful methodologies being tested in live SRP settings, must consider the following operating conditions:

• Sites will have been handed over to an SRP contractor who will be responsible for all site operations. Attendees would need to follow all required site processes including health and safety procedures.
• Access will be limited to a short pre-demolition window, typically between asbestos removal and demolition commencement.
• Data capture and any on-site calibration or development activities shall take place following asbestos removal and soft-strip activities, when structural elements are more readily visible.
• Structural elements are unlikely to be fully exposed or cleaned prior to survey activities and may be dirty, dusty and remain partially obscured by residual materials.

The following approaches are considered not suitable:

• Solutions that assess building fabric condition only. Proposals must identify defects and vulnerabilities in primary load bearing structural elements (roofs, suspended floors, stability elements, columns, load bearing walls etc.).
• Solutions requiring monitoring, repeat inspections or multiple site visits.
• Approaches that require significant changes to SRP contractor activities, demolition sequencing or site operations.
• Any approach that results in significant additional project costs or material impacts on project programme.
• Solutions that entail the removal of more materials to expose the structural elements.

Applicants should outline the expected costs for developing and piloting their proposed solution(s).

Outline costs should cover:

• Development of a suitable automation tool
• Data capture requirements
• Data processing and analysis
• Associated licensing costs

DfE would like to understand costs associated with scalability of suitable solutions and would like indicative costs for applying the methodology in 1, 3, 5 and 10 school blocks. Consider that each block has a Gross Internal Floor Area (GIFA) of 2000m2 which may be spread over multiple levels.

The successful applicant(s) must be:

• Established businesses, academic institutions, start-ups, SMEs, or individual entrepreneurs. Academic Institutions and RTOs must have a partner offering a clear route to market.
• UK based or have the intention to set up a UK base.

DfE is open to joint applications to deliver the full scope of the challenge.

Applications will be assessed on:

• Relevance to the defined challenge
• Technology readiness
• Ability to maximise the data obtained and hence value of the data interpretation
• Capability for delivering meaningful outputs and engineering-based insights using captured structural condition data
• Capability for reliably identifying common trends, defects and deterioration patterns in various building structures and components
• Value for money, proportionality and benefits of implementation over routine survey and manual reporting methods.
• Ability to apply solutions during short site-access windows and flexibility to mobilise at short notice.
• Experience in using automation tools and methodologies in built environment or relatable settings
• Credibility evidence of applicants
• Potential for scalability and implementation as a standardised methodology across a range of school and college buildings.
• Economic impacts on construction delivery programmes and site operations
• Compliance with data protection legislation and DfE data requirements

Successful applicants will be invited to present solutions at “pitch day”, where these will be evaluated by a panel of assessors. DfE representatives covering structural engineering, construction delivery and digital, data and technology areas, along with SRP contractors, will form the panel.

Data requirements

A. Application Stage:

• Applicants should set out their proposed retention periods and disposal arrangements for raw and processed data, and the storage implications of a large-scale routine service. Secure deletion or return of DfE data at the end of the service is required.
• Provide a high-level description of the solution architecture covering capture devices, data transfer, processing and analysis components, storage, integration arrangements and any dependencies on third-party services.

B. Pilot Stage:

• DfE retains ownership of all captured data, derived datasets and analysis outputs, with unrestricted rights to use, retain, share and re-analyse them.
• Captured data shall support interoperability and be in open or widely supported formats. Structured outputs (defect records, classifications, severity assessments, material identification) should be in a machine-readable format that can be integrated with DfE systems without requiring licensing or proprietary software.
• Applicants must be willing to adopt a DfE-defined data contract setting out field definitions, permitted values, validation rules and plausibility checks for structured outputs. Outputs shall support comparison across sites and the wider estate.
• Produce consistent and traceable records through clear metadata, capture methodology, auditability, data provenance, and confidence and quality assurance measures for analysis.
• Demonstrate data quality and assurance approach for automated outputs, how these will be distinguishable from human-verified records, and how uncertainty is communicated to users.
• Provide methodology for ingesting captured data and analysis outputs into DfE’s CDE, ensuring secure data submission methods and compliance with agreed validation and acceptance processes.
• Meet security, privacy and information governance requirements, including compliance with the Government Cyber Security Standard and the UK GDPR / Data Protection Act 2018. Demonstrate secure data storage and transfer, access controls, incident management, and appropriate handling of personal or sensitive information.
• Deliver accessible and usable outputs, including dashboards, reports or viewers that can be used by DfE staff without specialist software or training.