How to move an office?
Are you planning to relocate your business but you do not know where to start? Well moving an office can be simple if you use a professional mover. Through our site you can get free office move budget costs and compare local to you office moving companies. However if you intend to prepare and do it yourself below is some useful step by step guide to help you have a successful move.
Office move stages
- Prepare the scope of work and the timescale
- moving of office or business equipment, furniture, goods and computers which are subject to the commercial moving contract.
- Pre-move survey
- Done by the client of a visit by a service provider's representative to the customer's premises to assess the service to be performed and to gather information required for drawing up the quotation. You still to work out how much your office move is going to cost you even if you use in house resources. The goal of the move survey is to establish how to plan office move to meet all expectations?
- Quotation
- Detailed written proposal of the office moving service and the offer price, drawn up and signed by the service provider or by yourself
- Getting authorisation
- Quotation accepted by the customer or your director and supplemented by the customer's specification and the job sheet (office move work instructions and work completion declarations).
- Job sheet
- Document, drawn up in several copies, which includes instructions relative to the office moving service and which allows its follow-up. The job sheet, when endorsed, provides a record that all work has been completed as agreed and in accordance with quality standards.
- Packing
- Use of packing material and other equipment to protect the property from damage during handling and moving operations
- Handling
- Carrying, moving, loading, stowing, transporting where required and unloading, in accordance with the professional techniques in use.
- Delivery sheet
- Document or part of a document that is used to record the delivery of property, together with any comments
- Delivery
- Unpacking, re-assembly and putting in place according to the instructions given to the service provider and in accordance with the contract
- Loss or damage insurance
- Insurance provided for as an option, contracted directly by the customer either through the service provider acting as an agent for the insurer or through an insurance company of his own choice, in order to cover himself against the risk of material loss or damage which could occur to all or part of the customer's property during the course of the office removals operations.
Large and small Office moves
On receipt of the acceptance and a removal date update you documents and inform all employees (operations dairy).
A job sheet - This will contain all necessary details to enable the successful completion of the job and will contain details of any hazards recorded on the risk assessment plus any special packing, handling or document shredding services which has been specified.
The job sheet will be multi-copy to become an office move guide and provide instructions to the crew and to enable the customer to sign for completion of each phase or shift and final completion of the move.
Operational personnel - Foremen and office moving teams will be allocated, ensuring that at least half the personnel are trained or experienced. This is done on the ‘operations diary'. Office move guide to handed out.
Arrange vehicles and equipment - appropriate vehicles will be allocated taking into account the particular needs of the office moves. All vehicle doors shall be fitted with locks. If required, special handling equipment e.g. stair-climbers, elevators etc. will arranged, and suitably trained operators assigned. Other handling equipment such as crates, cages, skates etc. will be sourced as required. Adequate mobile communications equipment will be assigned.
Removal crates - arrange advance supplies of crates etc. will be arranged, as necessary.
Packing - adequate quantities of the appropriate packing materials will be determined and sufficiency of stock assessed.
Logistics - all requirements for parking, access and security will be organised.
Health and safety - any special safety requirements will be taken into account.
Do you have any questions on how to move an office? Give us a call or send an email. We know how to move both small and large offices. We are also known as a reliable library relocation company. So contact us if you require professional support with moving either small or larage book collection.
safe moves with no problems
The Foreman/Supervisor will acquaint him/herself with the requirements of the office moves including the necessary materials and equipment and the arrangements for safe working.
On arrival at the customer's premises the foreman will report to the customer's representative and will discuss the work schedule and the team(s) will be assigned to their tasks.
On completion of each phase or shift of moving an office the customer will be asked to sign the relevant copy of the Job Sheet and he should be invited to add any comments. The foreman should then add his own comments.
Throughout the operation and office furniture installation the Foreman will monitor the actions of the other crew members to ensure that they act competently exercising punctuality, courtesy, good presentation and honesty. He/she will ensure that the office move is carried out within the terms of the contract. Any variations required by the customer will be referred to the Customer Service and/or Operations, whose instructions will then be followed.
Upon overall completion of the office moving process both the customer's representative and the foreman will sign the Job Sheet to indicate that the move has been carried out in accordance with the agreed specifications. Any comments regarding loss or damage or other aspects of the move should be recorded at this time.
Subcontracting a part of the office move
There are some procedures that have to be followed where all or part of the office moving work is to be subcontracted. For example you may need to get someone to do the delivery and collection of moving crates to/from your premises. Agency staff are treated, for the purposes of service provision, as employees. All information on how to plan an office move are to be given to the casual porters.
Whenever it is necessary to subcontract the work or any part of the work the customer shall be informed as soon as possible of the names of any sub contractors and a record shall be kept. The customer has the immediate right to refuse the nominated sub contractor without any financial penalty being incurred by either party. Once the sub contractors have been confirmed, this right ceases to exist.
All sub contractors will have a contractual agreement with the How to Move Office provider agreeing to comply with the standard.
The Company will, from time to time, check the work of subcontractors, to ensure compliance with the high quality office moves standards and the contract. As a minimum 10% of such jobs will be checked and noted to assure a safe office move and with no problems.
Any work carried out by a sub contractor, including quality and compliance with an agreed contract, shall remain the sole responsibility of the company.
The security of the customer's premisses and property while moving an office
The security and safe-keeping of the customer's premises and property, the company's vehicles and equipment, and the personal safety of the employees of both the customer and the company, and the general public must be kept at the top level, what could be achieved if you hire professional and trusted Sheffield office movers.
All moving office staff but in particular Operations Manager and Foremen are responsible.
The security measures necessary to protect the customer's premises and property will be assessed and agreed with the customer during the pre-move survey. Business storage areas will be chosen. These measures will be put into place during the preparation phase of the office move, with specific instructions being noted on the Job Sheet. The security of the company's vehicles and equipment must be safeguarded at all times. When unattended, vehicles must be locked (all doors) and any alarm set. Equipment shall not be left unattended except in a secure area as determined and authorised by the foreman. In preparing the move the findings of the risk assessments shall include personal safety of company and customer employees, and the general public, and the necessary arrangements put in place.