Reliability centred maintenance
NRM3: Order of cost estimating and cost planning for building maintenance works, defines ‘Reliability centred maintenance’ (RCM) as: ‘…a process used to determine what must be done to ensure that any physical asset continues to do what its users want it to do in its present operating context.’
This requires a mix of preventative maintenance, proactive maintenance and reactive maintenance designed to optimise reliability whilst minimising costs. It is based on the principle that using any one of these three types of maintenance alone would be somewhat arbitrary and unlikely to minimise failures.
There is a detailed description of different types of RCM at https://www.wbdg.org/resources/reliability-centered-maintenance-rcm
Business-Focused Maintenance (BG 53/2016), written by Jo Harris and published by BSRIA in May 2016, defines reliability-centred maintenance (RCM) as: ‘…a methodology that has been developed to ensure assets continue to fulfil their design function. It is introduced to achieve improvements to availability of assets and establish the level of maintenance required. Successful implementation of RCM is designed to lead to an increase in cost-effectiveness and asset uptime, and a greater understanding of the level of risk that the organisation is managing.’
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
- Building owner's manual.
- Business focused maintenance.
- Construction inventory management.
- Cost plan.
- Enterprise asset management.
- Facilities management.
- In-house or outsource maintenance.
- Predictive maintenance.
- Preventative maintenance.
- Proactive maintenance.
- Resource management.
- Unplanned maintenance.
- Scheduled maintenance.
- Soft landings.
[edit] External references
Featured articles and news
Costs and insolvencies mount for SMEs, despite growth
Construction sector under insolvency and wage bill pressure in part linked to National Insurance, says report.
The place for vitrified clay pipes in modern infrastructure
Why vitrified clay pipes are reclaiming their role in built projects.
Research by construction PR consultancy LMC published.
Roles and responsibilities of domestic clients
ACA Safety in Construction guide for domestic clients.
Fire door compliance in UK commercial buildings
Architect and manufacturer gives their low down.
Plumbing and heating for sustainability in new properties
Technical Engineer runs through changes in regulations, innovations in materials, and product systems.
Awareness of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism
What CBAM is and what to do about it.
The new towns and strategic environmental assessments
12 locations of the New Towns Taskforce reduced to 7 within the new towns draft programme and open consultation.
Buildings that changed the future of architecture. Book review.
The Sustainability Pathfinder© Handbook
Built environment agency launches free Pathfinder© tool to help businesses progress sustainability strategies.
Government outcome to the late payment consultation, ECA reacts.
IHBC 2025 Gus Astley Student Award winners
Work on the role of hewing in UK historic conservation a win for Jack Parker of Oxford Brookes University.
Future Homes Building Standards and plug-in solar
Parts F and L amendments, the availability of solar panels and industry responses.
How later living housing can help solve the housing crisis
Unlocking homes, unlocking lives.
Preparing safety case reports for HRBs under the BSA
A new practical guide to preparing structural inputs for safety cases and safety case reports published by IStructE.
Male construction workers and prostate cancer
CIOB and Prostate Cancer UK encourage awareness of prostate cancer risks, and what to do about it.





















