Findon, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Findon Technical College is the first of five technical colleges to open under South Australia’s $208.8 million technical colleges program, designed to give Year 10 to 12 students a hands-on bridge between school and work. Co-located with Findon High School, the new college focuses on three high-demand industry areas: advanced manufacturing and engineering, early childhood education and care, and health and social support.
The building has been delivered with industry-grade workshops, training spaces and modern technology including welding bays, a CADD studio, robotics and automation areas, and dedicated learning environments for early childhood and health students.
To support the long-term operation of the building services, Dewick & Associates was engaged to author a coordinated set of multi-discipline documentation outputs across mechanical, electrical, hydraulic and security services on behalf of the project’s services contractors.
Our scope covered the Mechanical, Electrical, Hydraulic and Security O&M Manuals in line with Department for Infrastructure and Transport (DIT) requirements, supported by DIT-format preventative maintenance log sheets and an Electrical Services Commissioning Plan.
By Louise Gardner
Credit: SA Government on behalf of Findon Technical College
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The four services contractors engaged for Findon Technical College were responsible for the full mechanical (DCM Services), electrical (Humphreys Electrical), hydraulic (Hindmarsh Plumbing) and security installations (Alcomm Installations) across the new building. With Hindmarsh Construction acting as the head builder for the project on behalf of the Department for Education and the Department for Infrastructure and Transport (DIT), the services contractors required a documentation partner who could turn each discipline’s installation into a compliant, DIT-formatted O&M Manual without the contractors having to coordinate the documentation themselves.
Additionally, because the project was co-located with Findon High School, the documentation had to carefully account for the unique operational boundaries and compliance standards of an active educational precinct.
Delivering documentation for a government school new build in South Australia can be challenging due to the complexity of coordinating information across multiple stakeholders, strict government compliance requirements and tight project timeframes. These projects often involve large volumes of technical information from architects, consultants, subcontractors and specialist trades, all of which must align with South Australian Government and Department for Education standards. Design changes during construction, staged delivery programs and fixed school opening dates can further increase pressure to ensure all manuals, drawings, commissioning records and asset data accurately reflect the final installed systems.
In addition to meeting compliance obligations, the documentation must provide long-term operational value for facilities teams managing the school. Modern education facilities include complex building services, security systems, AV technology and sustainability infrastructure that require clear operational guidance, preventative maintenance schedules and structured digital handover information. Poorly coordinated or incomplete documentation can create operational inefficiencies, increase maintenance costs and impact the long-term performance and lifespan of school assets.
Dewick & Associates’ in-house Client Coordinator and Technical Writers worked directly with each services contractor to produce four discipline-specific Mechanical, Electrical, Hydraulic & Security O&M Manuals in the DIT format, supported by DIT-format preventative maintenance log sheets that allow the SA Department for Education facilities team to schedule and record their maintenance activity in line with public-sector reporting expectations.
We also authored the Electrical Services Commissioning Plan, giving the project team a structured framework for verifying that the electrical installation had been installed and was performing as intended before handover.
Each contractor was managed through our robust process and procedures, allowing the four trades to feed their content in parallel without duplicating effort across the wider deliverable.
The project resulted in a complete, DIT-compliant suite of multi-discipline documentation that supports the long-term operation of one of South Australia’s flagship education projects.
The facilities team has a clear, coordinated record covering the mechanical, electrical, hydraulic and security installations, helping them optimise building performance and minimise the risk of disruption in a setting where the school day and the technical college program both depend on dependable services.
For DCM Services, Humphreys Electrical, Hindmarsh Plumbing and Alcomm Installations, the deliverable closes out the handover to public-sector standards. More importantly, the documentation underpins a building where Year 10 to 12 students are training for some of the state’s most in-demand industries.
The content in this case study has been informed by project documentation and client communication provided to Dewick & Associates during and following the completion of the project. Where external sources have contributed to our understanding of relevant standards or industry practice, these are listed below.
Technical colleges – South Australian Department for Education
Overview of the statewide technical college initiative, including Findon Technical College and its role within South Australia’s vocational education strategy.
Findon Technical College officially opens
Announcement covering the official opening of the $37.35 million facility, student capacity, industry focus areas and project outcomes.
SA Government on behalf of Findon Technical College
Note: Some content in this case study draws on a combination of sources rather than direct quotation. Where this is the case, contributing sources are acknowledged above rather than cited inline.
Technical authoring of DIT specific format O&M Manuals enabling efficient plant operation and effective maintenance for equipment longevity, including:
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