Porvoo Parish transitions to proactive and responsible real estate management
22.9.2021 – A new era of controlled property management has begun in Porvoo, Finland. In addition to the well-known medieval cathedral, all of Porvoo Parish’s other properties have been brought into Granlund Manager.
The Porvoo Parish in Southern Finland manages a portfolio of 11 properties, including the medieval cathedral, cemetery, parish houses and chapels. However, the management of property data was previously not supported by an electronic system.
Paper documents were filed in folders, from which the information could later be found – if it could be found.
Krista Eloneva, Property and Procurement Manager at Porvoo Parish
Responsibilities were also unclear and property information was fragmented. If specific information was needed, you had to ask several people.
Knowledge being siloed, sometimes to just one person, was one of the issues. “For example, retirement poses a risk when maintenance-related knowledge disappears along with retiring staff members,” says Henri Salonen, Account Manager at Granlund.
Ease of implementation exceeded expectations
In December 2020, the Granlund Manager Maintenance module and its digital maintenance log was introduced at Porvoo Parish. Eloneva sums:
We wanted a more professional approach to the management our property portfolio.
The goal was also to streamline daily property maintenance, shift from reactive to proactive maintenance and outsource some of the work. The implementation process began with site audits.
“We assessed the current maintenance operations using the Granlund Manager inspection tool, collecting technical data, images and comments. We also discussed the properties with the maintenance staff, as they know the buildings best,” Salonen explains.
Collecting technical data with images and comments with inspection tool
Next, maintenance plans and long-term capital strategies were created for each property. The implementation process was completed smoothly within just a few weeks.
The experts had thoroughly assessed our needs and input all the basic information into the system. All we had to do was learn how to use the software!
Consumption tracking drives climate goals
According to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, the majority of emissions from parishes come from heating buildings and electricity consumption. The Granlund Manager automatic Consumption and cost tracking tool has become an important tool for Porvoo Parish in achieving their climate goals.
“Our operations are guided by the Carbon-Neutral Church Climate Strategy, and our goal is to become carbon-neutral by 2030,” Eloneva says. The work is already well underway. “For example, the cathedral is heated with geothermal energy and we will completely phase out oil heating this year and next.”
Supporting the daily operations of management and maintenance staff
The new real estate management system has already made life easier for maintenance teams.
Cost tracking is a really useful tool for budgeting.
Data collection and traceability have improved. There is no longer a need to ask for each piece of information separately. The system keeps track of all repairs and the people responsible for them.
According to Eloneva, time is also saved in the field. For example, creating energy consumption reports no longer requires running between properties: meter readings are available directly from the system. Deviations are also recorded on-site and, thanks to the mobile app, nothing is forgotten or left undone.
Implementing the system included a competitive tendering process for a new service provider, completed on an exceptionally tight schedule.
“We created work orders and service descriptions during the site inspections, along with ready-made tender and contract materials,” Salonen says.
Granlund experts continue to support the parish throughout the contract period. Eloneva says:
Next spring, we will be able to take advantage of Granlund’s inspections service, which will help us assess the quality of outsourced services and track their development from an external perspective.
More information
Otto Åkerberg
Mika Virkki
More reference stories
Porvoo Parish
- Two parishes: Porvoo Finnish Parish and Borgå Svenska Domkyrkoförsamling.
- Manages 11 properties, including the medieval cathedral, cemetery buildings, parish houses, chapels, club rooms and a training centre on the Pellinge Island.
- Awarded the Church Environmental Diploma (2020) by the Finnish National Church Council.
- Operates in line with the Carbon-Neutral Church Climate Strategy.
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