In May 2015, leaders in asset information management are gathering in the Netherlands for the CFIHOS project, a new global standard for managing engineering information that offers efficiency gains through standardisation and interoperability.
What is CFIHOS?
Capital Facilities Information Handover Specification (CFIHOS) is a global industry standard that manages the practical implementation of the ISO standard 15926. The CFIHOS project builds on the way that owners / operators specify the engineering information needed for both engineering and maintenance.
The ultimate goal of CFIHOS is to improve data integrity, especially at the point of data handover. As such, it offers anyone working with asset-related information a way to improve regulatory compliance and improve efficiency as well as a means to improve the data handover process.
As a leader in the field of asset-related information and a member of USPI NL, BlueCielo is contributing to the development of the CFIHOS standard.
Why is CFIHOS important?
The CFIHOS standard determines the reference data library used to manage asset-related information and the related documents that are mandatory to managing that stage of the design or change project.
For example, on a pressure vessel, specific calculations must be available and approved before the next step of the project can be initiated. These documents are validated at the end of the project to generate the approvals for project release, so regulatory compliance is dependent on the accurate implementation of CFIHOS.
So CFIHOS can assist with managing asset information at all stages, from design, through commissioning and handover, to modifications and maintenance and eventual decommissioning.
Benefits offered by CFIHOS
While the CFIHOS project can improve data integrity for all stakeholders, it also offers other specific benefits, including:
- Reduced effort and cost for owners / operators in specifying information requirements for their supply chain
- Improved efficiency for contractors through a standardised set of requirements for data handover
- Standardised information requirements for suppliers
What will happen at the CFIHOS event?
The May event in The Netherlands will bring together the members of the CFIHOS project team with companies such as EDF, Chevron and Shell, and software suppliers who focus on the management of asset information, such as BlueCielo. Together they will collaborate, sharing knowledge from multiple perspectives to define key content issues and conformance requirements for CFIHOS, as well as to enable its global roll-out and implementation.
Discussions will also be held on how to expand CFIHOS beyond its current focus on oil and gas and nuclear new build.
