FCDO – OneDeadPixel

Project overview

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) manages a global estate spanning embassies, consulates, and diplomatic facilities across multiple continents. The Estates and Projects teams required efficient visual documentation solutions for project management, surveying, architectural coordination, and tender processes—without constant international travel requirements.

We created secure VirtuView digital mapping solutions for FCDO facilities including sites in Athens, Angola, and Iraq, delivering complete visual documentation for project baselines, dilapidation surveys, tender documentation, and ongoing site verification. Starting with a single-site pilot in Athens, the solution proved essential for London-based teams requiring immediate visual access to international sites, leading to adoption across additional facilities and multiple site revisits for evolving project requirements.

Challenges & constraints

FCDO’s project teams faced significant operational challenges managing international construction, renovation, and facilities projects from London headquarters. Verifying site conditions, answering contractor queries, and coordinating architectural decisions required either expensive international travel or relying on incomplete documentation—neither sustainable for efficient project delivery.

Extensive calendar coordination across multiple organizations taking 5+ weeks per site visit
Significant travel costs for international prospects conducting initial assessments
Lost opportunities when retailers lost interest during extended coordination delays
Inefficient leasing team time spent on unqualified prospects not genuinely interested
Facilities teams lacked efficient visual references for contractor briefings and maintenance planning
Over-familiarity with sites led to communication errors across the distributed portfolio

Projects solution

We created secure VirtuView digital mapping solutions for FCDO’s international estate, providing comprehensive visual documentation accessible 24/7 from London headquarters. The platform serves as an always-available site verification tool, tender documentation resource, and collaborative decision-making platform—enabling project teams to answer questions, brief contractors, and coordinate architectural decisions without constant international travel.

Implementation Approach:

Athens facility piloted the solution across multiple project phases: initial capture at project commencement, revisit for mid-phase audit, additional capture for tender documentation and dilapidation visual surveys
Subsequent expansion to Angola and Iraq (including technical BIM/LiDAR solutions for Iraq facility)
Flexible capture scheduling accommodated security protocols and operational requirements with minimal disruption

Multi-Department Value:

Project Management & Surveyors: Immediate visual verification of site conditions, measurement confirmation, and contractor query responses without travel delays
Architects & Design Teams: Comprehensive site context for design decisions, coordination verification, and specification accuracy from London offices
Tender Processes: Prospective contractors and partners gain detailed site familiarity remotely, improving bid accuracy and reducing preliminary travel costs
Estates Teams: Portfolio-wide oversight, dilapidation documentation, and institutional knowledge preservation across facility lifecycles

Security & Compliance:

Encrypted hosting with configurable access controls meeting FCDO security requirements
Sensitive areas redacted or access-restricted as specified
SAFE/SAFE+ certified team following FCDO protocols precisely

Date

2022 (Ongoing)

AreaMapped

39,000 m2

this will be a link to the actual portfolio piece later and tbc

Phone

Email

Address

Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)

Project overview

Challenges & constraints

Projects solution

Date

AreaMapped

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United Kingdom