In a time when resources are running thin and funding needs to stretch further than any time in recent memory, organizations are placing greater emphasis on their facilities capital planning processes. And accurate and defensible facility capital plan begins with data – lots and lots of data. Leaders and decision-makers need information about major building systems like HVAC and plumbing, a proper accounting of repairs and replacements to determine a true facilities age, and a detailed inventory of spaces.
The best way to collect all this data is with a facility condition assessment, commonly known as an FCA. If you’ve never conducted an FCA – or it’s been three or more years since you have – here are three reasons you need to complete a facility condition assessment before you begin capital planning.
Reason One: To create a detailed understanding of the buildings, systems and infrastructure in your facilities portfolio.
You wouldn’t set a retirement savings goal without looking at your current financial situation. You’d check your savings and retirement accounts. You’d consider your assets. You’d speak with a financial advisor.
You need to think of your facilities the same way you think of retirement planning: You shouldn’t make any major forward-thinking decisions until you understand your portfolio’s financial risks and human safety concerns. Knowing your starting point will help you determine how to realistically achieve your long-term goals.
Reason Two: To measure the functional condition of your facilities and document their renewal needs.
Facilities condition data will help you make the smartest investments for your organization and route your capital to the places where it will have the greatest impact. Objective FCA data enables you to fortify facilities that are performing well and improve those that need investment, so your entire portfolio meets your standards.
Reason Three: To take the guesswork out of capital planning.
Capital investment decisions can be emotional and political. Data collected by an FCA removes the emotion from planning and provides an objective baseline your organization can use for decisioning, preventing you from throwing money away on assets that need to be replaced or decommissioned.
Those are three stellar reasons to conduct a facility condition assessment. But deciding to act is just the first step: Next, you have to decide how to collect all that data.
How to Conduct a Facility Condition Assessment
It may be logical to assume your in-house staff should complete your facilities condition assessment. After all, no one knows your facilities better than them. Let us offer a word of caution. Your in-house team has a lot of responsibilities already. Adding another to their to-do list is a good way to burn them out and end up with an incomplete assessment that won’t help the planning process.
That’s why the best way to collect FCA data is to work with an industry partner who has a proven track record of documenting facilities needs and defining project priorities. A partner like Gordian.
Our team of engineers and assessors has a wealth of experience and specific areas of expertise that they use to evaluate your facilities from the foundation to the roof and everywhere in between. With many assessment options available, you can choose the right one for your organization. No matter which option you choose, by the end of the assessment, you’ll have a comprehensive view of your facilities portfolio and the data you need to build an informed multi-year capital plan. Gordian can help there, too. We’ll not only collect your FCA data, we’ll help you leverage that data into an actionable and sustainable facilities capital plan.
