The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is responsible for providing over 48,000 children with a safe place to learn. In response to concerns that data in its old information system did not accurately reflect the condition of facilities, BIA acquired a new system, called the Facilities Management Information System (FMIS). GAO was asked to determine whether FMIS addresses the old system's weaknesses and meets BIA's management needs, whether BIA has finished validating the accuracy of data entered into FMIS from the old system, and how well the quality control measures are working for ensuring the accuracy of new data being entered into the system from individual schools. 39p.

The document was developed as a guide for designing and maintaining an information system about the condition, design, use, management, and financing of elementary/secondary education facilities. It includes commonly used measures, data elements, and a list of additional resources for the practitioner. Chapter 1 describes the purpose, scope, and intended audience for this guide. Chapter 2 describes how to use this guide to develop a customized information system, including how the facilities data should link to other data systems. Chapter 3 examines some key measures, such as school utilization, functional age, deferred maintenance, and expenditures per student, and discusses the challenges in standardizing the definitions of these terms. Chapter 4 lists hundreds of facility data elements, including standard definitions and options. Chapter 5 identifies additional resources, including sources for data elements and their definitions, that will be helpful to those involved in compiling school facilities data. [Authors' abstract.] 92p.

The planning guide was developed to help readers better understand why and how to develop, implement, and evaluate a school facilities maintenance plan. The guide is designed for staff at the local school district level, where most facility maintenance is planned, managed, and carried out. This audience includes school business officials, school board members, superintendents, principals, facilities maintenance planners, maintenance staff, and custodial staff. The document is also relevant to the school facilities interests of state education agency staff, community groups, vendors, and regulatory agencies. The guide focuses on: (1) school facility maintenance as a vital task in the responsible management of an education organization; (2) the needs of an education audience; (3) strategies and procedures for planning, implementing, and evaluating effective maintenance programs; (4) a process to be followed, rather than a canned set of "one size fits all" solutions; and (5) recommendations based on best practices, rather than mandates. The document offers recommendations on the following issues, which serve as chapter headings: (1) "Introduction to School Facilities Maintenance Planning"; (2) "Planning for School Facilities Maintenance"; (3) "Facilities Audits (Knowing What You Have)"; (4) "Providing a Safe Environment for Learning"; (5) "Maintaining School Facilities and Grounds"; (6) "Effectively Managing Staff and Contractors"; and (7) "Evaluating Facilities Maintenance Efforts." 184p.

Consists of the results of eleven site visits and interviews of facility managers of large organizations. Provides in-depth, detailed understanding of the use of information technology in these eleven facility management organizations. 41p.

Discusses the current state of automated facilities control, citing a variety of software and hardware applications and illustrated with examples of strategies from five higher education institutions.

Discusses merging of campus physical and IT security, citing examples of hardware and software applications from higher education institutions that have merged these functions, as well as from those who have chosen to keep them separate.

Discusses this data model, currently under development, to help users, software developers, researchers, and community members have access to timely, accurate, and thorough data on their schools.

Provides a case study of control systems software problems and successful solutions employed at the Gerdin Business Building at Iowa State University, including information for developing a practical operational specification.

Reflects on typical dissatisfaction with computerized maintenance management systems, citing failures due to lack of preparation and implementation that originate within the institution utilizing the software. Advice on properly researching, selecting, implementing, and sustaining an appropriate system is included.

Discusses development of the Logistical Tracking System (LTS)1 and evaluates the changes in processes and procedures at the University of Texas-Dallas (UT-Dallas) that were due to implementation of a new type of technology. The article elaborates on the positive and negative aspects of designing and constructing a software application in house, illustrates the changes in organizational procedures and policies that must occur to implement a new application., and how use of LTS allowed a variety of calculations for projection of space to occur at the university. The role of the Office of Strategic Planning and Analysis (OSPA) in construction and implementation of LTS is also reviewed and evaluated. (Includes four references.)

Reviews potential benefits of a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS), and advises on how to select and implement a program according to the state of the institution's maintenance, their IT capabilities, goals and objectives for the system, facility standards, and preventive maintenance plans.

Describes wireless and web-based monitoring of campus infrastructure systems, with particular attention to monitoring of steam traps.

Discusses asset management technology in the context of the Government Accounting Standards Board Statement 35 (GASB35), which requires more strenuous physical asset control than most higher education institutions currently practice.

Describes the use of facilities management software that coordinates work orders, inventory, maintenance records, personnel timesheets, and makes information retrievable via hand held devices such as PDA's and cell phones. Costs and configurations of such systems are described, as well as challenges to its acceptance and use.

Describes the three types of facility software currently in use: computerized maintenance management systems, capital planning and asset management systems, and 3-D modeling systems that create images of the buildings, their rooms, and the campus layout. Examples of key innovations, how some higher education facilities utilize these systems, and pricing options are offered.

Explains how the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs manages operations and maintenance of its 7,465 buildings nationwide with a client-server system. Future alignment of the system with other federal systems is discussed, as well as plans for its use in building asset and deferred maintenance management.

Reviews basic features of computerized maintenance management systems, capital planning and asset management systems, and roofing asset management software. These products are increasingly web-based, which eases software management and data sharing.

Explores the virtues of various technologies in the educational environment, including two-way digital radios, interactive whiteboards, sophisticated HVAC controls, and facility management software.

Discusses consolidated maintenance management systems that coordinate custodial, repair, and capital activities, often with communication to institutional purchasing programs.

Discusses the next generation of HVAC control, which includes web-based monitoring, programming, and scheduling, with online linkage to security and safety equipment.

Proposes a plan to eliminate redundant and underutilized facility maintenance and management technology by evaluating and auditing existing technology, analyzing facility management processes, forming a strategic plan for facilities management, and monitoring successes and failures for step-by-step improvement.

Describes Public-SchoolWORKS, an integrated safety and compliance management system developed by several southwestern Ohio school districts. The web-based system combines software to implement and sustain regulatory compliance, enabling a district to assign, schedule, and track tasks. Included forms and templates are linked to a statewide master, with email notification of personnel, online training, and hazard reporting also available.

Advocates open, multi-sourced, and integrated building construction and maintenance systems. The process should be coordinated by a systems integration professional, and a description of that person's responsibilities is included.

Presents an interview with the coordinator of physical plant stores at the University of South Florida, Tampa. The interviewee worked with the univerisity's IT staff to build an effective database for tracking transactions from the physical plant store. Also discussed is the impact on the store of a campus retrofit for for energy efficiency, budgeting and the acquiring of new products.

Outlines the inventory, condition, design, utilization and budget information that form the essential elements of any school facilities management database. Also describes the guide "Facilities Information Management: A Guide for State and Local Education Agencies," which may be found at http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/2003400.pdf.

Describes how one university's facility managers use Nextel communications technology in conjunction with a Famis Software maintenance management system to improve the productivity of its maintenance technicians. The system uses a wireless Internet connection to automate the flow of work order information to and from technicians. The key to these improvements is a ruggedized cell phone with paging, two-way radio, and wireless Internet communications capabilities.

Describes the use of Autodesk Revit, a computer software system for design and documentation of buildings, in the planning of the University Center of Chicago, a large residence hall involving the cooperation of DePaul University, Columbia College, and Roosevelt University.

Describes how new automation technologies are providing more amenities to users, and energy and cost savings to facilities managers, in the areas of lighting, mechanical systems, and water. [Free registration required.]

Computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS)are vital for tracking work orders, gathering data on equipment condition and performance, monitoring the inventory of parts and tools, and a host of other tasks central to any organization’s maintenance mission. This discusses how CMMS must integrate with other business software and share its data throughout an organization.

Describes a product called the Event Management System (EMS), a computer software program to manage facility and event scheduling. Provides example of the school district and university uses of EMS. Describes steps in selecting a scheduling-management system

As demands for more education facilities rise, Web-based program management tools can help reduce costs. Online program management systems such as e-builder (which improves communication between project participants, increases accountability, and streamlines the development process) can help control costs, minimize claims, and handle schedules. Understanding challenges unique to schools is the first step in configuring a solution to new development projects that burden facility department staff.

Describes California State University Long Beach's implementation of new maintenance management software, which integrated maintenance, inventory control, and key control and allows technicians to enter and receive information through handheld wireless devices for more accurate time accounting. The school estimates a 10 percent increase in productivity from the software.

The secret to a successful inventory control program is the quality of the inventory management process. The number of pieces of equipment in any given facility, as well as the spare parts and tools needed to maintain them properly, create a vast array of items that managers must track and monitor to ensure department efficiency and to control costs. An inventory control system should fundamentally provide the following information for each item: availability, location and purpose.

Describes how a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS), a centralized maintenance operations database that facilitates work order procedures and staff directives, can help individual school campuses and school districts to manage maintenance. Presents the benefits of CMMS and things to consider in CMMS selection.

Discusses why, when preparing a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Facilities Condition Audit (FCA)--including software-based delivery of findings--facilities managers should avoid complicating the bidding process with nondescript data-linking requirements. Presents ways to get an apples-to-apples comparison of bids for a proposed FCA project and associated software application (often called a Capital Planning and Management Solution or CPMS).

Examines the Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF), an innovation designed to make software programs interact and share information in order to reduce data entry redundancy in school administration. Several examples of SIF's use are illustrated.

Discusses how organizational issues and system standardization can be important factors that determine an institution's ability to fully exploit contemporary building automation systems (BAS). Further presented is management strategy for maximizing BAS investments.

When evaluating CMMS's, there are eight major factors that should be considered. Careful examination of these factors during the evaluation process will help ensure ongoing CMMS success. This article explores each of these eight factors.

Shows how the College of Notre Dame of Maryland stays competitive with the right combo of consultants and facilities management software.

Describes the steps to take befor going on-line with a computerized maintenance management software system.

The Internet is changing the way maintenance departments buy and use software. The growing use of application service providers (ASP) is giving managers the option of running computerized maintenance management software (CMMS) over the Internet, with data maintained through a server off-site. The ASP model is helping departments address their needs for increased speed and efficiency.

Reveals how Ohio's Central State University avoided state closure with a bold mission to rebuild both the academic programs and the facilities. What the new century holds for maintenance, software, card systems, contract services, and security and online purchasing are discussed.

A properly specified computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) gives managers a powerful tool in maximizing roofing-system performance. Most roofing-system manufacturers do not offer their own software to help manage roofing assets, so managers usually have to manage roofing maintenance using traditional CMMS applications. The benefit of this arrangement is that each manager can customize the process for a particular facility’s needs. The specification challenge is to fully understand a facility’s roofing management needs — and organizational needs, as well — and select an application that satisfies both.

Installing a CMMS generally is viewed as a two-stage process. The first stage includes everything necessary to make the system operational, and the second stage is operating the system. But a hidden, third stage exists. As departments use the CMMS to buy repair parts, issue and track work orders, and schedule and plan maintenance and capital projects, it collects a wealth of maintenance history. Since no quantifiable point exists at which historical data becomes useful, it is easy to overlook the fact that over time, a CMMS collects a significant amount of data. This hidden stage is the ability to analyze collected data to improve and optimize the maintenance program.

Discusses state's use of web-based central facilities databases and software to efficiently address capital renewal projects. How to collect data to support the decision process for capital renewal requests is addressed.

Describes a web-based project management (WBPM) for university construction projects and the two approaches for establishing this type of system. Also highlighted is how a WBPM can improve project delivery by reducing project lost time, system comparisons, and project cost savings generated by a WBPM.

On a basic level, inventory control systems track spare parts location, availability and stocking levels. But when linked as an integrated module of a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) or an enterprise asset management system (EAMS), they collect additional data and provide a multiplier effect that allows managers to achieve significant increases in effectiveness. This discusses initial setup and follow through, as well as successful CMMS specification.

Discusses how information management can save schools time and money on building projects. How these information management software packages work, their cost and setup time, and who should use them are briefly addressed.

Discusses why Indiana University finds using separate maintenance management, geographic information, and computer-assisted design and facilities management systems is more practical than integrating all three into one package. The central features of the system are discussed.

Discusses computer software that can help school maintenance department cut their costs. The use of a maintenance management system is examined along with examples of how these systems can actually save operating costs.

Explains how colleges and universities are using Internet technology in their facility management processes. Topics cover the challenges involved, the value realized, and future plans for this technology.

The latest generation of building automation systems is delivering on the technology’s many promises.

Explains how software technology is helping to manage campus housing more efficiently by offering new features, greater flexibility, and more powerful reporting capabilities. Several examples of how universities used campus housing software are discussed.

The Internet is transforming facilities and changing the way maintenance managers work. This technology enables managers to monitor, record, analyze and communicate data on every conceivable aspect of the operation, and it gives them access to products and services designed to save money and enhance efficiency.

Examines how simpler school building monitoring systems can be the answer to a school district's maintenance needs, particularly in cold climates. The Sensaphone system which can be configured to monitor any number of building systems is described.

Describes how Miami University successfully developed an accounting software package that tracked and recorded their utility usage, including examples of its graphics and reporting components. Background information examining the decision to pursue an energy management software package is included.

Recognizing the need for broader and more detailed information availability, software companies are developing products targeted to the specific needs of K-12 school districts--programs that can provide informational links between individual schools and their district offices. Several schools, in various stages of implementing district-based software systems, share the process from decision making to operation of their chosen systems.

Describes a facilities management software program that helps managers better document and understand maintenance backlogs, improvements, and future cyclic renewal needs. Major software components are examined including a software tool that filters, groups, and ranks projects to help determine funding requests.

Discusses the criteria facility managers should use in selecting facility-maintenance software programs, including ease of use, asset modeling capabilities, ease of reconfiguration, and software scaleability.

Presents examples of the effective use of building management technology to avoid reaching diminishing returns. Examples illustrate management technology uses for facility surveying, renovations, and master planning.

Explains how Stanford University custom-designed its own building maintenance and administration software package, The Housing Operations Maintenance Enterprise Resource (HOMER). Describes how HOMER relieved facility maintenance staff from using archaic systems and improved its development and functionality.

Discusses how to avoid costly mistakes when buying facility management software. It provides answers to questions buyers should ask before committing funds to a particular program. Selected facility management software companies and product profiles are highlighted.

Discusses the development of the University of Missouri-Columbia's Space Planning and Management Office (SPAM)and the computerization of the school's space-planning archives. SPAM's software selection for standardization is discussed as are its manual development, placing the school's buildings and floor plans on the web, and its space modeling surveys and reports.

Explains how software transportation programs are helping school districts track school bus routes, fleet status, and other information, as well as moving a district to such a system. Advice is provided on the criteria for selecting software vendors, matching data and information of new software with systems and procedures already in place, training users, and establishing cost justifications.

Examines the usefulness of automating college and university facility management and illustrates one university's effort to adopt a state-of-the-art facility management technology system. Various modules in automated facility management systems are highlighted, including facility assessment and space, master, and location planning.

Illustrates how Mount Saint Vincent University (Halifax), by upgrading the control and monitoring of one building or section of the school at a time, could produce savings in energy and operating costs and improve the environment. It explains a gradual, "building block" approach to facility automation that provides flexibility without a heavy up front investment.

Provides decision-making tips when selecting facilities management software for colleges and universities. Advises buyers to purchase programs that fit a prepared plan, to pay attention to user friendliness, to negotiate for changes and modifications in the vendor contract, to test-run programs before buying them, and to determine a vendor's service level commitment before signing on.

Explains the use of computerized monitoring systems of campus operations to help make their facilities management more efficient while making the physical plant department's responsibilities easier. Comments about not computerizing the facility management are highlighted.

Presents the benefits facilities managers could realize by converting blueprints, CADD information, and as-built drawings into a computer-aided facility management (CAFM) system. CAFM links graphics to databases, adding information on types of spaces, occupants, materials, equipment, costs, and other building systems. This helps facilities managers perform ever-increasing responsibilities.

Describes the use of a computerized roof management system (CRMS) for school districts to foster multiple roof maintenance efficiency and cost effectiveness. Highlights CRMS software manufacturer choices, as well as the types of nondestructive testing equipment tools that can be used to evaluate roof conditions.

Describes how to select the right computerized maintenance-management system for school buildings through careful analysis of building needs and budgetary constraints. Deciding on the use of implementation services following a maintenance system evaluation and selection process is discussed. Various companies involved in maintenance, energy, and administrative software are listed.

Examines the use of life-cycle analyses in conjunction with a roofing database to manage educational facility roofing as assets. Roofing database development, quantifying and benchmarking roofing investigations, and using warranties as part of a roof asset-management program are discussed. Tips on how to start a roofing management program are highlighted.

Reports research on trends in computer-aided facilities management using the Internet and geographic information system (GIS) technology for space utilization research. Proposes that facility assessment software holds promise for supporting facility management decision making, and outlines four areas for its use: inventory; evaluation; reporting; and ongoing facilities management. Examples of its use are provided

Describes one Canadian school district's use of an integrated Facilities Management Information System (FMIS) to help address the effective and efficient planning, building, operating, and maintaining of their schools and other Board facilities. Development of the FMIS and its demands for organizational restructuring and change in the workplace are discussed.

Discusses how software programs can help managers evaluate roofing options, project maintenance, and repair costs. Describes how computerized roof management can aid in budgeting, facilitate the development of a roof-management database, and help in selecting the appropriate roof system. Offers tips on shopping for software.

Computer-aided facilities management is a software program consisting of a relational database of facility information--such as occupancy, usage, student counts, etc.--attached to or merged with computerized floor plans. This program can integrate data with drawings, thereby allowing the development of "what if" scenarios.

NCEF's resource list of E-commerce websites that provide online products and services for school construction, facilities maintenance, furniture and equipment needs.

NCEF's resource list of links, books, and journal articles on the operations and management of school buildings and campus facilities.