TFM June 2011 : Page 8

tricks of the trade Dealing With Capital Planning On Campus And Achieving CFM Status By James C. Elledge, IFMA Fellow, CFM, FMA, RPA, RIAQM ` Q I’m developing a multi-year capital plan for my campus, largely due to deferred maintenance issues. With regard to heating systems, is there a line I should draw between efficiency and sophistication of the new system versus the efficiency of the overall structure? In other words, when is high efficiency too high to be warranted in a given situation? Joe Berdetta Facility Director Kent Place School Summit, NJ berdettaj@kentplace.org This looks like a job for...building life cycle costing (BLCC)! Yes, strong and powerful BLCC can provide you with information on when something is too good (or not good enough) for your campus maintenance capital plan. A There are tools available to assist in the economic analyses, including software like the BLCC Program from the National Insti-tute of Standards and Technology (NIST). This program provides computational support for the analysis of capital invest-ments in buildings. To run your facility through the system, use the online down-load here: www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/ information/download_blcc.html. BEES (Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability) software brings users a powerful technique for selecting cost-effective, environmentally preferable building products. Also developed by NIST (through its Building and Fire Research Laboratory), the tool is based on consensus standards and is designed to be practical, flexible, and transparent. BEES measures the environmental performance of building products by using the life cycle assessment approach speci-fied in the ISO 14040 series of standards. All stages in the life of a product are analyzed; economic and environmental performance are combined into an overall measure using the ASTM standard for Multi-Attribute Decision Analysis. Q What is the most cost-effective method to become a Certified Facility Manager (CFM)? Dennis Pitzl Engineer Foreman Century College White Bear Lake, MN JDennisPPitzl@msn.com The most cost-effective way to get the CFM designation would be to sit for the exam, since it is based on compe-tency and experience. IFMA has a self-assessment test (www.ifma.org/learning/ fm_credentials/self_assessment/index.cfm) that shows how strong your knowledge is in the nine competency areas. Depending on your score, you can either sign up to take the exam or look at the areas where you are weak and plan a course of study. You may elect to take one of IFMA’s core competency courses, or you may opt for offerings from BOMI International. Many companies that offer tuition reimbursement will accept the BOMI courses, which can really help the pocketbook! A Elledge, facility/office services manager for Dallas, TX-based Summit Alliance Companies, is the recipi-ent of the Distinguished Author Award from the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), is an IFMA Fellow, and is a member of TFM ’s Editorial Advisory Board. All questions have been submitted via the “FM Expert Advice” portion of the magazine’s web site. To pose a question, visit www.TodaysFacilityManager.com. 8 JUNE 2011 www .T odaysFacilityManager .com

Tricks Of The Trade

James C. Elledge

Dealing With Capital Planning On Campus And Achieving CFM Status Q I’m developing a multi-year capital plan for my campus, largely due to deferred maintenance issues. With regard to heating systems, is there a line I should draw between efficiency and sophistication of the new system versus the efficiency of the overall structure? In other words, when is high efficiency too high to be warranted in a given situation? Joe Berdetta Facility Director Kent Place School Summit, NJ berdettaj@kentplace.org A this looks like a job for...building life cycle costing (BLCC)! Yes, strong and powerful BLCC can provide you with information on when something is too good (or not good enough) for your campus maintenance capital plan. There are tools available to assist in the economic analyses, including software like the BLCC Program from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). This program provides computational support for the analysis of capital investments in buildings. To run your facility through the system, use the online download here: www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/information/download_blcc.html. BEES (Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability) software brings users a powerful technique for selecting cost-effective, environmentally preferable building products. Also developed by NIST (through its Building and Fire Research Laboratory), the tool is based on consensus standards and is designed to be practical, flexible, and transparent. BEES measures the environmental performance of building products by using The life cycle assessment approach specified in the ISO 14040 series of standards. All stages in the life of a product are analyzed; economic and environmental performance are combined into an overall measure using the ASTM standard for Multi-Attribute Decision Analysis. Q what is the most cost-effective method to become a Certified Facility Manager (CFM)? Dennis Pitzl Engineer Foreman Century College White Bear Lake, MN JDennisPPitzl@msn.com A the most cost-effective way to get the CFM designation would be to sit for the exam, since it is based on competency and experience. IFMA has a selfassessment test (www.ifma.org/learning/fm_credentials/self_assessment/index.cfm) that shows how strong your knowledge is in the nine competency areas. Depending on your score, you can either sign up to take the exam or look at the areas where you are weak and plan a course of study. You may elect to take one of IFMA’s core competency courses, or you may opt for offerings from BOMI International. Many companies that offer tuition reimbursement will accept the BOMI courses, which can really help the pocketbook! Elledge, facility/office services manager for Dallas, TX-based Summit Alliance Companies, is the recipient of the Distinguished Author Award from the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), is an IFMA Fellow, and is a member of TFM’s Editorial Advisory Board. All questions have been submitted via the “FM Expert Advice” portion of the magazine’s web site.To pose a question, visit www.TodaysFacilityManager.com.

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