NOTICE
The Federal Facilities Council (FFC) (formerly the Federal Construction Council) is a continuing activity of the Board on Infrastructure and the Constructed Environment (BICE) of the National Research Council (NRC). The purpose of the FFC is to promote continuing cooperation among the sponsoring federal agencies and between the agencies and other elements of the building community in order to advance building science and technology-particularly with regard to the design, construction, acquisition, evaluation, and operation of federal facilities. Currently, the following agencies sponsor the FFC:
Department of the Air Force, Office of the Civil Engineer
Department of the Air Force, Air National Guard
Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers
Department of Energy, Office of Associate Deputy Secretary of Field Management
Department of the Navy, Naval Facilities Engineering Command
Department of State, Office of Foreign Buildings Operations
Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Facilities Management
Food and Drug Administration
General Services Administration, Public Buildings Service
Indian Health Service
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Facilities Engineering Division
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Endowment for the Arts, Design Arts Program
National Science Foundation
Smithsonian Institution, Office of Facilities Services
U.S. Information Agency, International Broadcasting Bureau
U.S. Public Health Service, Office of Management
U.S. Postal Service, Facilities Department
As part of its activities, the FFC periodically publishes reports that have been prepared by committees of government employees. Since these committees are not appointed by the NRC, they do not make recommendations, and their reports are considered FFC publications rather than NRC publications.
For further information on the FFC program or FFC reports, please write to: Director, Federal Facilities Council, Board on Infrastructure and the Constructed Environment, 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20418 or visit us on the Internet @ http://www2.nas.edu/ffc.
FEDERAL FACILITIES COUNCIL
STANDING COMMITTEES ON DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION AND ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION
STANDING COMMITTEE ON DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
Chairman
Daniel Hightower,
Division of Engineering Services, National Institutes of Health
Vice Chairman
Terrel Emmons,
Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Department of the Navy
Members
Plaban Bagchi,
Technical Support Branch, U.S. Department of State
James Biasco,
Division of Facilities Planning and Construction, Indian Health Service
Ed Feiner,
Public Buildings Service, General Services Administration
Stephan Freese,
Facilities Division, Air National Guard
D. S. Gim,
Engineering Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Thomas Grooms,
Office of Design and Construction, General Services Administration
Stephen Hagan,
Building and Fire Research Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Kevin Kelly,
Office of Design and Construction, General Services Administration
Sheryl Kolasinski,
Office of Design and Construction, Smithsonian Institution
Benjamin Lawless,
Facilities Division, Air National Guard
Al Lew,
Facilities Division, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Richard Millard,
Facilities Division, Air National Guard
William Miner,
Office of Foreign Buildings Operations, U.S. Department of State
G. Ray Navidi,
Engineering Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Martin Newdorf,
Facilities Support Division, U.S. Department of Energy
Vincent Nowicki,
Engineering Design Division, International Broadcasting Bureau
Leo Phelan,
Office of Facilities Management, Department of Veterans Affairs
William Quinn,
Experimental Engineering Division, U.S. Army Cold Region Research and Engineering Laboratory
Antonio Regojo,
Facilities Division, U.S. Postal Service
David Reynolds,
Military Construction, Department of the Air Force
Douglas Rowand,
Air National Guard Readiness Center
John Scalzi,
Structures and Building Systems, National Science Foundation
Lloyd Siegel,
Facilities Quality Office, Department of Veterans Affairs
Gordon Wilcox,
Office of Engineering Services, Public Health Service
Terry Witford,
Division of Civil Engineering, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Robert Wilson,
Maintenance and Repair Division, International Broadcasting Bureau
Program Committee Liaison Member
James Binkley,
Major Facilities Office, U.S. Postal Service
Nongovernment Liaisons
Jeffrey Beard,
Design Build Institute of America
Stuart Binstock,
American Institute of Architects
Michael Charles,
American Society of Civil Engineers
Earl Kennett,
National Institute of Building Sciences
Nickolas Kolesnikoff,
Associated General Contractors of America
Susan Loomis,
Associated General Contractors of America
Charles McGinnis,
Construction Industry Institute
Christopher Monek,
Associated General Contractors of America
Todd Phillips,
American Institute of Architects
James Pierce,
National Society of Professional Engineers
STANDING COMMITTEE ON ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION
Chairman
William May,
Advanced Broadcasting Technologies, International Broadcasting Bureau
Members
Hallet Brazelton,
Facilities Division, Air National Guard
Robert Bowen,
Office of Facilities Management, Department of Veterans Affairs
Tony Clifford,
Division of Engineering Services, National Institutes of Health
Jon Erikson,
Network Engineering, International Broadcasting Bureau
George Everhart,
Public Buildings Service, General Services Administration
Tom Hodges,
Office of Foreign Buildings Operations, U.S. Department of State
William Lowe,
Special Projects, Indian Health Service
William Morrison,
Facilities Division, Air National Guard
Mark Prahl,
Implementation Division, International Broadcasting Bureau
Rose Quicker,
Facilities Management Division, Department of Veterans Affairs
Richard Rothblum,
Office of Foreign Buildings Operations, U.S. Department of State
John Scalzi,
Structures and Building Systems, National Science Foundation
William Stareper,
Facilities Division, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Dianne Walters,
Public Buildings Service, General Services Administration
Raymond Willcocks,
Engineering Division, Air National Guard
Preface
Today, as never before, federal facility managers are being challenged to satisfy their agencies' needs for quality facilities with limited resources. New policy directions and attrition have resulted in substantially reduced funds and staff, the consolidation and reorganization of functions within and among agencies, and an increased reliance on outside contractors to design and construct facilities.
As agencies downsize, "right-size," and reinvent themselves, facility managers must find new ways to provide and maintain quality facilities, so that the missions of their agencies can be met. Our two committees of the Federal Facilities Council (FFC) had been watching these developments for some time. We were both concerned that facilities managers adapt to the new environment in ways that sustain the quality of federal facilities. Learning of each other's interest, the FFC standing Committees on Design and Construction, and Organization and Administration decided to pool talents and efforts, to sponsor a symposium on ensuring quality facilities in this era of limited resources.
In keeping with the missions of both standing committees, the symposium covered a broad range of facilities-related issues, including design and construction, project delivery, operations and maintenance, management, and customers. Therefore, we defined quality in several ways. Quality in new construction means a facility is built on time and within budget and satisfies the customer. With respect to maintenance, quality means a product or service that provides value to a facility, and whose cost is not disproportionately high, and which is provided on time.
For the customer—both federal employees and the general public—quality means an environment in which they can achieve their intended purpose efficiently, safely, and comfortably.
The symposium, entitled "Federal Facilities Beyond the 1990s: Ensuring Quality in an Era of Limited Resources," was held May 30–31, 1996, at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. Representatives from federal government, private corporations, and academia described their experiences in reengineering their organizations and business practices to maintain or improve the quality of their facilities despite fewer resources. The speakers were selected above all for their successful innovations. We wanted the symposium to provide an opportunity for the facilities management community to learn of practical approaches and achievements, as well as to sharpen their understanding of the current environment and provide their own views about the issues they face. This report includes papers based on many of the presentations made at the symposium. We hope that you will find the ideas here as stimulating as we did.
DANIEL HIGHTOWER,
CHAIR, COMMITTEE ON DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
WILLIAM MAY,
CHAIR, COMMITTEE ON ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION