Course: GFM 101 Fundamentals of Green Facilities Management

Reading

System-level Manuals Are Crucial To Higher Performance Buildings, Including Benchmarking and Re-commissioning

Please make sure to click on links and read articles as they are part of the reading assignment.

O&M manual content and format requirements are conveyed through a detailed Statement of Work (SOW), sufficiently tailored to satisfy the Owner's Facility Management (FM) needs. This effort should be considered in the planning and design phases, and is typically carried out in the construction phase. Building Information Modeling (BIM) introduced at the front end of the project helps facilitate the entire process.

Click here to view and read the Whole Building Design Guide – Building Information Modeling website.

O&M Manuals—it is now widely recognized that O&M represents the greatest expense in owning and operating a facility over its life cycle. The accuracy, relevancy, and timeliness of well-developed, user-friendly O&M manuals cannot be overstated. Hence, it is becoming more common for detailed, facility-specific O&M manuals to be required as a part of the total commissioning process.

System-level O&M Manuals. Organizations that require a higher level of O&M information beyond the typical vendor equipment documents should ensure sufficient funds are set aside and appropriate scope/content requirements are written and specified during the planning stage. It is important to analyze and evaluate a facility from the system level, then develop procedures to attain the most efficient systems integration. System-level manuals include as-built information, based on the maintenance program philosophy. O&M procedures at the system level do not replace manufacturers' documentation for specific pieces of equipment, but rather supplement those publications and guide in their use. For example, system-level troubleshooting will fault-analyze to the component level, such as a pump, valve or motor, then reference specific manufacturer requirements to remove, repair, or replace the component. Documentation should typically meet or exceed client or commercial standards, such as ASHRAE Guidelines (e.g., 4-1993, Preparation of O&M Documentation for Building Systems) for format and content, and be tailored specifically to support the Owner's Maintenance Program (MP).

Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) enable the facility manager, subordinates and customers to track the status of maintenance work on their assets and the associated costs of that work. CMMS are utilized by facilities maintenance organizations to record, manage and communicate their day-to-day operations. The system can provide reports to use in managing the organization's resources, preparing facilities key performance indicators (KPIs)/metrics to use in evaluating the effectiveness of the current operations and for making organizational and personnel decisions. In today's maintenance world the CMMS is an essential tool for the modern facilities maintenance organization.