Facilities Assessment Services
Accurate information about the condition of facilities and building systems forms the foundation for ensuring smooth operations today and planning for future needs. Yet many organizations lack the resources to maintain detailed, accurate data about their facility assets. Facilities managers and maintenance professionals already wear many hats. And facilities budgets are often stretched to address pressing maintenance and renewal needs.
Our Service
We provide a range of assessment services designed to collect the critical information an organization needs to ensure business continuity and optimize facility investments over the long-term.
Planning Your Assessment Approach
Our partnership helps clients plan the best assessment strategy for their needs, which may include a mix of different approaches for different types of facilities. Multi-year assessment contracts to assist organizations in maintaining accurate data for capital planning, and in budgeting for the cost of assessment as part of their long-term capital plan.
Why Choose Us?
- Clients select our assessment services for three important reasons:
- Credibility – one of the largest teams of dedicated assessment professionals in North America.
- Objectivity – offers no follow-on design, construction or program management services. Our only objective is to provide clients with the most accurate and complete information possible.
- Ongoing Value – Our assessors don’t just deliver static reports, but create a central database of asset information that can provide a foundation for the ongoing evaluation of facility needs.
Core Assessment Services
Whether you require a baseline of conditions across all facilities, a targeted evaluation of business-critical systems, or specialized expertise to supplement that of your own staff, VFA has a solution to meet your needs. We help you determine the most cost-effective assessment approach, and ensure a consistent assessment process across multiple facilities. Our core assessment services include:
- Detailed Facilities Condition Assessment
- Systems Lifecycle Assessment
- Modeling
Specialized Assessment Services
VFA also offers assessment services targeted to the needs of specific industry sectors. We also provide specialized assessments which focus on specific issues such as energy efficiency or brand standards.
Green Building Assessment Services
Promoting sustainable building operations is an increasing focus in many organizations. VFA Green Building Assessments help organizations to:
- Estimate the costs and benefits of potential sustainability investments
- Determine where to focus "green" dollars for the greatest impact
- Integrate sustainability programs into the capital planning process
Our assessment teams, which include LEED-accredited professionals, focus on five key areas of sustainable buildings consistent with guidelines for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings (LEED®-EB):
- Energy Efficiency
- Water Conservation
- Indoor Air Quality and Environment
- Site Sustainability
- Materials and Construction
Depending on an organization’s needs, VFA provides two different levels of Green Building Assessments.
- Level 1 targets relatively low-cost initiatives that can deliver short-term paybacks by reducing energy and natural resource consumption. Some examples include lighting controls, mechanical system tune-ups, and water saving controls.
- Level 2 provides a comprehensive assessment of greening opportunities that can provide both short and long-term environmental, social and economic impacts. Level 2 assessments may be conducted, for example, in support of major building renovations, large-scale master planning programs, or the acquisition of a long-term property holding.
With either service level, VFA identifies and prioritizes sustainability initiatives based on costs and estimated payback, as well as other benefits that support strategic business goals. VFA delivers:
- A Recommended Actions Report, including costs and timeframes
- A summary of expected benefits to occupants and environment
- Estimated operational cost savings over a given time period
- Detailed data on related building requirements and costs
- Federal Real Property Asset Audits
- Energy Assessment Services
- Seismic Assessment Service
Training & Certification
VFA provides training in our Facility Condition Assessment methodology, allowing client and partner organizations to deploy assessment teams that consistently gather accurate data across their entire building portfolio. Training incorporates a blend of classroom and field training, concluding with a written examination.