EVANS SPEAKS AT APPA EASTERN REGION (ERAPPA) CONFERENCE

Gary Evans will be speaking at the 58th Annual Conference of the Eastern Region of APPA (ERAPPA) at the Marriott Waterfront Hotel in Baltimore between September 28th and October 1st, 2008. The talk is entitled "Using Condition Assessment modeling to better understand the condition of our physical assets". Facility condition assessments are integral to strategic decision-making processes and capital planning in higher education facilities. However, visual assessments are becoming more expensive and time-consuming. GSI has investigated alternative methods used to calculate condition index values that do not require frequent visual assessments. We will present our findings of this research, together with a recently-developed, patent-pending modeling technique that has been tested and calibrated against results from over 10,000 buildings. Gary Evans will describe the benefits of using condition assessment models to support existing visual assessment programs and how results can feed into existing APPA benchmarking tools.

EVANS SPEAKS AT FEDERAL REAL PROPERTY ASSOCIATION (FRPA) CONFERENCE

Gary Evans will be participating in a facility condition assessment panel at the Federal Real Property Association Conference at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington D.C. on May 7, 2008. He will be bringing his expertise providing condition assessment consulting services for the GSA Office of Governmentwide Policy and his 20-years experience of performing facility condition assessments to discuss condition assessment practices within the federal government with other panelists from Booz Allen Hamilton, EIPCI, Vista and VFA.

TEICHOLZ SPEAKS AT THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

Eric Teicholz will be speaking at the Government/Industry Forum "Public-Private Partnerships for Federal Facility Projects" sponsored by The Federal Facilities Council at National Academy of Sciences Auditorium in Washington D.C. on September 7, 2007. The talk is entitled Metrics for Public-Private Partnerships:Case Studies. Some public-private partnerships are trying to develop key performance indicators, balanced scorecards, and other metrics based on data-driven analysis and using these values to ease the public's concerns regarding the partnership. Such metrics also provide data regarding required investment levels in assets to preserve them for future generations. Teicholz will present case studies and examples of such data driven metrics and their efficacy.

TEICHOLZ JOINS ADVISORY BOARD FOR ENVISTA

Eric Teicholz joined the Advisory Board for Envista, see Press Release. Envista Corporation's primary product, COMPASS, is a real-time infrastructure asset modeling, simulation and management application that integrates data from GIS, costing, mapping, and enterprise asset management systems - www.envistasoftware.com.

GSI TO PARTICIPATE IN AUTODESK WEBCASTS

Autodesk is presenting a series of webcasts discussing their new FM Desktop product. GSI staff will support these webcasts. Information is as follows:

WEBCAST #1: Federal Real Property Asset Management - Overview & Data Results.
Wednesday, Sept. 12,2007, 12:45 PM-2:00 PM
Eric Teicholz, Cara Noferi

WEBCAST #2: Condition Index, Federal Real Property Management and Modeling Tools.
Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007, 12:45 PM-2:00 PM
Eric Teicholz, Gary Evans

TEICHOLZ & EVANS SPEAK AT IFMA CONFERENCE

Eric Teicholz and Gary Evans will be speaking at IFMA's World Workplace Conference & Expo on Oct. 24-26, 2007 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. The topic is Conditions Indices and Strategic Planning.

TEICHOLZ ELECTED TO EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Eric Teicholz has been elected to the Executive Committee for the Alumni Council of the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. The Alumni Council has its objective to "recommend students, assist with admissions, visit classes, offer career advice, hire graduates, participate on review panels, offer and fund studios, and provide essential financial support" to the Graduate School of Design.

GSI DEVELOPS AND SUCCESSFULLY TESTS NEW THEORETICAL CONDITION INDEX MODELING CONCEPT

GSI recently completed a research project with the GSA to look into cost-effective, alternative ways of identifying condition index values for facilities. Following on from this work, GSI has developed a method that calculates theoretical condition index values for less than 1% of the cost of performing a visual assessment. To test the model, GSI gathered sample condition assessment data for about 10,500 buildings, generated condition index values using the new theoretical condition index model and compared the results with actual condition index values obtained from full visual assessments. Using a calibrated condition deterioration curve to reflect realistic deterioration of building systems, by just knowing the type and age of a building and major renovation dates for older buildings, GSI’s model can predict condition index values to within 10% accuracy; about 70-80% of the time. Work is currently underway to develop this model into a fully functional web-based application. For more information please go here or contact Gary Evans gevans@graphicsystems.biz.

TEICHOLZ ELECTED TO IFMA FOUNDATION'S BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Eric Teicholz, IFMA Fellow, has recently been elected to the IFMA Foundation as a member of the Board of Trustees. According to IFMA, the IFMA Foundation's core purpose is to create and enable knowledge by funding research, education, student grants and scholarships, and promoting excellence in the built environment for the public good. The goals of the Foundation include:

• Position the Foundation as the Leading Knowledge Agent for the Quality Built Environment
• Grow our Financial Resources
• Expand Foundation Awareness and Support
• Create Value for our Community of Stakeholders

ERIC TEICHOLZ IS A MEMBER OF HARVARD'S GRADUATE SCHOOL OF DESIGN'S ALUMNI COUNCIL

Eric Teicholz has become a member of Harvard's Graduate School of Design's Alumni Council. The Council's mission, is "to promote the advancement of the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University (GSD), the welfare of its alumni'ae and students, and the pursuit of excellence in the professions represented in the School's programs."

GSI SIGNS THE NBMIS CHARTER

The National Institute of Building Standards (NIBS) through its Facility Information Council (FIC) has formed a committee to create the National Building Information Model Standard (NBIMS). NBIMS will use typical business processes and interactions between facility lifecycle participants to define sets of information and exchange standards needed for efficient facility planning, design, construction/renovation and operations. The complete text of the press release you can find here: Press Release. Graphic Systems, Inc. has signed the NBMIS Charter and is actively providing staff and technical support to the Communications and Development sub-Committees. For more information contact Alan Edgar aedgar@graphicsystems.biz.

GSI IS NOW ON GSA SCHEDULE!

Graphic Systems Inc. has been awarded the General Services Administration (GSA) Information Technology Schedule Contract #GS-35F-0209N. Under this program Graphic Systems offers a  broad range of IT services, including Strategic Technology Planning, CAFM Needs Assessment, CAFM System Integration and CAFM Support Services.

For further information about rates, services and labor categories offered, contact Anna Carey at acarey@graphicsystems.biz

… AND ON THE MOBIS SCHEDULE!

On March 23, 2005 GSI was awarded contract No. GS-10F-0252R under GSA Management, Organizational and Business Improvement Services (MOBIS) Solicitation No. TFTP-MC-000874-B.  Under the MOBIS contract GSI offers a full range of management and consulting services that can improve federal agency performance and their endeavor in meeting mission goals.

According to the GSA, “MOBIS contractors possess the necessary expertise to facilitate how the federal government responds to a continuous stream of new mandates and evolutionary influences including the President's Management Agenda; Government Performance and Results Act; Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act; OMB Circular A-76; Federal Activities Inventory Reform Act; government reinvention initiatives such as benchmarking and streamlining. Examples of how MOBIS related services include:

• Business consulting services, assessments, studies and reports
• Facilitation services, conflict resolution, problem solving
• Survey design, implementation and analysis
• Off-the-shelf and customized MOBIS related training
• OMB Circular A-76 studies and privatization efforts
• Program management, program integration, project management
• Informal and formal alternative dispute resolution”

Please contact Anna Carey at acarey@graphicsystems.biz with any questions or comments regarding the program.

MAJOR CURRENT FEDERAL CONTRACTS

US Department of State

GSI has partnered with Serco North America to calculate and report Facility Condition Index (FCI) values for about 5,000 buildings located at 280 posts worldwide that are operating by the US Department of State. GSI/Serco will be assisting the US Department of State meet its requirement to submit FCI values for all structures it owns or leases long term to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) annually, as required by Executive Order 13327. FCI calculations will be performed within GSI/Serco's "Facility Condition Assessment Strategy Tool" (FCAST). For more information on this innovative, cost-effective solution, please visit www.fcastrategy.com.

Health and Human Services

"Evaluation of National Institute of Health (NIH) and Center for Disease Control (CDC) Facility Programs"

The Objective of the project is to craft a common HHS approach built on the foundation of the best aspects of the current NIH and CDC programs, requirements of HHS Office of Facility Management and Policy (OFMP), food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Indian Health Service (IHS) and other commercial/Federal best practices.

General Services Administration

"Federal Real Property Regulations Management Support"

Graphic Systems, Inc. continues to provide real property asset management (regulations compliance analyses, legislative research, and communications tools & activities) and information technology (Contacts & Legislative Databases) support for the Office of Governmentwide Policy, Office of Real Property Management (MP). GSI also provides program management support to the Office of Real Property Management in support of the Federal Real Property Regulations Management Division programs, concentrating on MP’s new Policy Change Management Model. It will conduct research on topics related to real property asset management and report findings and prepare briefings based on this research.

"Real Property Asset Management Initiative Project"

GSI is assisting the GSA’s Office of Real Property Management and the Federal Real Property Council (FRPC) with various tasks associated with Executive Order 13327, which promotes efficiency and effectiveness of Federal real property.

Smithsonian Institute

"Facilities Management Integration"

GSI is working with the Smithsonian Institute's Office of Facilities Engineering & Operations (OFEO), Office of Facilities Reliability to enhance the existing SI Facilities Management Maintenance Plan.

Federal Aviation Administration

"Assessment of the FAA Real Property Asset Management Organizational Structures"

Contract services include a detailed assessment of the FAA Real Property Asset Management Organizational structures located at HQ and the information systems that capture real property related information, in order to extract asset management activities and define an appropriate and relevant HQ Asset Management Organization (AMO) for Real Property.

US Army Corps of Engineers

"Asset Management Plan"

GSI is providing support to USACE in the development of the Asset Management Plan and AIS Modernization Program.

MAJOR CURRENT COMMERCIAL CONTRACTS

University of Massachusetts

Graphic Systems, Inc. has been working with Facilities and Campus Planning at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst since 1997, assisting in business systems analysis for technology initiatives in capital planning, work management, project accounting, business operations, EDMS and CAFM implementation efforts. GSI continues to provide technical consultation and support services, coordinating the latest technologies, business processes and data standards to leverage shared data sources, with the objective of information sustainability, in order to readily respond to business changes in the future. For more information contact Cara Noferi at cnoferi@graphicsystems.biz

Thomas Jefferson University

GSI has renewed its relationship with TJU to perform a baseline assessment of current business practices and the use of technology to better manage their facilities. GSI previously issued a Facility Management (FM) Technology Plan for TJU in 2001. While much is still relevant, a baseline assessment is a necessary planning task to review, validate and update managements’ objectives and priorities, departmental business processes, functional requirements, and current use of technology. All of these provide the necessary building blocks for determining TJU’s strategic approach for future implementation of an Integrated Workplace Management Systems (IWMS). For more information contact Cara Noferi at cnoferi@graphicsystems.biz

Harvard University: Kennedy School of Government

"Technology Baseline Assessment"

GSI is conducting the baseline assessment of the current business environment of the Facilities & Services Department of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government in the context of their technology planning efforts.