When it comes to Facility Condition Assessments, every Facility Manager has specific requirements and expectations that need to be accounted for. Whether the scope focuses on a limited inspection or a deep, comprehensive assessment, understanding the crux of a project can mean a world of difference!

Now, planning an FCA can lead to questions: How will you define the scope of your Facility Condition Assessment? How will you decide its length? Should it cover 1 year, 5 years, or 25/30 years?

Based on the purpose of your Facility Condition Assessment (FCA), you can choose which one is right for you based on the following:

• If You’re Selling a Building

If you’re selling a building, you need to conduct a pass-through inspection to know which parts of the building need immediate attention, whether it be repair or replacement. In this case, the FCA you require is typically the 1 year report. A 1-year FCA report generally includes the Immediate Repairs/Replacement Table, which identifies any capital needs for failing or damaged building systems, life safety issues, and code violations.

• If You’re Buying a Building

If you’re buying a building, you need to know its exact condition so that you can deduct the maintenance cost from the price of the building. This is why you need to look at then broader picture when it comes to building acquisition. Consequently, you should go for a 5-year FCA.

A 5-year FCA report generally includes the 5-year requirements, a 5-year expenditure summary (Expenditure Chart, Expenditure Graph, Expenditure Table), an assessment summary (overview of site condition, mechanical/assessment systems, fire building information, etc.), a detailed system/requirement analysis (service life, actual age, Current Replacement Value, requirement justification, and strategy, etc.), the renewal needs, and the Facility Condition Index (FCI).

• If You’re Maintaining a Building

If you have a building that needs to be maintained, you need to understand and evaluate the physical condition of your assets, build capital budgets, and prioritize the assets. And, the most important thing you need to do is secure the right amount of funding to keep your buildings in a good state of repair.

In order to do so, you need to have a 30-year or 25-year Facility Condition Assessment in place. A 30-year FCA will provide a more thorough accounting of the material components of each system, usually in the form of inventory tables. Because a 30-year FCA is designed to serve as a functional tool to maintain the facility over time, it will usually have more detailed estimates for the repair and replacement of systems and equipment than those you would find in a 5-year or 1-year FCA.

A 30-year FCA report provides both short and long-term information over a larger planning horizon, which will help in making strategic decisions regarding the fate of the asset. The long-term outlook will help you in deciding if short-term renewals are really necessary considering the long-term outlook of the building and to adjust the scope of the renewals.

A 30-year FCA report provides a similar kind of details as a 5-year, but with the flexibility to increase or decrease the funding while maintaining the assets in good condition.

The Conclusion

In conclusion, different types of FCAs serve different purposes. We at Nadine understand that each project is unique and has specific requirements. That’s why we develop a unique and dynamic response to our clients’ requirements and provide custom solutions as per their planning needs.

We’re always ready to make all the difference in optimizing your facility for the future. Call us at (905) 602-1850 or send an email to our Director of Building Sciences, Ashar Khan at ashar@nadineintl.com.

Also, check out our step-by-step definitive E-book on Building Condition Assessment.