Overview
The Facilities Management consulting services offered by INSITE draw upon the extensive experience of the company’s senior managers. The business problems these services address are focused within this fairly tight niche across multiple educational, medical and government institutions. Often, the business needs require a relatively fast result; an inexpensive strategic analysis of campus space, and often targeting buildings devoted largely to sponsored research or patient care activities.
Our work is designed to be very modular. Each component provides its own standalone value but can be combined with any or all of the other components. Each service is based on specific information sets that we tune to the specific institution after extensive conversations with their senior management. The results contain both detailed data and interpreted analysis. We are typically asked to consult with and present to Space Committees, Deans’ Councils, President’s Councils or Cabinets, or similar faculty/medical/administration groups. This work operates independently of INSITE and its Consortium.
Typical Issues Addressed
The Chair of the Trustees doubts that their organization uses existing space efficiently. Can you help us prove it?
The Dean of the School of Engineering feels that one of the newer research buildings is not being used appropriately or well by its occupants, half of whom are from another School. What’s the truth of this conjecture?
As Research Provost, I’ve been asked to double the amount of sponsored research without significantly increasing the space in which it will be done. I’m also convinced that some of the older research structures can’t handle the new types of research we will be doing in the future. Can you help me make a well-supported business case for our space needs?
The policies and procedures by which we allocate and manage space have eroded. Can you help us develop policies and procedures that will be effective in our environment?
We are having a hard time convincing our faculty that the planning standards and grant accounting procedures are other than arbitrary. Can you help us benchmark our process and standards against other like institutions?
Typical consulting components
Verification, correction, and/or creation of an accurate space inventory.
Utilization studies which include three primary sections:
- A. Establish basic occupancy patterns
- B. Analysis of room functional assignments to compare with (A), above;
- C. Rough analysis of research revenues, by building as a minimum, which can further be compared to (A) and (B), above;
Research adequacy studies which derive a general building rating from three sections that are loosely based on NSF Project Kaleidoscope, the 1996 NIH “Research Laboratory Design Policy and Guidelines”, published lab planning papers, and the experiences of both INSITE staff and external professionals we engage for specific projects. The sections are:
- Building physical condition (based on an abbreviated scale)
- Research adequacy (based on a modified scale to reflect the direction Research Provosts and Directors wish to take the institution)
- Campus planning issues which affect the spaces in question
Analysis of policies and procedures relating to space allocation and management, grant management and accounting, property management as it affects grant accounting, and indirect cost recovery. Our deliverables for this component range from focused considerations regarding existing procedures to development of an updated set of procedures.
Benchmarking of all or any part of the above, to a unique group of institutions selected by or with the client institution, to some combination of the above.