Managing an educational facility—whether a preschool, a single-campus school, or a multi-campus university with numerous buildings—is a complex task. Adopting a Computer Aided Facility Management (CaFM) system for managing your facilities is a no-brainer in today's educational environment.

Just like a personal fitness tracker customizes health insights based on your individual needs, a modern CaFM system tailors facility management workflows to the unique requirements of your educational institution.

Many schools, universities, and colleges rely on FM service providers or vendors to outsource their Computerized Facility Management (CaFM), believing it's the obvious solution for managing these complex facilities. You might think that outsourcing your CaFM procurement to a dedicated team of experts is the best way to ensure your school's facilities are well-maintained.

However, it can create a web of complexities and leave you constantly reliant on vendors for information. This means managing your facilities at arm’s length, lacking the direct control and insight you need to truly control your operations.

How outsourced CaFM breeds inefficiency in the long run

Outsourcing CaFM with vendors might be the norm for educational institutes. But this approach can be ineffective in the long run as it causes small issues to go unnoticed and unattended. When you hand over responsibility to a vendor, you're not privy to the minor problems that snowball into bigger compliance issues and safety risks. What exactly are the inefficiencies of vendor-outsourced CaFM? Let’s take a closer look:

1. You don’t own your data: Operating blind in your own facilities

When you outsource your CaFM with vendors, you're essentially handing over the keys to your operational data. This data is crucial for making informed decisions about everything from asset management to preventative maintenance.

Vendors usually focus on delivering the information as required by their contracts. They often don’t provide the comprehensive data or reports needed to fully understand your facilities' performance, especially when it comes to identifying areas for improvement, cost reduction, or process optimization.

You might get updates on work orders, maintenance schedules, and maybe even some basic cost breakdowns. But what if you need to dig deeper? What if you want to understand which assets are consuming the most energy, which facilities are driving up your maintenance costs, or which processes could be optimized for greater efficiency?

You're likely to find those details missing, leaving you with a fragmented view of your school's operations.

You are prevented from implementing energy-saving measures for certain assets or from determining if certain models are proving more expensive to maintain because, without the right data, these crucial insights remain elusive.

This is what happens when you outsource your CAFM: you lose control of your data and your ability to make informed decisions about maintenance, energy consumption, budget allocation, and even future planning is limited.

2. You can't hold the vendor accountable: A gamble of risk

Vendors often have established practices that aren't always the best fit for your school's specific requirements. Their approach to handling maintenance and service requests often prioritizes speed over thoroughness, which might not align with your school's need for attention to detail, especially in areas like safety and compliance.

It can be difficult to hold vendors accountable for service quality and performance when you're reliant on their data and reports. You may not know if they're completing tasks efficiently or using your budget wisely.

For instance, imagine your school has a vendor responsible for maintaining your HVAC systems. The vendor reports that all systems are functioning correctly, but you have no way of knowing if they've actually conducted thorough inspections or if they've used quality spare parts.

Because you lack access to the vendor's internal data and processes, it's difficult to challenge their findings or determine who is responsible for any potential shortcomings.

This is the harsh reality of outsourcing. You're entrusting a big chunk of responsibility to the vendor without enough power or tools to verify their work or hold them accountable.

3. You're bound by contracts: The vendor lock-in

A common issue with outsourced CaFM is that these contracts lock you into specific services and pricing. What does that mean for your institute’s operations? Let’s say that a couple of months after investing in a vendor, you discover that the services are not up to the quality you are paying for.

Alternatively, you might find that some of the agreed-upon services are not really necessary, and you would prefer to redirect that budget to other, more pressing initiatives.

You realize that you need to switch to a new vendor or reallocate those funds to a different initiative, maybe a much-needed upgrade to your school's technology or an energy-saving program for your college dorms. But here's the catch: you’ve signed that contract. Now, you’re forced to keep paying for services you don’t need or aren’t satisfied with, and your hands are tied when it comes to making necessary changes.

Even if you identify better options or more cost-effective solutions, you cannot switch vendors or adjust the services to better suit your needs until the contract expires. This limits your ability to adapt to changing needs, improve efficiency, and ultimately make the best decisions for your campus and your budget.

4. You lose asset history and maintenance records when you switch vendors

When you switch vendors, you lose all the critical data about your facilities: maintenance records, asset history, and building performance reports. This data is more than just a list of numbers; it’s a repository of crucial insights into your facility operations gained over years of experience.

All the records about your school’s assets tell a story of their performance, when they're likely to fail, and help you determine what preventative measures you can take to avoid costly breakdowns.

Without access to this data, your ability to make informed decisions about future maintenance, asset management, and energy efficiency is greatly hindered.

Additionally, you’re forced to invest time and resources in getting the new vendors up to speed and start from scratch to build a fresh database for your school's facilities.

A community college in Nebraska experienced this firsthand. After outsourcing their FM for several years, they lost access to all data and records related to their facilities when their contract ended. This left them in a vulnerable position, unable to make informed decisions about future maintenance and asset management.

This is a stark reminder that owning your CAFM data and processes is essential to long-term sustainability.

5. You can't ensure compliance

Imagine a scenario where your school's fire alarm system malfunctions and you find it was because routine inspections weren’t being conducted as per the regulations. Your school could be fined heftily and cited for safety violations. This is a real risk when you outsource your CAFM.

Schools are held to stringent safety and compliance standards, covering everything from fire safety and health regulations to accessibility requirements and water safety.

When it comes to safety, a close eye is crucial. Routine inspections and thorough checks aren't just another work order; they require careful supervision and expertise. You need a facility manager who understands the nuances of various regulations and can prioritize safety during emergencies.

But when you outsource your CAFM, you're handing over a significant portion of this responsibility to a third party whose priorities and processes may not align with your safety needs.

Only by embracing in-house CAFM can you have the hands-on knowledge and direct control needed to guarantee that your school is safe and compliant.

You can implement detailed inspections, track progress, and respond quickly to any potential hazards. When you own your CAFM, you also own your school's safety and compliance.

The journey to in-house CaFM: Laying the foundation for success

Moving to in-house CaFM is a significant shift that requires a change in mindset and a clear understanding of the benefits. This involves three levels of change:

1. Shifting the mindset of facility managers

The first level of change needs to happen in the mindset of facility managers. Facility managers in educational campuses operate in a reactive, firefighting mindset. Much of their day is spent addressing immediate issues like leaky faucets, broken equipment, and student complaints. This constant struggle to keep up with day-to-day demands often leaves little time for strategic planning and long-term thinking. Only when you shift your focus from immediate fixes to the long-term success of your school's facilities will the benefits of in-house CAFM become truly clear.

Embracing long-term vision

Instead of viewing facility management as a series of short-term contracts focused on immediate fixes, shift your perspective to your facility management's future and understand that your FM operations are integral to your institution’s overall success.

Reduced maintenance costs, better infrastructure, a smoother-running facility, fewer reactive repairs, and fewer operational disruptions—this is what a vision of long-term success looks like.

When you have this long-term vision, you'll realize that in-house CAFM is the solution you need. Outsourcing will no longer seem like the right choice because you'll understand the need for a system that gives you control over your data, your processes, and your future.

Data as a strategic asset

Stop seeing data as just a collection of reports; recognize its true value as the key to unlocking your facility's success. Imagine having the power to analyze maintenance costs, track energy consumption, and pinpoint the most efficient technicians - all through the data you own.

This is not just about numbers on a page; it’s about gaining the insights you need to optimize operations, reduce costs, and create a better learning environment for your students.

You'll only start to seek out this data and its potential when you realize its true worth - the power to transform your facilities from reactive to proactive.Recognize that your facility data is a valuable resource, not just a collection of reports.

This data can help in budget allocation, preventative maintenance, and even long-term planning, ultimately leading to better facilities and learning environments.

Prioritizing safety

Embrace safety as a core value, not just a compliance requirement. In-house CaFM gives you the tools and data to proactively identify and address safety hazards, ensuring a safe environment for everyone.

2. Stakeholder buy-in: The value of investing in your future

The administrative board and the CXOs must be convinced of the benefits of investing in a modern in-house CaFM solution. They need to understand how this investment will contribute to a safer, more efficient, and cost-effective learning environment.

Data-driven decision making

Explain how in-house CaFM empowers the school to make more informed decisions about budget allocation, maintenance schedules, and facility upgrades, leading to greater efficiency and cost savings.

Improved learning environment

Highlight how a well-maintained facility equipped with a modern CaFM system can enhance students' learning experience by providing a safe, comfortable, and supportive environment.

Safety and compliance

Emphasize the importance of in-house CaFM in ensuring compliance with safety regulations and reducing the risk of fines and legal action, thereby safeguarding the school's reputation and resources.

3. Choosing the right CaFM solution: Navigating the choices

Choosing the right CaFM system is crucial for any educational institution. You need a solution that addresses an educational institute's unique challenges and requirements. Consider these features:

Automated workflows

Look for a solution that automates repetitive tasks and handles the heavy lifting for you. What would that look like?

The ideal system would automatically create work orders from service requests and schedule them during after-class hours. It should be capable of assigning the best-suited technicians based on eligibility and sending notifications on work order updates, freeing up your facilities team to focus on more strategic initiatives.

Comprehensive asset tracking

You need to track a wide range of assets, from classroom furniture and lab equipment to athletic equipment, school buses, and even playground equipment. The CaFM should have robust asset management features.

Preventative maintenance scheduling

This is essential for schools, as it helps prevent costly breakdowns and ensures the smooth operation of critical facilities like HVAC systems, boilers, and electrical systems. The CaFM should allow you to schedule and track preventative maintenance based on specific asset types and their unique requirements.

Integration with campus systems

Look for a solution that integrates seamlessly with your student information system (sis), financial management software, and other critical systems. This minimizes data duplication, ensures efficiency, and allows you to access valuable data across your school/university’s operations.

Smart reporting and dashboards

You need real-time insights into your facilities' performance, including maintenance history, cost analysis, safety compliance, and asset utilization. The CaFM should provide comprehensive reporting features and customizable dashboards to visualize this data effectively.

Mobile Accessibility

Choose a CaFM that offers a mobile app, enabling your facilities team to access information, create work orders, and track tasks from anywhere on campus.

The next step: Owning your CaFM, owning your future

In the next article, we'll explore how in-house CaFM solutions are transforming schools worldwide, sharing success stories and highlighting the positive impact on students, staff, and the learning experience. This is a call to action for schools to take ownership of their facilities and ensure they provide the best possible learning environment for every student.

Facilio’s in-house CAFM solution empowers you to build a customized system that meets your unique needs and evolves with your school. Explore how Facilio can provide the flexibility, scalability, and control you need to manage your facilities effectively.

Ready to ditch restrictive outsourced CaFM?

Take the reins of your campus management and transform your maintenance operations with Facilio.

SEE A DEMO