The EFS Property Management Program

The EFS property management program includes those items required to perform on-going site maintenance for buildings and building equipment using the most efficient and cost effective delivery of services. Although the Assessment and Implementation process began in October, 2006 the program is on-going supplying maximum coverage and results at a minimal cost.

Facility Assessment and Benchmark Cost Analysis

The process began with a facility condition assessment and benchmark cost analysis. Services including building maintenance, housekeeping, landscaping, security, life safety, HVAC, electrical and on-site management were evaluated and included as part of the property management proposal. The condition of the buildings and equipment were reviewed with documentation that included as-builts of the mechanical and electrical systems. This phase of the program is necessary in order to determine the on-going costs associated with the maintenance and repair of the facility (number of FTE's, contracts, budget line item for repairs/month, materials, etc). The building condition assessment and operating budget for the 1,000,000 square foot facility were submitted, reviewed, and approved by Quebecor management staff. A "go-live" date and implementation schedule was agreed to and a Facility Management contract was signed.

As provided at the Kingsport site, a typical Property Management program includes the following tasks to be performed as part of EFS's comprehensive cadre of services.

1. Provide an Operating Budget and Management Services- The operating budget for all on-site maintenance services is established with monthly incremental costs provided for each spend category and task. All expenditures require approval by the designated Quebecor representative prior to execution.
2. Hire Maintenance Staff: On-site maintenance technicians were interviewed for positions with EFS. The company provides human resource management, payroll services, workers compensation, general liability, disability, unemployment as well as health care benefits. Management and duties performed by EFS building technicians are closely monitored to maximize efficiency, accountability, and quality control.
3. Provide Work Order Management- a web-based electronic work order management system is used to issue tasks on a weekly basis to on-site technicians. Work is reviewed and approved for quality control and performance.
4. Contracts and Vendor Management: Current contracts are reviewed and re-written to provide only what is minimally required for on-going maintenance at the site. EFS negotiates contracts and procures services on behalf of the Owner. All contracts are managed through the EFS program.
5. Compliance with FM Global Loss Prevention : EFS is experienced in managing properties to meet FM Global requirements. Through effective use of on-site staff and resources, EFS will reduce costs in this spend category.
6. Equipment Inspection, Testing & Certification- Boilers, Chillers, Cooling Towers, Elevators, Sprinkler and Fire Extinguishers, as well as other building critical systems are inspected, tested and certified up to date documentation on file on a continuous basis to meet national, state and regional regulations.
7. Preventive Maintenance Program- The electronic work order management system tracks service requests as well as preventive maintenance tasks completed by on-site technicians. Items such as building envelope enclosures to reduce outside air infiltration, roof inspections and drain maintenance, winterization of cooling towers, along with dozens of other on-going maintenance tasks are scheduled and completed on a weekly basis. The program measures performance and accountability of on-site staff and provides a log, or history of equipment, and building maintenance as a quality control metric.
8. Building System As-Builts, Floor Plans and Drawings- An accurate layout of the building mechanical and electrical systems is critical to maximizing equipment operation. Part of the EFS Building Condition Assessment includes the as-built process in order to better understand the overall operating systems. From this process, EFS will develop an operation plan that will reduce costs and identify the key components of the energy implementation plan.
9. Property Manuals- Property Manuals are prepared by EFS to provide easy access to important information for each facility. Contracts, Contacts, vendors, drawings, property maps and surveys, emergency response numbers, certifications are maintained as a permanent record and resource. The Manual is also available on-line as a corporate wide resource through the EFS portal.
10. Web-based Document Control- EFS provides access to all site communications for each property through the web-based portal. This secure site may be used to view work orders, daily and weekly reports, contracts and vendor subcontracts, insurance information, inspection logs, invoices, monthly financials, drawings and other pertinent site information. The material is "read only" and requires a user name and password for user access.
11. Capital Projects Management- Small capital projects are a daily occurrence at most properties. EFS has demonstrated their experience and expertise in managing projects of this type efficiently and cost effectively.
12. Engineering & Design Services- EFS will provide field inspections, written scopes of work and detailed drawings for bid phase services on most capital building projects. Design Documents along with response from each contractor are reviewed and approved by a Quebecor representative prior to issuing a purchase order to the low bid provider. EFS will supply the standard forms of agreement for work completion and obtain the necessary insurance documentation from each subcontractor prior to the start of work.
13. Daily & Weekly Field Reports- Continuous communication is an important part of any alliance partnership. During site visits, EFS will provide field reports to update Quebecor on various activities at each site. The field reports allow the Owner an opportunity to provide their comments and input on critical items at the site. This best practice is used by EFS as key performance indicator (KPI). The EFS program strives for continuous improvement and includes KPI's and other performance metrics as part of their overall service delivery platform.
14. Financial Reports and Variance Analysis- The operating budget establishes an annual spend and a monthly breakdown in each maintenance category for every property. EFS will provide a detailed monthly, financial report that lists actual spend including payroll costs, vendor and service contracts. A variance analysis is used to report the "gap" between budgeted amounts and actual costs.

Benefits provided through the EFS Property Management program:

• Expertise and experience in a non-core business area.
• Implementation of new technologies for improved work order management and staff accountability.
• Management of contracted services to meet minimal requirements at each facility.
• Conformance to insure Factory Mutual Global standards, equipment certifications and inspections are being met and are up to date.
• Document control and easy accessibility to drawings, contracts, manuals and critical site information and data.