Whitestone Hosts the 2010 Facility Cost Planning Workshop for Department of Energy Clients |
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The 6th annual Facility Cost Planning Workshop was held in Napa, California on May 25-26th. The two-day event included research briefings and discussions related to cost modeling and budgeting for Department of Energy clients. Presentations included:Trends in Facility Cost Models. Senior Analyst Peter Lufkin discussed the evolution of facility cost modeling from the 1980's, described recent extensions to traditional cost modeling-such as life-cycle based condition assessment, adjustments for levels of service, and quantifying disposal costs-and noted recent research concerning to the return on investment in facilities. Simulation Models and Facility Budgeting. Simulation is a promising technique for presenting the dynamic and complex effects of alternative funding decisions. This demonstration by Ohio State's Anand Desai showed how different approaches to facility disposal can impact risk and final cost, using a simple NETLOGO-based application. Web-based Facility Inventory Data Management. A case study on the rapid validation and revision of facility data for hundreds of U.S. Coast Guard sites. The web-based tool reduced a three year effort to a ten week project in which basic data was validated and key building components confirmed for thousands (over 90 percent) of real property assets. Pluto: the Next Generation Facility Cost Toolbox. An overview of the new browser-based Whitestone cost modeling platform. The first release, in fall '2010', will provide easy search for all Whitestone cost sources and a basic forecast capability for small facilities. A subsequent release will provide full-featured modeling capability for large facilities. Evolution of NNSA Enterprise Modeling. The Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Agency (NNSA) is evaluating its facility infrastructure requirements in light of alternative modernization and sustainment scenarios. NNSA scientists have integrated facility life-cycle cost tools into a comprehensive Enterprise model to support the evaluations. An NNSA scientist reviewed progress to date and noted how enterprise modeling could be applied to decision making for other Federal agencies. Update on Cost Reporting for Federal Facilities. A report by Senior Analyst Jay Janke on current topics important for the Federal facility community. These include: DoD's evolving approach to reporting operating costs; a strategy for reporting full costs of facility outputs (imputed cost); and, a discussion of the Federal Accounting Standard Board definition of deferred maintenance. Facility Cost Benchmarking for a Large Multi-campus Research University. Cost benchmarks for 18 facility types and six operations were defined using Whitestone models and the physical inspection of key facilities. Base benchmarks are modified for location, levels of service, and equipment type. Energy cost benchmarks will be revised with increasingly available meter data. The 2008 Recession and its Implications for Facility costs. As the U.S. economy begins to recover from the most severe contraction since the 1928 depression, the impact on facility relevant pricing becomes clear. Steep price declines in commodities and services evident through 2009 have changed directions, with prices returning to early 2008-levels. Transition & Disposition: Cost Model Development. Disposal costs are the last frontier in realizing a full view of facility life-cycle costs. For technically complex or contaminated facilities, the costs of transition to non-operational mode and a final disposition of the site and materials can exceed the original cost of construction. This brief describes the on-going development of the T&D cost model and reports early measures of accuracy and variation. For more information, please contact Jay Janke, Director of Federal Services, at (202) 776-7760 or jjanke@whitestoneresearch.com. For a list of presentations from 5th annual Whitestone Facility Cost Planning Workshop for the Department of Energy click here. |
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