15 FAM 620
FACILITY operations
(CT:OBO-154; 06-05-2024)
(Office of Origin: OBO/OPS/FAC)
15 FAM 621 overview
(CT:OBO-154; 06-05-2024)
a. Facility operations are a set of activities whose goals are to protect the health and safety of personnel, to protect and preserve the facility and its capital investment, to efficiently operate facilities and protect the environment, and to facilitate mission performance during normal and/or adverse conditions.
b. The Bureau of Overseas Building Operations' (OBO) facility operations at post are activities associated with the routine day-to-day use, support, and minor maintenance of a building and/or physical asset. They include administration, management fees, normal/routine maintenance, custodial services and cleaning, fire protection services, pest control, snow removal, grounds care, landscaping, environmental operations and record keeping, trash and recycle removal, security services per the OBO/Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS) Security Equipment Responsibilities Matrix, service contracts, utility charges (electric, fuel, water), insurance (fire, liability, operating equipment), and taxes.
c. Facility operations pursue and adopt the safest, most cost-effective blend of operations and maintenance techniques, sustainability, safety procedures, and other best practices in support of these goals.
d. Facility operations do not include capital improvements but may include expenditures for service contracts and other third-party costs. Operational activities can involve some routine maintenance and minor repair work that is incidental to operations but does not include any significant amount of maintenance or repair work that would be included as a separate budget item.
15 FAM 622 general POLICIES
(CT:OBO-154; 06-05-2024)
a. Effective facility operations ensure systems and equipment are available and operational while minimizing life-cycle costs. Post must detail regular work processes that ensure systems and equipment are safely and effectively operated and maintained, such as, but not limited to: keeping accurate and up-to-date operating logs, following lockout-tagout procedures, running system start-up and shut-down tests, having a load-shedding plan based on fuel availability, and stocking critical spare parts and materials that would have a long lead time when ordered or that are not readily available locally.
b. Post must use OBO’s Global Maintenance Management System (GMMS) to track and capture all operations and Sustainment, Restoration, and Modernization (SRM) on building system assets, planned or unplanned, performed by authorized post personnel and contractors.
c. Post must verify the quality of services delivered by all service contractors, including those provided by OBO, to ensure they fully meet the requirements specified in their contracts.
d. Post must ensure all facility staff are properly and periodically trained and equipped to operate and maintain systems and equipment effectively and safely.
e. Post must notify the OBO Regional Support Center (ORSC) within 24 hours when any OBO designated Class A Critical Equipment has failed and again when it is restored and back online. The ORSC will determine if the Office of Facilities Management, in the Directorate of Operations (OBO/OPS/FAC) desk officer or office director must also be notified.
f. Post must develop emergency, post shutdown, and abandon-in-place standard operating procedures and have them ready in response to any disaster, unusual occurrence, utility malfunction or equipment failure that presents imminent danger to life, limb, or property and to preserve mission effectiveness. Additional information can be found in the Facility Management Guide.
g. Utilities – post must ensure all utilities are used effectively and efficiently, to include electricity, natural gas, fuel oil, and water. OBO provides energy management and utility rate and metering support to post to minimize their operational costs.
h. Cleaning and/or Janitorial – OBO requires post to ensure all facilities are kept in a clean and sanitary condition to ensure the life safety of employees, minimize wear and tear, and to maximize the life of the facility. Post must use the Office of Safety, Health, and Environmental Management, in the Directorate of Operations (OBO/OPS/SHEM)-approved cleaning products and incorporate safe methods to clean buildings.
i. Landscaping – OBO requires post to maintain grounds (including hardscapes and façades) and landscaping; and to develop and implement an Integrated Pest Management Program. See 15 FAM 957.2 for additional information on the Integrated Pest Management Program and the OBO/OPS/SHEM intranet site for a list of approved pest management products.
j. Operations activities must be scheduled by the post facility manager to ensure that resources are used effectively.
k. The standardized Annual Facility Condition Survey (AFCS) is an assessment of facilities conditions performed by technically qualified personnel to identify and document deficiencies. The data gathered updates the Facility Performance Evaluation (FPE) which generates the Total Cost of Facility Ownership (TCFO) for the post.
l. Scheduled work orders are to be completed within their established frequency (weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc.) and submitted for closure within GMMS.
15 FAM 623 Building Operating Expenses and other Non-Rent Costs
(CT:OBO-154; 06-05-2024)
a. The cost of facility operations is referred to as building operating expenses (BOE) when buildings and grounds are occupied. It does not include SRM beyond those minor operating system repairs and preventive maintenance.
b. OBO funds may not be expended for BOE; BOE are entirely funded by the post's Diplomatic Program (DP) allotments from regional bureaus, by the occupant agency, or by International Cooperative Administrative Support Services (ICASS) funding provided by the regional bureau - see 6 FAH-5 H-341.12 Building Operations. Examples of BOE activities include:
(1) Building operations workforce, e.g., carpenters, plumbers, electricians, building engineers, and maintenance technicians;
(2) Grounds care and custodial workforce and services, e.g., janitors, cleaners, window washers, and gardeners;
(3) Operating fuel;
(4) Utilities;
(5) Janitorial supplies, tools, and equipment;
(6) Grounds care supplies, tools, and equipment;
(7) Trash and recycling collection;
(8) Government assessments and taxes (when exemptions cannot be obtained);
(9) Insurance; and
(10) Condominium fees, e.g., management fees, service charges, housing association fees (see 15 FAM 168).
c. The funding source for all condo fees, management fees, service charges, etc. should be the same as the funding source used to pay the ongoing utility costs for the property.
d. For leased residences, post must ensure that all non-rent costs including BOE, value added tax (both rent and non-rent VAT), landlord provided furniture, commissioning upgrades, and security upgrades are separated from the base rent in the lease agreement, broken out appropriately in the Real Property Application (RPA), and funded by the correct entity:
(1) Post may use a Statement of Non-Rent Expenses provided by the Office of Real Property Leasing in the Planning and Real Estate Directorate (OBO/PRE/RPL) to estimate and document non-rent costs when data is unavailable from the landlord; and
(2) This statement must be signed by the single real property manager (SRPM) or the general services officer (GSO) and uploaded into RPA for all leased properties that do not have non-rent costs broken out in the actual lease agreement.
15 FAM 624 through 629 Unassigned