Facility Benchmarking Tool

The Facility Benchmarking Tool, developed by Facility Planning Arts, is a solution designed to streamline the facility planning process. According to the vendor, this tool is suitable for businesses of all sizes, including small, medium, and large enterprises. It is widely utilized by professionals in corporate real estate, architecture and engineering, facilities planning and management, as well as laboratory design.

Key Features

Facility Planning Tool: According to the vendor, the Facility Planning Tool utilizes facilitated decision-making to determine preferred building qualities. It provides pre-vetted selection options based on building quality, cost, and construction complexity. Additionally, it acts as a centralized data repository for facility decisions throughout the project's lifecycle.

Benchmark Building Quality: The vendor claims that the Benchmark Building Quality feature allows users to benchmark the relationship between building quality and cost using the Facility Planning Tool's scoring methodology. It also generates a Score/Cost Comparison Report to illustrate the calculated score compared to project cost.

Institutionalize and Access Knowledge: The vendor states that the Institutionalize and Access Knowledge feature enables users to document decisions and track project changes. It offers robust search and reporting capabilities and provides sample reports such as Project Report, Project Change Summary, and Building Capability Report. Controlled access to the database's stored information can be achieved through a web interface on the company's intranet.

Strategic Facility Planning SmartTool: According to the vendor, the Strategic Facility Planning SmartTool accurately forecasts space demand based on headcount, seating assumptions, and operational space demand. It considers complex relationships between people, space, time, equipment, operations, and utilization. The tool also allows users to import facility and employee data from existing programs and generate reports like Department Abstract and Company Abstract.

Room Data Sheet SmartTool: The vendor claims that the Room Data Sheet SmartTool enables users to efficiently create and retrieve room data sheets. It organizes data input forms by discipline and sections covering various aspects of the room. The tool also allows for the insertion of thumbnail size drawings or graphics on the room report. Sample reports include Microbiology 1 Room Data Sheet and Plumbed Gas Selection Summary Report.

Business Process Design: According to the vendor, the Business Process Design feature optimizes internal planning and capital asset procurement processes. It simplifies processes, defines roles and responsibilities, and centralizes information sources. The tool offers various tools such as work process flow design, task-based job modeling, effective meeting training, and lean transformation.

Guidelines: The vendor claims that the Guidelines feature helps entities that build repetitively convey critical information without hampering design. It saves staff time by gathering information once and conveying it limitlessly. According to the vendor, the tool articulates parameters to allow A/E teams to strategically focus on important aspects of the project. It also supports integrated building design by co-locating multi-disciplinary considerations in easy-to-access formats.

Strategic Facility Planning: According to the vendor, the Strategic Facility Planning feature translates business goals into quantifiable relationships between people, space, time, equipment, and operations. It aligns business requirements with facility forecasts and offers services such as business/facility alignment analyses, benchmarking, utilization studies, and capacity & gap analyses. The tool also supports lean transformation and scenario planning.

Planning & Early Stage Design: The vendor states that the Planning & Early Stage Design feature defines project scope and schedule to ensure smooth project development. It provides tools and information for smart, timely decision-making about short-term capital assets. The tool offers various services including programming, concept plans, test fits, basis of design documents, and migration planning.

Laboratory Design: According to the vendor, the Laboratory Design feature engages stakeholders early in the process to ensure project success. It avoids assumptions and asks questions to uncover priorities. The tool also works iteratively and collaboratively with touchpoints scheduled at regular intervals to invent the future of laboratory design.