The Office of Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs (AS-IA), Office of Facilities, Property, and Safety Management (OFPSM), Division of Facility Management and Construction (DFMC), is conducting two virtual consultation sessions seeking Tribal oral and written comments and input to a new facilities Operation and Maintenance (O&M) funding formula for how the Federal Government requests O&M funds.
Per the Department of the Interior's Federal Real Property Profile (FRPP), O&M funds the following:
Operations, which is defined as the costs for services related to the normal performance of functions for which the facility is used (include contracted services when applicable but exclude Federal personnel costs). Examples include but are not limited to utilities, cleaning/janitorial, roads/grounds, and actual operations costs. All services include personnel, equipment and supplies.
Maintenance, which is defined as the recurring annualized costs for planned activities needed to maintain an asset's functionality and capacity over its expected life. This includes but is not limited to planned and scheduled activities such as inspections, preventive maintenance, refinishing, painting, weatherproofing, and parts replacement. This also includes costs for contracted maintenance services and other expenses and supplies required to perform recurring activities to maintain the asset. Actual repair expenditures are included in the annual maintenance costs. Included are costs for personnel, supplies, and materials.
The current allocation formula for O&M funding as implemented in 1990 was based on having access to a comprehensive asset inventory with component level costing. This approach relies on having granular, current, and accurate data maintained by each individual site for each building.
The DFMC would like to stream-line and make transparent calculating O&M allocations, which includes data that is readily available in the Indian Affairs - Facility Management System (IAFMS), which is currently Maximo.
During these Tribal Consultations, DFMC is requesting your input on what considerations you think should be included in a formula to calculate total O&M needs that will support annual budget requests. Areas of consideration DFMC is seeking input include the following.
- Should a formula be based on industry best practice standards and utilize data that is
readily available in the Indian Affairs — Facility Management System (IA-FMS), which is currently Maximo, or are Tribes open to new types of facility data being collected if the information is not in Maximo? - Some calculation factors for the formula being considered are gross square feet (GSF) of facilities, location (nearest reference city), type of facility, and age of facility. Are these effective factors or are there other aspects that should be taken into account?
The DFMC would also like your input on the distribution methodology. The DFMC proposes that O&M funds will be distributed on a pro rata percentage basis based on the calculated need and the O&M funds that are appropriated.
Invitation
Sessions
Comment Deadline
We welcome your written input by September 30, 2024 to Bill Kehoe, Branch Chief, Branch of Asset Management at william.kehoe@bia.gov.
