Asset Replacement & Improvements joining Infrastructure Development

I am pleased to share that the Asset Replacement & Improvement (AR&I) division, including the Transition Team and Construction Office, has started the process of joining with Infrastructure Development to form a new, unified, project delivery team for the Facilities Group.

As part of the VPFO’s strategic plan’s focus on renewal and optimization, this change will align the Facilities Group’s project delivery functions in one place to achieve improved customer service and greater clarity for the campus community. Transitioning the entire AR&I team to Infrastructure Development will strengthen and clarify roles, provide an opportunity to build better relationships, and allow us to work more effectively. This will create new recognition, training and career path opportunities for all team members as well as improved communications between the project delivery teams.

A shared focus will also allow for the streamlining of policy, procedures, and procurement processes, along with further opportunities to work with the VPFO’s new Operational Excellence department to reach our full potential.

A new approach to the Construction Office

Over the past several years, despite the hard work and dedication of the team, the organizational structure of the Construction Office has prevented our projects from meeting our targeted levels of customer satisfaction and financial sustainability. This has been frustrating for our Construction Office team as they worked hard to deliver a complex array of projects.

Our new approach to the Construction Office will include a transfer of in-house trades dedicated to delivering projects allowing for greater project delivery efficiency, and help all of our teams be more successful in service delivery and open new opportunities. This will considerably improve both billing and cost tracking, create a “one-stop shop” for all project delivery—large and small on campus, and making projects far more transparent to clients and the university.

A more connected Transition Team

When joining Infrastructure Development, the Transition Team will continue to support and work closely with all of the departments in Facilities to ensure that critical project processes such as integration of operational considerations in design, record-keeping, commissioning, deficiency lists and handover to Building Operations run smoothly—in addition to integrating VFA and facilities condition reporting with overall project reporting. This alignment will be further strengthened by Nikii Hoglund, Director Asset Replacement & Improvements, having dotted line reporting to both Building Operations and Energy & Water Services in addition to her solid reporting line to Infrastructure Development.

The Transition Team’s mandate and priorities will not change with the move and the team will continue to actively support operations, as they always have.

Moving forward

We are anticipating this transition will happen over the next two months. We will be reaching out with more details as the transition progresses. Please feel welcome to connect with to your managers or myself if you have any questions.

I look forward to working through this transition with you and your teams and seeing our future success develop together.

 

John Metras
Associate Vice-President Facilities