by Ann Withanee — August 29, 2011—The search for methods of controlling facilities and asset expenditures is a constant search to improve efficiency and enhance the bottom line. For Texas A&M University Health Science Center in Bryan, Texas, the solution came in the form of a Web-based comprehensive facilities and asset management solution by AssetWorks called AiM.
AiM now enables the Center to track expenditures, improve accountability, enhance service delivery and extend the useful life of the Center’s assets. The highly detailed project was accomplished by the collaborative efforts of AssetWorks, a leading provider of Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) software, and project management and consultant Broaddus & Associates in the role of owner’s representative.
The AssetWorks software system takes advantage of Building Information Modeling (BIM) by using the COBie (Construction Operations Building Information Exchange) to accurately load the system with facilities asset information.
BIM is the process of generating and managing building data creating a digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility. COBie is an open standard data information exchange format that allows building owners to quickly consume building asset information and populate Computer Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS). By using both BIM and COBie, the Center was able to successfully transfer its facilities data into AiM, helping to shorten the implementation schedule.
The COBie effort included data sets for five facilities totaling more than 283,000 square feet of buildings and 15 acres of site development. Further, this approach has established a new standard for the generation of facilities management data for the Center and is expected to be a part of its future campus standards for BIM and CMMS data deliverables on future projects. The Bryan campus master plan encompasses more than 4 million square feet of space on a 205-acre site.
Texas A&M University System retained Broaddus & Associates as the Owner’s Representative and Project Manager. They also planned and organized the design and construction data capture inclusive of the use of COBie and supported the owner in the request for proposal process to secure an enterprise-wide CMMS (AiM).
The Texas A&M Health Science Center, a component of the Texas A&M University System, is a growing institution of higher education with campuses in Bryan, College Station, Temple, Dallas, Houston, McAllen, Kingsville, Round Rock, and Corpus Christi. The Center is devoted to educating health professionals and researchers.
AiM by AssetWorks is a Web-based facilities management solution that lets organizations track expenditures, optimize workflow, and reduce the total cost of ownership of expensive assets. The modular suite of applications can be implemented together as an end-to-end solution or easily separated and introduced in stages. This comprehensive software application also integrates with third-party systems, is mobile-ready, and provides extensive reporting and business intelligence tools.
