Kentucky Implements Capital Planning Softare
The Commonwealth of Kentucky’s public colleges and universities have licensed software to support facilities capital planning across the postsecondary system. The commonwealth’s postsecondary education system serves over 235,000 students, encompassing nine public institutions as well as numerous private and independent institutions.
The Commonwealth selected VGA.facility software by VFA, Inc., a provider of end-to-end solutions for facilities capital planning and asset management.
VFA previously assessed the condition of 736 buildings in nine Kentucky public higher educational institutions, representing almost 30 million square feet of facilities, or 63 percent of the system’s square footage. The study also included an evaluation of space adequacy and capacity by planning consultancy Paulien & Associates and funding recommendations from the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS). Sponsored by the Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE), the study examined educational space to determine if campus facilities are adequate to meet Kentucky’s 2020 educational attainment goals. For results of the assessment, click here.
The CPE and individual educational institutions will use the assessment data and VFA.facility software to develop long-term strategies to improve institutional and state investments for maintaining facilities consistent with industry best practices, and to guide capital priorities for the Council’s 2008-2010 budget recommendation.
“VFA’s assessment of campus condition coupled with its capital planning software tools will form the foundation for initiating our 15-year capital plan,” said Sherron Jackson, AVP of Finance and EEO for the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. “We look forward to working with our individual institutions to develop long-term strategies to align our campus facilities with best-practice educational standards.”
Kentucky is one of several state higher educational systems that employ VFA solutions. Public colleges and universities across North America including Virginia, Louisiana, and the Canadian province of Ontario rely on VFA software and assessment services to maintain detailed information about building conditions and accurately calculate and forecast maintenance, renewal and capital spending across the organization. Educational institutions, ranging from private and public colleges and universities to K-12 schools, currently use VFA software to manage information for more than 17,000 facilities, with a total replacement value of more than $65 billion.
“Buildings and grounds are an important part of an educational institution’s identity,” said VFA President and CEO Jerry Kokos. “VFA helps these organizations ensure that the investments they make in facilities will optimally support both their short and long-term needs, aligning with the organization’s mission and effectively addressing demographic and functional requirements. Perhaps most importantly, VFA solutions enable educational institutions to make informed choices about how to allocate finite resources, and provide effective stewardship of their physical plant.”
For more information on VFA, visit: www.vfa.com.