Recognition
Award for Excellence in Facilities Management
2014 Award Nominations
Nominations are now being taken for APPA’s 2014 institutional and individual awards: Award for Excellence, Sustainability Award, Effective and Innovative Practices Award, APPA Fellow, Meritorious Service Award, and Pacesetter Award. The deadline for consideration for the 2014 awards is January 31, 2014. Awards nominations submitted after January 31, 2014 will be held and considered in the 2015 award cycle.
Visit http://appa.org/recognition/ for award details and to submit for the awards. Questions about the award process? Contact your regional representative to the Professional Affairs or Awards and Recognition Committee or Christina Hills at the APPA office.
The APPA Award for Excellence is designed to recognize and advance excellence in the field of educational facilities. Originally established in 1988, the Awards for Excellence is APPA's highest institutional honor and provides educational institutions the opportunity for national and international recognition for their outstanding achievements in facilities management.
Award for Excellence nominations are evaluated using the same criteria applied through the Facilities Management Evaluation Program (FMEP) in the areas of leadership; strategic and operational planning; customer focus; information and analysis; development and management of human resources; process management; and performance results. Selected institutions are visited by an evaluation team. The Award for Excellence designation is valid for a period of five years.
Eligibility
The Award for Excellence is open to any APPA Institutional member. Multi-campus or state systems may submit applications for system-wide or individual operations.
Process
Institutions that wish to be considered for the Award for Excellence must submit application materials to APPA no later than January 31, 2014.
Final evaluation regarding the Award will be made some time in April/May and will be submitted for approval to APPA's Board of Directors. Award recipients will be recognized at APPA's annual conference banquet in August of the same year. Other AFE recognition actions will be included to provide additional exposure for the award recipient, including the request for each winning institution to provide the committee with a 3-5 minute digitized video on your institution.
Criteria
The criteria have been designed to provide a systems perspective for facilities management. Successful management of the overall facilities enterprise requires synthesis and alignment of the organization's various components. Successful award applicants will be those who demonstrate the ability to look at the organization as a whole, focus on what is important to the enterprise, and concentrate on key linkages with the goal of improving overall performance and satisfying customers.
When addressing the criteria, applicants should stress results, creating value, satisfying customer needs, and identifying key linkages. More specific points related to each of the seven criteria are given in the table further below in this document or are available for download.
Submitting Materials
A complete award submission consists of the following parts:
1. Completed application form.
2. An introductory abstract of no more than 200 words.
3. Narrative of no more than five pages each for the eight criteria described below or in this downloadable document.
4. A list of supporting materials for each of the eight criteria. This is simply a listing of the documentation that supports statements made in the narrative. DO NOT INCLUDE THE ACTUAL DOCUMENTS WITH YOUR SUBMISSION. Instead, you should be prepared to make the listed documents available to evaluators during the site visit.
View an excerpt from a sample Award for Excellence submission. A full copy of the sample document can be obtained by contacting your regional representative to the Professional Affairs Committee.
Criteria (download here)
| Section | Topic | Points |
| Section 1.0 | LEADERSHIP The facilities organization's senior leaders should set direction and establish customer focus, clear and visible values, and high expectations in line with Campus mission, vision, and core values. Leaders inspire the people in the organization and create an environment that stimulates personal growth. They encourage involvement, development and learning, innovation and creativity. |
150 points |
| Section 1.1 | Leadership roles and responsibilities are clearly defined. | |
| Section 1.2 | The leadership system is understood by and communicated among all levels. The leadership system includes mechanisms for the leaders to conduct self-examination, receive feedback, and make improvements. | |
| Section 1.3 | The organization has clearly aligned its mission, vision, and values statements with those of the Campus. Regularly communicates with employees, customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders. | |
| Section 1.4 | Facilities management leaders spend time on a regular basis with their customers and front-line staff. | |
| Section 1.5 | Performance measures at each level of the organization are clearly defined. | |
| Section 1.6 | Senior leaders establish and reinforce an environment where shared values support self-direction, innovation, and decentralized decisionmaking. | |
| Section 1.7 | Informed of current trends and practices in the industry. | |
| Section 1.8 | A succession plan is in place to ensure continuity of leadership. | |
| Section 2.0 | STRATEGIC & OPERATIONAL PLANNING Strategic and operational planning consists of the planning process, the identification of goals and actions necessary to achieve success, and the deployment of those actions to align the work of the organization. The facilities organization should anticpate many factors in its strategic planning efforts: changing customer expectations, business and partnering opportunities, technological developments, evolving regulatory requirements, and societal expectations, to name but a few. |
150 points |
| Section 2.1 | A strategic plan exists that includes the goals and objectives of the department. | |
| Section 2.2 | The strategic plan was developed with participation from internal and external stakeholders, approved by the administration, and effectively communicated. | |
| Section 2.3 | Customer needs and expectations serve as major drivers for setting strategic direction. | |
| Section 2.4 | Goals and key performance measures are understood by all and periodically reviewed. | |
| Section 2.5 | Performance measures at each level of the organization are used to meet goals. | |
| Section 2.6 | A budget is developed with input from staff that reflects historic expenditures, an analysis of needs, effective allocation of available resources to support the organization's goals and objectives, and seeks new and innovative measures to leverage resources. | |
| Section 2.7 | Standards have been defined for overall operational performance, built environment, and landscape. | |
| Section 2.8 | A campus master plan in place, current and utilized for decision making. | |
| Section 2.9 | The operational units participate in the development of the construction program and are active participants in the acceptance of completed projects. | |
| Section 2.10 | Strategies and processes are in place to ensure continuity of functions in the event of staff turnover or other disruption. | |
| Section 2.11 | Emergency response plans are in place, current, and communicated to facilities employees and the campus community as required. | |
| Section 3.0 | CUSTOMER FOCUS Customer satisfaction is a key component of effective facilities management. Various stakeholders (faculty, students, other administrative departments) must feel their needs are heard, understood, and acted upon. Various tools must be in place to assure customer communication, assess and assimilate what is said, and implement procedures to act on expressed needs. |
150 points |
| Section 3.1 | Surveys, tools, and other methods are used to identify customer requirements, expectations, and satisfaction levels. | |
| Section 3.2 | The roles, responsibilities, and services provided by the facilities department are well defined, communicated, and understood within the department and by all communities served. | |
| Section 3.3 | Levels of service are set to exceed customer expectation and are defined in terms that can be understood by the administration, building users, and facilities staff. | |
| Section 3.4 | The communities served know how to obtain, monitor progress, and evaluate the services offered. |
|
| Section 3.5 | Customer feedback is used to build positive relationships, drive processes, and effect improvements. | |
| Section 3.6 | Campus users have a clear understanding and positive view of the services provided by the facilities organization. | |
| Section 4.0 | INFORMATION and ANALYSIS Information and analysis is used to evaluate performance and drive future performance improvements. Of interest are the types of tools used (for example, peer comparative data clarified and validated through benchmarking), and how the tools are used to enhance organizational performance. Various aspects of information include facilities inspections/audits, financial/expenditure reports, utility data, and other relevant measures and indicators. |
100 points |
| Section 4.1 | A systematic process is in place for identifying and prioritizing performance indicators, comparative information, and benchmarking studies for the most critical areas. | |
| Section 4.2 | Benchmarking results, comparisons, and performance indicators are tracked and used to drive action within the organization. | |
| Section 4.3 | The department ensures that data and information are communicated and accessible to all appropriate users. The required data and information have all the characteristics users need, such as reliability, accuracy, timeliness, and appropriate levels of security and confidentiality. | |
| Section 4.4 | An effective facilities inspection or audit program is in place that provides a regular appraisal of facilities conditions, identifies maintenance and repair needs, and quantifies facilities maintenance resource requirements. | |
| Section 4.5 | An expenditure report is available to managers on a regular basis and is used to effectively evaluate and control expenditures in assigned sub-units. | |
| Section 4.6 | An effective system of measuring and recording utility data is in place and is used to establish trends, minimize costs, promote energy conservation, and encourage environmental preservation. | |
| Section 4.7 | The organization has a process to ensure that hardware and software systems are user-friendly, reliable, up-to-date, and meet the needs of all users. | |
| Section 5.0 | DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES An organization's success depends increasingly on the knowledge, skills, innovative creativity, and motivation of its employees and partners. This criterion addresses the ways in which the facilities organization ensures a continuing learning environment through communication, policies, recognition, training, professional development opportunities, and other methods. |
100 points |
| Section 5.1 | Staff positions are properly classified and allocated in adequate numbers to meet the standards for the targeted level of service. | |
| Section 5.2 |
Training programs provide for new employee orientation and technical skills enhancement for all staff. |
|
| Section 5.3 | An effective communication system exists within the department to ensure that each employee knows his or her role in the department, the role of related areas, and the overall role of the department. | |
| Section 5.4 | Safety policies and procedures have been established, written, and communicated to all staff. | |
| Section 5.5 | Accident records are maintained and used to reduce accidents and identify tasks for special attention. | |
| Section 5.6 | The organization promotes employee development and professional development through formal education, training, and on-the-job training such as rotational assignments, internships, or job exchange programs. | |
| Section 5.7 | Career development is supported through involvement in job-related and professional organizations, and opportunities to advance within the department. | |
| Section 5.8 | Work performance and attendance tracking measures are in place, are understood by staff members, and are used by supervisors to assess performance. | |
| Section 5.9 | The organization utilizes both formal and informal assessment methods and measures to determine employee well being, employee satisfaction, and motivation. Assessment findings are linked to performance results to identify priorities for improving the work environment, employee support climate, and the supervisor's effectiveness (coaching). | |
| Section 5.10 | Employee recognition programs are in place for individuals and groups ( may include community service). | |
| Section 5.11 | Processes are in place to determine the effectiveness of recruitment and retention programs and to identify areas for improvement. | |
| Section 6.0 | PROCESS MANAGEMENT Effective process management addresses how the facilities organization manages key product and service design and delivery processes. Process management includes various systems such as work management, performance standards, estimating systems, planning and design of new facilities, recruitment and retention programs, and other key processes that affect facilities functions. |
100 points |
| Section 6.1 | Processes are in place to ensure that departmental facilities and equipment are adequate for the provision of effective and efficient services. | |
| Section 6.2 | An effective work management system is in place to identify, report , correct, and document substandard conditions and maintenance requirements. | |
| Section 6.3 |
Work authorization and scheduling procedures have been established that are consistent with the identified role of each work unit and achieve an equitable distribution of resources. |
|
| Section 6.4 |
An effective preventive maintenance (PM) program is in place to provide regular inspection and servicing of facilities equipment to assure maximum service life, reliability, and operation. |
|
| Section 6.5 |
An estimating system is used that provides accurate estimates of labor and material requirements in order to plan and schedule the execution of work and to determine the causes of significant deviations between actual costs and estimated costs. |
|
| Section 6.6 |
Design guidelines that incorporate such elements as energy consumption, operating costs, environmental concerns, maintainability, sustainability, accessibility, and safety have been prepared, updated and utilized. |
|
| Section 6.7 | The delegation of budgetary responsibilities for management of sub-units of the budget is effective in controlling expenditures. | |
| Section 7.0 | PERFORMANCE RESULTS The facility organization's performance as it can be assessed through campus appearance, employee satisfaction and motivation, effectiveness of systems operations, customer satisfaction, financial results, and supplier/business partner results. Where feasible, it is helpful to have measurement tools in place to assess performance in these areas. |
250 points |
| Section 7.1 | The appearance of the buildings and grounds is in keeping with the surrounding community and the stated image of the institution. | |
| Section 7.2 | The condition and cleanliness of facilities are in keeping with the image and standards adopted by the institution as well as activities associated with its mission and programs. | |
| Section 7.3 |
Building systems and infrastructure are maintained and operated at a level of reliability that contributes to the successful implementation of the institution's mission and programs. |
|
| Section 7.4 | Funding resources are effectively used and are adequate to support a level of facilities maintenance that prevents the deferral of major maintenance and repairs. | |
| Section 7.5 |
Staff is highly motivated and productive, taking pride in the accomplishment of their duties. |
|
| Section 7.6 | Customer satisfaction measures ensure that the levels of service are consistent with customer needs and requirements and within the facilities department's capability. | |
| Section 7.7 | Managers and supervisors stay in touch with the needs of higher education. | |
| Section 8.0 | OTHER CONSIDERATIONS At the request of the Institutional Representative this section would include any items or subjects that are not covered by the criteria in Sections 1 through 7. These items may include those things that are specific to the campus. |
Points as appropriate |
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