District Recommendation V (5)

To meet the Standard, the Colleges and District should update and integrate their long range facilities planning process to reflect the total cost of ownership projections of facilities and equipment. (III.B.2.a, ER 19)

District Narrative Analysis

During the comprehensive evaluation team visit in fall 2015, the Las Positas College and Chabot College teams noted that the District and colleges effectively plan and evaluate facility and equipment resource needs on a regular basis, taking space utilization and programmatic needs into account. Ongoing and deferred maintenance, as well as technology and infrastructure replacement, have been a regular part of the multi-year Measure B bond implementation. The team also noted that the Institutional Planning and Budget Committees for Facilities and Sustainability (college and district), and the Technology Committee at each college, and the District Technology Coordinating Committee, have a short-range prioritization and planning process that considers newly identified or prioritized maintenance and equipment needs; and a new software system allows for more effective assessment of capacity/load ratios. However, the teams noted that in order to meet the standards, the long range facilities planning process needed to reflect the total cost of ownership projections of facilities and equipment.

The Facilities Master Plan is the institutional long-range planning document that documents the results of the facilities planning process. The Technology Plan is completely separate but aligns with the facilities plan and is part of the District’s Facilities Master Plan. The Resource Allocation Committee ensures that capital equipment funds are allocated for purchases that are linked to institutional planning; the comprehensive evaluation teams noted that the District and colleges have used their long-range capital planning to advance the colleges and reach their institutional improvement goals.

The Facilities Master Plan (with the Technology Plan) is linked to ongoing program reviews and the Educational Master Plan, and is used in resource allocations for maintenance and construction. Capital construction projects are further identified in the District’s Five-Year Construction Plan which is updated annually and submitted to the California Community College Chancellor’s Office, Facilities Planning Unit. That plan includes a comprehensive list of capital projects for both State funded and locally funded projects, shown in priority and sequence order. Progress in meeting the long-range Facilities Master Plan goals, as well as meeting current short-range needs, is reviewed each year by the District and colleges’ Committees for Facilities and Sustainability. Student needs and support for the mission are integral in facilities planning, and the District and colleges collaborate effectively to address issues that are identified through planning processes that fall outside the Facilities Master Plan, such as during program review.

While the teams commended the colleges and District for successful implementation of facilities bond measure projects to support institutional improvement goals, the teams noted, however, that total cost of ownership was not defined and used in long-range planning and budget development. While elements of total cost of ownership have been included in facilities and equipment discussion and decision-making for a number of years, there had not been – as noted by the teams – a formalized total cost of ownership consideration process. The teams found a need for the colleges and District to update its long range planning procedures to reflect the total cost of ownership in the projections of new facilities and equipment.

In order to update and integrate its long range processes to include total cost of ownership (TCO) considerations for facilities and equipment, CLPCCD reviewed its policies and procedures for necessary changes. While district practices had included total cost of ownership considerations, it was determined there needed to be a formal recognition and requirement to ensure ongoing and long-term inclusion of TCO in district and college planning processes. Board Policy 3250, Institutional Planning, was updated to reflect facilities planning and total cost of ownership. In addition, a new Administrative Procedure 3253, Total Cost of Ownership, was created to define total cost of ownership and its implementation. The revised Board Policy and draft Administrative Procedure were presented, in accordance with Board Policy and Administrative Procedure 2410, to senior leaders of the district and to the Chancellor’s Council, and were approved for first reading by the Board of Trustees. Constituents from the colleges and the district provided input, which was used to revise the drafts prior to their final adoption by the Board of Trustees.

The development of the Total Cost of Ownership Plan involved a year-long study by facilities experts working with college and district professionals, resulting in recommendations concerning TCO. The Plan provides the TCO data and standards which are applied in facilities and equipment planning and is a part of the Facilities Master Plan process. The Total Cost of Ownership Plan was presented to and reviewed by the college and districtwide facilities committees, reviewed by the District Council, and approved by the Board of Trustees. The Plan now informs the application of TCO in facilities and equipment planning, and in implementation of those plans.

Thus, in order to address the team recommendation and to meet the Standard, as well as to enhance facilities and equipment planning at CLPCCD including resource allocation, the District’s Board Policy on Institutional Planning was revised to include Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) as an element of Facilities Master Plan implementation. A related Administrative Procedure was created to set forth the elements and principles of TCO considerations in all facilities planning. A current CLPCCD Total Cost of Ownership Plan has been completed and presented to the Board of Trustees. The policy, procedure and Plan are currently being used, and provide the means whereby CLPCCD has formalized and integrated TCO in its long range planning for facilities and equipment.

District Conclusion

The District and colleges have addressed District Recommendation 5, and now meet the Standard. Since the comprehensive evaluation team visit, effective practices have been maintained in facilities and equipment planning. In addition, the Board Policy on Institutional Planning has been revised to include Total Cost of Ownership in the implementation of the Facilities Master Plan. An Administrative Policy has been added which sets forth the principles for implementation of TCO considerations, and a current Total Cost of Ownership plan has been completed and presented to the Board of Trustees.

Evidence

• DR5.1 - Minutes – Board of Trustees BP3250 Institutional Planning approved – 12-6-2016
• DR5.2 - Procedure – Administrative procedure AP3253 Total Cost of Ownership
• DR5.3 - Policy and Procedure – Board of Trustees BP 2410 adopted – 4-16-2016
• DR5.4 - Procedure – Administrative Procedure AP2410 approved – 3-19-2016
• DR5.5 - Report - CLPCCD Total Cost of Ownership Plan - 2017