Long-term Business Continuity and Resilience for Facilities Management

Due to the coronavirus crisis, more than 262 million Americans are currently under stay-at-home orders — over 80 percent of the US population. In just a matter of weeks, universities, schools, and many other large facilities have become virtual ghost towns run by skeleton crews. In some buildings, only a single security guard remains on-site. 

 Despite being devoid of people, facilities are still functioning as though they were populated — lights remain on, fans whir to life, and HVAC systems maintain comfortable temperatures. Critical building systems are rarely independent entities — computer systems, labs, and other critical spaces still require supplemental cooling systems to function properly. Because of the interconnected relationship between systems, sensors, and other assets, in the short term, it’s easier to keep building systems running smoothly rather than turn any one of them off. 

 Although it’s important to address short-term challenges, the economic impact of the crisis will have both short-term and long-term financial implications. Therefore, we must look toward the future by planning for long term business continuity. .

Shifting from immediate to long-term concerns

As the first cases of COVID-19 were identified, facility managers were primarily concerned with cleaning their buildings to ensure the safety of workers, students, and other inhabitants. After schools, universities, and other facilities were closed and stay-at-home orders were mandated, the concern shifted to safely maintaining operations. As the number of shelter-in-place and stay-home orders increased nationwide, the number of facilities people on site reduced to essential personnel; for many facilities this translates to building and system operators only. With fewer occupants, maintenance priorities and requirements changed, and facility managers started to consider long-term financial planning strategies to cut costs. Many managers put new construction projects on hold, deferred regular maintenance, and looked at future budget impacts, but their facilities hummed along to ensure that buildings would be ready to reopen as soon as the health crisis ended.

 The coronavirus crisis has magnified the importance of remote data access. In many instances, operational data can only be accessed from within local networks, usually sitting in front of the SCADA or BAS front-end. Before COVID-19, this was merely an inconvenience that required energy engineers, sustainability professionals, and other facilities stakeholders to leave their offices and walk to the respective systems. During this pandemic, secure remote data access enables non-essential employees to safely perform energy and facility management tasks while in isolation at home. Running a facility during a crisis still costs money, even if most or all business activities have ceased. Electricity bills still need to be paid, and equipment must still be purchased when there are failures. The government may provide some assistance, but managers must also shift their attention from immediate to long-term concerns. Doing this requires a sharp focus on efficiency to ensure that a strong, flexible business continuity plan is in place. The current pandemic will forever change how we work — remote access will become a critical component of the new working ‘normal’.

Cutting costs by implementing energy-efficient measures 

It’s very difficult to shut off a large facility, but facility managers must examine the energy-efficiency of their operations to see where they can make adjustments. Although mission-critical buildings like hospitals or medical research laboratories can’t afford to adjust temperatures and air-flow, facilities that exist to support “non-essential” industries can reset temperature set points or change occupancy settings in specific buildings or spaces, potentially saving thousands of dollars. 

 Facility managers must also consider the changing cost of fuel and electricity due to supply and demand fluctuations. Now is the time to conserve as much energy as possible. For facilities that are still at least partially operating, they may want to consider shortening business hours to avoid over-taxing their power sources. In addition, they’ll want to ensure that there are enough safety and backup sources of energy, including backup generators. Of course, because of a lack of on-site employees at “non-essential” facilities, managers must make sure that regular or real-time data is being backed up and stored.

It’s not too late to develop or strengthen business continuity plans

It is impossible to know what the future holds. Many schools and universities, for example, are finding that their doors will not only be shuttered for a couple of weeks, but at least through the end of the school year. Meanwhile, facilities that support industries deemed “non-essential” have also been closed indefinitely. This goes for entertainment venues, commercial fitness centers, sports arenas, and retail facilities, just to name a few.

 In certain industries, regulatory authorities require facilities to have a business continuity plan, which is a vital tool for ensuring that a facility’s business is preserved through even during the worst of times, such as instances of war, natural disasters, or even a massive global disruption like the coronavirus pandemic. The best practice of having such a business continuity plan is also a common requirement for many third party vendors who partner with facilities. 

 Yet even for facilities with business continuity plans in place, the current global crisis is putting a strain on society that hasn’t been seen since the Great Depression, and it’s serving as a wake-up call to facility managers who have focused more on day-to-day operational needs more than long-term business continuity and resilience. The good news is that it’s never too late to develop or strengthen a business continuity plan — in fact, even the best plans need to be continuously amended to address unexpected situations and avoid financial ruin.