Facility Maintenance Policy

PDF Version ( 21KB)
Help with Alternative Formats

1. Policy Objective

To establish and set out the direction that Real Property Services must follow in order to provide service excellence in the maintenance of facilities so as to meet the requirements of clients, occupants, PWGSC, government and the public in a manner consistent with regulatory and other policy constraints at an acceptable life cycle cost.

2. Policy Statement

Real Property Services is to:

  • maintain facilities in a manner that adheres to safety, health and environmental standards mandated by applicable laws, codes, regulations and PWGSC's Strategic Business Objectives;
  • maintain facilities that support delivery of mandated government programs and productive work environments for our clients;
  • maintain efficient facilities by adopting practices that optimise their useful life and operational performance at minimum life-cycle cost, consistent with departmental investment strategies for the benefit of our clients, the environment, the government and the taxpayer; and
  • enable effective decision making by providing necessary and sufficient information on facilities and facility maintenance activities in a timely and effective manner.

3. Effective Date

Effective immediately.

4. Review date

This policy shall be reviewed as necessitated by RPS, departmental or other government mandates that affect facility maintenance or before 31 March, 1999.

5. Application

Real Property Services compliance with this policy is mandatory. This policy applies to all Real Property Services owned or facilities managed on behalf of other custodian departments.

6. Cancellation

This policy supersedes Public Works Canada, Property Administration Manual - Article AN6.17, titled - Facilities Inspection Program, 1976.

7. Policy Requirements

Real Property Services shall:

A. Adopt and maintain three key operating principles for facility maintenance:

  1. Technical Excellence RPS, as a provider of facility maintenance services, will work with its clients to ensure that RPS supports efficient client operations through the facility maintenance services it provides. It will adopt practices and methods which enable continuous improvement to the quality and value of maintenance service to its clients and occupants.
  2. Economic Optimization RPS is committed to provide excellence in the delivery of facility maintenance services at an acceptable and affordable cost. RPS will adopt sound facility maintenance practices that enable attainment of efficiency gains.
  3. Managerial and Administration Excellence Management is to establish a facility maintenance service delivery framework based on sound facility maintenance practices and define attainable objectives for its employees. Management must ensure that employees attain the appropriate level of skills and knowledge required to perform their designated tasks. Management is to delegate the level of authority required to perform these tasks and supply any tools which would make performance of the tasks safer and/or substantially more productive.

B. Adopt and maintain three levels of facility maintenance for all Real Property Services owned or managed facilities.

For PWGSC owned facilities,  Life Cycle Maintenance has been accepted as the standard. Only facilities scheduled for major renovations, demolition or divestiture are allowed to implement Mandated Maintenance.

In the case of custodial clients PWGSC will recommend a suitable maintenance program consistent with client business objectives. PWGSC will provide as a minimum Mandated Maintenance in any facilities under a management agreement.

Each level of facilities maintenance is defined as follows:

  1. Mandated Maintenance Mandated maintenance is to be recognized as Level One maintenance service activities. It is the minimum level of service activities that must be conducted on a routine basis for any federal government facility to comply with safety, health and environmental standards mandated by applicable laws, codes, regulations, other government policies and PWGSC's Strategic Business Objectives.

    PWGSC is obligated to satisfy the minimum requirements of all applicable mandated inspections. Funding for mandated maintenance is to be provided, without exception.

    Notwithstanding other mandated maintenance requirements, this level of maintenance will provide substantiation for the annual certification set out in the Life Safety System Compliance Testing manual.

    Where interpretation among legislation and mandatory regulations conflicts, inspectors are to exercise due diligence and implement the most stringent of the legislation, mandatory regulation or other government policies. In each instance of conflict, such findings must be promptly reported for further assessment and verification of the action taken.

  2. Life Cycle Maintenance Life Cycle maintenance is Level Two maintenance service activities that are to be conducted for any federal government facility as a practical means to extend the useful life of a facility's structure, its systems and equipment, while ensuring mandatory regulations and legislated requirements are fulfilled.
  3. Enhanced Maintenance Enhanced maintenance is Level Three maintenance service activities to be conducted within any federal government facility which houses specialized operations that are essential to national security, social, economic and environmental programs. These program operations may demand sophisticated operating systems and equipment that must offer a high degree of reliability and functional availability to its tenants' operations. This level of service extends beyond the scope of Mandated and Life Cycle requirements with the intended purpose of maximizing the useful life of the facility's structures, its operating systems and equipment, and to protect the value of the programs conducted in such facilities. It may also be considered as a form of reliability centred maintenance designed to reduce the severity of operational failure and the potential for economic and (or) environmental disaster.

8. Accountability

Legislation delegates overall accountability for administration of the Real Property Program, including promulgation of this policy, to the Deputy Minister, which in turn is delegated to the Assistant Deputy Minister, Real Property Services, and to the Directors General, Real Property Services. In conformance with the accountability framework for Safety and Health Function, Annex A, DM Directive 007, Safety and Health Policy, the Regional Directors General and the Executive Director, Real Property Services Branch must:

  • ensure departmental managers are held accountable for promulgation, implementation and adherence to this policy;
  • ensure Real Property Services employees and private sector contractors exercise due diligence;
  • ensure Real Property Services employees and private sector contractors' employees acquire the appropriate skills to enable effective execution of their duties and to stay abreast with current legislation, regulations, generally accepted industry standards, principals and practices, subject to policy constraints;
  • ensure Real Property Services employees are provided appropriate resources to effectively execute their respective responsibilities, subject to policy constraints;
  • adopt generally accepted industry maintenance practices and sound capital investment strategies;
  • ensure adequate workplace safety, health and environmental protection surveys and inspections are carried out by qualified persons;
  • maintain current information required in accordance to applicable laws, codes and regulations; and
  • report on the level of compliance to applicable laws, codes, regulations, outlining any remedial actions required to address deficiencies.

9. Guidelines

The Facility Maintenance Guidelines provide a basis to support this policy. These guidelines have been published separately. (To obtain a copy, see Enquiries below.)

10. Monitoring

Real Property Services is to monitor compliance with all aspects of this policy. The Regional Director General, and the Executive Director must conduct periodic evaluation of the state of the effectiveness of the facilities maintenance program in support of this policy.

11. Roles and Responsibilities

National Client Service Unit Directors (N-CSUDs) and Regional Client Service Unit Managers (R-CSUMs) are responsible to promote this policy among the various NCSU

clients and use it as a basis for proposing management agreements and approving Building Management plans.

National, Regional Property and Facilities Management Services Centres of Expertise (PFM-COE) are responsible to ensure that this policy is understood, implemented and maintained at all levels of the organization and for providing guidance, establishing a facility maintenance service delivery framework, preparing operating standards, and recruiting suitably qualified resources to perform the facility maintenance function. PFM-COEs will define the level of training to support employee needs and ensure that appropriate training is conducted.

12. References

Public Works Act, Federal Real Property Act, Financial Administration Act, Canadian Environmental Protection Act, Emergency Preparedness Act and Access to Information Act.

13. Enquiries

Enquiries concerning policy requirements should be directed to:

Director, Maintenance Management Property and Facilities Management
National Centre of Expertise
Sir Charles Tupper Building
Ottawa, Ontario
K2E 7S2

Michael G. Nurse
Assistant Deputy Minister
Real Property Services Branch