Central Services acts as the clearing house for specialized facilities related services and information. Comprised of several teams, the unit’s primary purpose is to support Facilities Management districts (East Bank, Health Sciences and St. Paul-West Bank) and oversee process improvement. A single director guides the activities of distinct units, ranging from Landcare to Waste Abatement. This allows FM to centralize specialty services, gaining economies of scale through the consolidation of inventory, vehicles, tools, equipment, etc.

What We Do

While each University of Minnesota district has its own FM operations crew, there are some functions that are better served by a centralized system. Central Services oversees the management of several different groups that perform functions that are applicable to all areas of campus, as follows:

• Central Services Support - Provides the FM districts with custodial equipment management (procurement, repair, replacement and inventory), custodial training and quality control. This group also coordinates the Material and Equipment Review Board, which assesses new equipment or chemicals and communicates recommendations and best practices to supported districts. 
   
• Safety - Responsible for the oversight and management of FM's employee safety, health and hazardous waste operations. The Safety group’s mission is to promote a safe and healthy working environment, prevent work-related employee injuries or illnesses and minimize the university’s risk exposure. 
  
• FM Construction - Acts as an in-house general contractor, coordinating medium-scale ($50K – $500K) university construction projects in an efficient and cost-effective manner. This centralized body combines institutional knowledge with construction management know-how to help save customers money and speed-up the project delivery process.
   
• FM Service - Serves as the portal for trade laborers to enter and leave the university. Manages both FM’s and Capital Planning and Project Management’s (CPPM) demand for trades labor, working with 19 different unions to secure qualified individuals to complete university projects. FM Service provides assistance to the FM districts with repairs, equipment replacement and overflow maintenance work; helps CPPM with utilities and other projects; and performs centrally funded projects.
   
• FM Stores - Provides parts, materials, tools and equipment for the four FM Districts, FM Service and CPPM. They operate satellite locations in each of the FM Districts and assist the districts with such tasks as ordering and selecting parts and tools; shipping and receiving; repairs and maintenance; and campus deliveries.
   
• Landcare - Presents a beautiful, safe and accessible exterior environment to campus users throughout the year. As part of the FM team, Landcare provides efficient, cost effective stewardship of natural and built campus assets. Services include grounds maintenance, landscape and irrigation design, snow removal and campus cleanliness.
   
• Sign and Graphics Shop - Responsible for the fabrication and maintenance of the interior and exterior signage for the Twin Cities campus, the Signs and Graphics Shop also provides signage assistance to the Crookston, Morris, Duluth and Rochester campuses. Services include ADA compliant signs, event and temporary signs, engraved signs and awards, custom signs and design consultation.
   
• Waste Abatement Services - Collects and sorts waste and recycling for the entire Twin Cities campus, and performs small scale in-house abatement services for asbestos, mold and lead. Waste is collected and sent to Hennepin County for incineration, while recycling is processed to meet acceptable standards and then sold to manufacturers. The ReUse Center relieves 250 university buildings of unwanted materials, fixtures and supplies and either redistributes them within the university or sells them to the general public. The Recycling Program collects unwanted steel, aluminum, wood, cardboard and paper, which reduces campus construction waste that would otherwise end up at the landfill. The Hazardous Material and Asbestos Abatement Program is responsible for the safe removal and handling of potentially hazardous materials in compliance with state and federal regulations. This group also monitors the air and performs bulk sampling in buildings for potentially hazardous levels of asbestos, lead and mercury vapor.

How We Do It

All Central Services offerings are delivered campus-wide and encompass both routine services (i.e. garbage removal) and project work (i.e. sign creation). Central Services contains some units, such as Landcare, which are funded from the university’s cost pools, as well as FM’s only Independent Service Organizations (ISO’s). Communication is critical to the success of Central Services as they coordinate service delivery for FM’s four geographic districts and other university departments, as well.