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Adams 12 switches to VFA tool; reported deferred-maintenance totals rise, prompting policy review
Summary
District staff said a switch to VFA capital-planning software expanded what the district counts as deferred maintenance. Using VFA the district—s Facility Condition Index rose to 20% with $440 million in deferred maintenance and a $2.1 billion replacement base, leading staff to recommend policy and reporting changes.
Adams 12 staff told the board they have transitioned the district—s capital-planning database to VFA, a Gordian-owned capital-planning software that uses RSMeans construction-cost data. Staff said the new system includes more items and a system-based approach (for example, tracking whole HVAC systems rather than only rooftop units), producing substantially higher replacement-value and deferred-maintenance estimates.
"VFA is not an acronym for anything," staff said in the presentation, describing the name and its acquisition by Gordian. Using VFA, staff reported a 20% Facility Condition Index (FCI) with $440,000,000 in deferred maintenance and a total replacement cost of about $2.1 billion; by contrast, the district—s 2024 report using the prior CostLab approach showed a 14% FCI, $190,000,000 in renewal cost and roughly $1.325 billion total replacement value.
Molly (staff) told the board the rise reflects three things: a broader item set now entered into the system; a system-based methodology that aggregates components into systems; and sharply higher construction-cost assumptions because VFA/RSMeans uses current market pricing. She said those three factors make it unlikely the district will remain compliant with the existing board policy that limits projected deferred maintenance to 10% of total replacement value.
Board members pressed staff on budget impacts and possible policy responses. Staff answered that bond funding remains the primary vehicle for planned renewal work and that some increases in annual planned spending are already projected in bond schedules. LRPAC (the Long Range Planning Advisory Committee) recommended using the phrase "deferred maintenance" rather than "renewal" and suggested moving away from a single percentage to a more robust report — for example, bucketing items by priority or risk — so the board can see categories of need rather than a single lump sum.
Staff also noted project-level changes that will alter totals: Margie said the planned teardown and rebuild of Thornton High School (currently carrying about $39,000,000 of deferred maintenance) will remove that figure from the deferred-maintenance total once the project proceeds. Staff said they are testing how bond-completed work will be reflected in the VFA data and will run mock updates to show how the system will handle partial system replacements.
The board directed staff to develop recommendations. Molly said a technical subgroup has been created to draft reporting options and feasibility assessments; that subgroup will report to LRPAC and the board with specific policy-language options and implementation steps.
Next steps: staff will return with recommended reporting formats and suggested policy revisions, including examples of priority/risk categories, and with an explanation of staffing and system changes needed to keep the VFA data current.
