A multi-year maintenance plan makes it possible to control maintenance costs. The plan gives school boards a picture of the costs in the short and longer term, it will enable them to make better strategic choices regarding the maintenance policy to be pursued within the organisation. If maintenance costs are likely to be very high in a particular year, for example because window frames need replacing, the school board can release or reserve a budget for this at an early stage or, having taken advice on the matter, responsibly move back or modify other maintenance work. This facilitates a policy of spreading out maintenance costs without major unexpected expenditures. 

Drawing up a multi-year maintenance plan requires knowledge and expertise which generally goes beyond that available on a school board. Specialists such as Dyade Huisvesting & Vastgoed B.V. can help school boards understand the regular costs of maintenance. A scope of 10 to 20 years is generally used. A structural adviser looks at which parts of the maintenance programme can be performed in the same year and perhaps outsourced together in order to save costs. Based on the multi-year maintenance plan, an annual plan is compiled which is presented to the school board for approval. Based on the approved plan, a structural adviser begins supervising the relevant maintenance work. During the contract period, the following are also considered:

• Interior environment, ventilation (CO2)
• Location, surroundings, site
• Aesthetic configuration and use
• Expected use
• Measures to improve energy performance
• Operating costs
• Fire safety

Municipalities are currently actively performing inspections on firms for violations of article 2.15 of the Environmental Management Activities Decree. The purpose of these inspections is to encourage companies to identify investments in sustainability which can pay for themselves within five years. If a company or school consumes more than 50,000 kWh of electricity or more than 25,000 m³ of gas in a year, it needs to look into whether all the energy-saving measures that will pay for themselves within five years have been taken. If a company or school consumes more than 200,000 kWh of electricity or more than 75,000 m³ of gas annually, a study must be performed to see if all such measures have been taken. Measures may be imposed even for buildings which were built less than five years ago.

A company which fails to comply may be subject to an administrative measure such as a fine. Schools which do not actively engage in efforts to make their buildings more sustainable in order to reduce CO2 emissions may also be subject to penalties. Thus, in addition to the regular maintenance of the building, school boards must also start thinking about how they can make their buildings sustainable going forward.

Dyade Huisvesting & Vastgoed B.V., part of FRIS, specialises in the maintenance of school buildings and also gives advice to school boards about how they can make their buildings more sustainable.

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