Maintenance Operations
Our client satisfaction survey says: Our overall “scorecard” average range is 90-95%.
Maintenance Operations, a branch of the Facilities Operations and Maintenance Division, provides comprehensive maintenance services in support of the University’s operations.
Structure and Strategy
Maintenance Operations takes a thoughtful approach to using their resources, structuring processes, and providing the best client service and use of university resources. With this approach in mind, the team is organized into a zone-based structure and employs flexible work hours, data analysis, and technology to meet operational goals.
Zone-based shops deliver maintenance services in ways that benefit our clients:
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- The mix of reactive and proactive services better reflects the reality of the service needs.
- A multi-disciplinary, collaborative approach improves flexibility in the zone, allowing us to share and adjust our resources to fit the work.
- A client-focused response builds trust in our role as a maintenance provider and advisor to our clients.
- Proactive “ownership” brings pride to our work.
- Flexible work hours and staggered start/stop times increase coverage beyond regular business hours, resulting in quicker response and less overtime costs.
Maintenance Operations analyzes data from our computerized maintenance system to determine how our resources are being used, identify service variances, and pinpoint and address service issues. This team also uses technology tied to our computerized maintenance system to improve our effectiveness and efficiency.
Client Satisfaction
Maintenance Operations focuses on providing excellent client service. A weekly survey gathers vital feedback we need to improve our services:
- Our overall “scorecard” average range is 90-95%.
- We turn issues in action. When our clients voice an issue in the survey, that issue becomes an action item addressed directly by the appropriate service provider(s).
Delivering Service
Our goal is to self-identify operations and maintenance issues long before our clients realize a repair is needed. This goal comes from our sense of ownership and pride. Still, a university of our size and complexity will experience unexpected facility-related issues and our clients rely on us to provide prompt service appropriate to the impact of the issue. For more information regarding expected response and completion times for typical facilities maintenance issues, please view our Facilities Service Center (FSC) page.
Services by Location
Clients who need services can contact our Facilities Service Center at 512-471-2020 or go to the FSC page. When a service request or scheduled preventive maintenance calls for Facilities Operations and Maintenance services, our teams respond from the following shop locations, depending on where the service is needed:
- Located on Main Campus:
- Zone 1 (North Campus)
- Zone 2 (Central Campus)
- Zone 3 (East Campus)
- Zone 4 (South Campus)
- Zone 6 (Includes Dell Medical School)
- Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) Library
- Located in North Austin:
- Dell Pediatric Research Institute (DPI) - Part of Zone 6
- Pickle Research Campus (PRC)
We also serve the university's satellite locations, including Paisano Ranch, Brackenridge Field Laboratory, Lake Austin Center (LAC), and the UT Admin Building (UTA). We are also available to serve Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Briscoe Center for American History's Winedale Museum, and the UT System buildings.
Not sure what zone a facility is in? Search our Building Information webpage. Select the facility you're interested in, or click the “Zone” heading to sort buildings by zone.
Services & Expertise
Facilities Operations and Maintenance teams provide a comprehensive array of qualified services, backed by our licensed and certified technicians. Our team of trade experts are well-matched for the university's operational and maintenance needs, whether the facility is a brand new laboratory or our iconic Tower.
- Technical Expertise
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Every technician is expected to achieve a high level of specialized training and certification for his or her area of expertise as a condition of employment.
- Electricians, from journeyman to master level, are licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR).
- Journeyman and master plumbers are licensed by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE).
- Plumbers may also be certified in backflow prevention through the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
- Heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) technicians receive certifications from the North American Technician Excellence (NATE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
- Instrumentation and controls technicians are certified by the International Society of Automation (ISA).
- We have gained certifications in thermography, a preventive maintenance technique using infrared technology.
- Range of Services
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Our range of services include:
- Carpentry
- Clocks and bells, including the Carillon
- Doors, manual and automatic
- Electrical systems
- Fire-life-safety systems
- Fountains (PDF), pools, and the Turtle Pond
- HVAC and refrigeration systems
- Instrumentation and controls
- Lighting systems
- Proactive maintenance (preventive and predictive)
- Special events, including stadium maintenance support and fire safety at all Longhorn home games and large-scale concerts at the Erwin Center
- Specialized environments, such as laboratories, museums, and libraries
- Specialized equipment servicing, such as autoclaves
- Steam and plumbing systems
We're also the team on call after business hours and on holidays.
Despite the range of services and the distance between shops, Facilities Operations and Maintenance makes every effort to collaborate within and outside the division. It might take a little extra time to coordinate with other teams, but the payoff is better service for our clients and prudent use of university resources.
To request service or to get more information about the types of services offered by Facilities Services, contact the Facilities Service Center at 512-471-2020 or go to the FSC page.
Fire Safety Systems
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- Services
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Our Fire Safety Systems (FSS) shop provides comprehensive services in support of the university's operations, including performing required testing, inspecting, and maintaining of over 1,600 fire safety systems in 191 buildings on Main Campus and other satellite locations. FSS specialists ensure the university's fire-life-safety systems comply with the National Fire Protection Association's (NFPA) codes and other industry standards.
In addition, the university fire marshal, and in some cases building managers, require an FSS crew to be on hand at university-based special events, such concerts at the Erwin Center, Commencement, dignitary appearances, and major sporting events.
- Structure and Benefits
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The FSS shop is organized into multiple teams of certified technicians specializing in fire alarms, fire sprinklers, special hazards, and smoke management systems. This collaborative approach benefits the university by improving quality and efficiency and decreasing costs
- Technical Expertise
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Every technician in the FSS shop is expected to achieve a minimum Level 2 of specialized training and certification from the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET) as a condition of employment. Beyond gaining knowledge, earning certification brings a code of ethics that underscores the importance of why they do what they do. Ultimately, fire safety systems that work properly conserve the university's assets, including its greatest asset, its people.
After-hours Maintenance Call Response
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A campus as large and complex as The University of Texas at Austin can face facilities-related issues that must be addressed immediately. Facilities monitoring operators on duty from our Building Operations branch respond to after-hours calls and dispatch trade-specialized first responders who are on call. They can address the issue at hand, avoiding extensive property damage and preventing building downtime.
Call 512-471-2020, 24/7.