Boston, Mass. -- November 27, 2001 -- Queen's University, one of Ontario's leading and oldest academic institutions, announced today the signing of an agreement with VFA, an industry leader in Web-based facility and capital asset management services and software, to conduct a campus-wide, detailed facilities condition assessment.

Queen's University is a member of the Council of Ontario Universities (COU), an association of 17 universities in the Province of Ontario. Last year, COU commissioned a task force to explore the development of a common protocol for evaluating and reporting on the condition of university facilities--assets valued at more than US$10 billion. The task force recommended the use of VFA.facility, a Web-based Capital Planning and Management Solutions (CPMS), and the involvement of VFA in the training of university staff on VFA's innovative facilities assessment techniques. This recommendation was accepted by the universities, as was a similar recommendation developed by the 24 community colleges within the province.

A VFA facilities assessment team will conduct a thorough evaluation of the conditions of approximately 3.7 million square feet of building space spread throughout 76 buildings on the Queen's University historic, 160-year old campus. Through the condition analysis and capital renewal project, Queen's will be able to ascertain the present conditions of its facilities, assess the physical plant to ensure that it meets the current and future needs of the university and determine future funding initiatives and capital project management programs that are required to maintain the functional operation of the physical plant.

"Access to data for our buildings on the Queen's campus is important as we develop a plan for dealing with deferred maintenance and assists us in ensuring we are using the available resources as effectively as possible," says Tom Morrow, Associate Vice-Principal (Operations and Facilities) at Queen's University. "VFA's detailed facility assessment provides an impartial picture of our facilities, allowing Queen's to make defensible funding decisions, plan maintenance project and optimally manage our buildings by maximizing available resources."

The information collected in the assessment will be compiled in a centralized Oracle database utilizing VFA.facility, with the data and all application modules accessible via a standard Internet browser.

By applying VFA's facility condition assessment methodology, the reports generated for the university will enable facility managers to access building data easily and pinpoint physical deficiencies where attention is essential. In addition to VFA.facility, Queen's University will utilize additional modules in VFA's software package, including VFA.scenario, which enables funding scenario analysis, and VFA.projectplan, which enables aggregation of identified deficiencies. As part of the initial agreement with the COU, Queen's University staff, as well as staff from the other universities in the Ontario College and University System, are already trained on the VFA.facility software program.

"Advances in technology and service delivery make consistent, dynamic facility lifecycle management an achievable goal for higher educational institutions who rely on their physical infrastructure for long-term success," says Jerry Kokos, president and chief executive of VFA. "Queen's University and the Council of Ontario Universities understand the link between facility management and academic excellence."

VFA.facility--the core component of VFA's powerful software solution--is a Web-based collection tool that enables users to gather and maintain a repository of detailed building information across an entire property portfolio to support a coordinated and comprehensive approach to facilities capital management. Information from multiple sites, campuses and regions within an organization can be collected into one central database, resulting in current, well-maintained data regardless of building location. The Company's technology and services combine to deliver Capital Planning and Management Solutions (CPMS^©). VFA's technology and methodology empower users to assess and measure building conditions, update condition information rapidly and communicate the data to facility managers and superiors at sites across the country--all in a timely, cost-efficient manner. Ultimately, VFA.facility ties an organization's goals to its short and long-term capital allocation plans for optimal use of resources and greater return on investments.

About VFA
VFA provides its clients with powerful Web-based tools and consulting services for guiding them through the process of strategic infrastructure management. Presidents, CEOs, CFOs and facility managers of multi-structure and multi-site organizations need planning and decision-making capabilities for facilities resource allocation. VFA understands and addresses these needs by offering a wide range of software and services solutions, from conducting comprehensive facilities condition assessment and prioritizing associated deficiencies, to establishing funding levels, capital project planning and risk assessment. VFA has developed a strong customer base in education (including higher education and K-12), government, healthcare and with major corporations--all markets that have a critical need for facilities assessment and management. VFA can be contacted at 1-617-451-5100. The Company's headquarters are located at 266 Summer Street, Boston, Mass. 02210-1112. Information about VFA can be found on the World Wide Web at www.vfa.com.

About Queen's University
Founded in 1841, Queen's University is one of Ontario's leading academic institutions. Located in the city of Kingston, the university offers academic excellence in the arts, sciences, and professions on both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Queen's enrolls 13,339 students from more than 80 countries and every province in Canada, and maintains a faculty of 950 members. Since its founding, Queen's has played a pivotal role in developing national leaders. From its ivy-covered buildings, Queen's students go out into the world to achieve greatness in their own lives, help shape their country's destiny, and make a lasting difference in society.