CivicUS, the leading continuous advisory service firm for leadership in state and local government, announces the release of "Building Automation Systems: Reaping the Benefits of Standards." Due to the BACnet standard's victory in building automation, buying decisions now are a function of service provisioning and price/performance. The market thus is commoditizing. CivicUS expects to see a new round of innovation as vendors differentiate their offerings with solutions that address integration with smart grid technologies, fault detection and diagnosis, energy information systems and the retrofit of existing buildings.
"Efficient building automation systems enable governments to save energy and meet their sustainability goals," said Joseph Aamidor, Program Director in the CivicUS Environmental Quality and Sustainable Practices (EQSP) Strategies service. "More complex offerings, hiring freezes and budget cuts have led governments increasingly to select a vendor based on its ability to provide reliable building operation and maintenance through its technicians. Some vendors, including Siemens and Johnson Controls, go so far as to train their technicians to maintain products from competitors. Because talent development and retention is vital to the quality of service offered by vendors, we have observed regional differences in their degree of market domination".
Vendors will need to find more compelling ways to reward their staffs and attract new employees to the industry. The resolution of connectivity standards issues and growing acceptance of open software protocols will drive the sector towards competition among vendors on the price/performance of management software.
"Building Automation Systems: Reaping the Benefits of Standards" is available at:
http://www.civicus.com/images/WSA/building_automation.pdf
CivicUS will hold a teleconference on September 23rd to discuss key issues facing government leaders in the environment, including the need for government leaders to reprioritize, retool and reorganize to address an expanding list of environmental responsibilities, which include the traditional resource issues that impact air, water and land in addition to new ones like climate change, noise pollution and indoor air quality. There is no charge to participate, but attendance is limited. For information, call 301-296-4440 x1271 or email events@civicus.com.
About CivicUS
CivicUS is the leading continuous advisory service firm for executive-level management in state and local government. CivicUS offers government leaders cost-effective access to best practices, trend analysis and insights gained from interactions with peers and vendors. An annual subscription provides timely, relevant and useful advice about successful strategies, pitfalls to be avoided and vendors with effective solutions.