Know what your buildings will cost before they tell you.
The buildings outlive every board that meets in them.
Most congregations know their roof is old. Very few can say what year it goes, what it will cost when it does, and what else lands in the same twelve months.
The number always arrives at the worst time.
A boiler fails in December. A masonry wall opens up the week of a capital campaign kickoff. The church finds out what something costs at the moment it has the least room to decide.
Nobody is helping you plan for it.
Design practices work at a larger scale and will not take an engagement this small. National firms are priced for lenders and property transactions.
One document, in plain English, that tells your board what to expect and when.
I walk your buildings, record what I observe, price the work from what it actually costs in this region right now, and hand you a written plan phased over ten years. Your trustees can read it. Your finance committee can budget from it. Your grant applications can cite it.
Fixed fee, quoted in writing before any work begins.
I do not bid the work. I only tell you what it will cost.
Bard Pro performs assessment and advisory work only. I will not bid or perform repair, replacement, or construction work on anything I have assessed, and I take no commission or referral fee from any contractor, vendor, or product manufacturer.
I do this work every day for eight campuses.
I am Alex Bard, and I have spent four years as Director of Facilities for an eight campus church organization in the Pittsburgh area. I know what things cost in this market because I buy them.
Start with a conversation.
Tell me about your buildings. If a paid assessment is not the right next step for your congregation, I will say so.
Your annual property report, and a worksheet to help you file it.
For Global Methodist and United Methodist congregations in Western Pennsylvania.
A worksheet you can use whether or not you ever call me
I built a worksheet that walks through all ten items of paragraph 446.6, section by section, in the Discipline's own order, with a place to write down what you know and a note about where to find what you do not. It is free. There is no form to fill out beyond an email address, and I will not call you because you downloaded it.
Thirty one pages. Three pages of instructions and a section for each of the ten items. Built to print on a church office laser printer in black and white and to be filled in with a pen.
The requirement
If your congregation is part of the Global Methodist Church, paragraph 446.6 of the Book of Doctrines and Discipline requires your board to make an annual written report to the charge conference. That report has to contain ten things, lettered (a) through (j). If your church is incorporated, the same list sits at paragraph 1012.9e.
- Parcels. The legal description and reasonable valuation of each parcel of real estate the church owns.
- Deeds. The specific name of the grantor in each deed of conveyance to the church.
- Personal property. An inventory and reasonable valuation of everything the church owns that is not real estate.
- Income producing property. What it brought in, and a detailed list of what was spent on it.
- Real estate spending this year. What was received for building, rebuilding, remodeling, and improving, with the expenditures itemized.
- Capital debts. What is outstanding, the payoff date, and how each debt was contracted.
- Insurance. A detailed statement of what is carried on each parcel, whether coinsurance or another condition restricts it, and whether the coverage carried is adequate.
- Legal papers. Who the custodian is, and where the papers are kept.
- Trusts. Every trust the church benefits from, with where and how the funds are invested.
- Property evaluation. An evaluation of all church properties, including the chancel areas, for accessibility, and when it applies, a plan and a timeline for resolving barriers.
If your congregation remained in the United Methodist Church, paragraph 2533.2 requires your board of trustees to compare your insurance coverages annually against the schedule published by the General Council on Finance and Administration, and to report the results and any recommendations to the charge conference.
Most congregations I talk to are filing something. Most of them are filing it from memory.
Where it usually stalls
Nine of the ten are records work. Someone can find the deed, the declarations page, the loan documents, the trust statements, and last year's report. It takes a long afternoon and a filing cabinet.
The tenth one is the property evaluation, and it stops most boards, because it is not a records question. Somebody has to walk the buildings and write down what is there, what shape it is in, and what it is going to take. That is the part I do.
One thing you should know before you read anything else here
I work full time as Director of Facilities for a church organization in this area. Bard Pro is separate from that role, it runs on my own time, and I disclose it on every engagement. I do not take work from any vendor my employer buys from.
The first full assessment I did under the Bard Pro name was on one of that organization's campuses, at no charge to them, on my own time. The report names what that campus is short of, and the organization gave me written permission to show it to you. Weigh it as what it is.
What came out of that assessment
Two pages, and it will take you four minutes. Every building on the campus, every major system, what I observed, a planning range on nearly every item with the source of each figure named, and a ten year plan that sorts the work into years a board can budget.
What I would point you to is the last block. Before the assessment the organization had a general sense that some things were getting old. After it, the trustees had a dated list with numbers on it.
Start a conversation.
Tell me about your buildings and what your board is trying to decide. If a paid assessment is not the right next step, I will tell you that.
Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds, for riches do not last forever; and does a crown endure to all generations? Proverbs 27:23-24, ESV
Five services. Most churches start with one of the first two.
Walkthrough assessment
A single visit, a written summary of the conditions that matter most, and a planning range for each one. This is the right starting point for a congregation that has never commissioned this kind of work, or for a board that needs something in hand before it can decide whether to go further.
Condition report
The full document. Every building on the site, every major system, what I observed, what it typically costs in this region, and a ten year plan that phases the work into years your board can budget. This is the one that answers the property evaluation item in a denominational property report and supports a grant application.
Reserve plan
A thirty year funding model built on the component inventory from your condition report, so your finance committee has an annual number rather than a list of someday projects. Sold attached to a condition report, because it is built from the same inventory.
Bid review
You have proposals in hand and no way to compare them. I read them side by side, build a scope comparison, note what one includes that another leaves out, and write you a short memo. I do not bid the work and I have no relationship with any of the contractors involved.
Owner's representative
A monthly retainer for a congregation running a capital project without a staff person who can watch it. Site visits, review of pay applications and change orders, meetings, and a written monthly report to your board. Included hours are capped and stated in the agreement.
Not sure which one you need
Most congregations do not know, and figuring it out is not your job. Tell me about your buildings and what your board is trying to decide, and I will tell you which of these fits, including if the answer is none of them yet.
Bard Pro, LLC is a facility assessment practice. Bard Pro is not a licensed design professional and does not offer or perform any service reserved by law to a licensed professional. Where an assessment identifies a condition that requires an opinion on structural adequacy, system capacity, code compliance, or the design of a corrective measure, Bard Pro recommends that the client retain an appropriately licensed or certified professional.
A document your trustees will actually read.
Written for a volunteer board, not for a review panel.
What is in it
An executive summary your board chair can read in four minutes. What I found, what is urgent, what it adds up to, and what I would do first.
Observations, building by building and system by system. Written in plain sentences that say what I saw and where I saw it. Roof, envelope, structure as visible, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, interiors, site and paving, accessibility.
A planning range for nearly every item. Priced from what this work actually costs in this region right now. Every figure is stated as a range, the source is named, and the report recommends you get competitive proposals before committing funds.
A priority rating on every finding, so a long list becomes a short list.
A ten year phased plan. The work sorted into years, so your finance committee can see what lands when, and your board can decide what moves and what does not.
Photographs, captioned. So the person who was not on the walkthrough can see what I was looking at.
| Priority | Item | Building | Phase | Planning range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | Slate roof, south slope | Sanctuary | Years 1 to 2 | Range stated in report |
| P1 | Repointing, northeast corner | Fellowship hall | Years 1 to 2 | Range stated in report |
| P2 | Boiler, at typical service life | Education wing | Years 3 to 5 | Range stated in report |
| P2 | Main entrance ramp and signage | Sanctuary | Years 3 to 5 | Range stated in report |
| P3 | Asphalt lot, full depth repair | Site | Years 6 to 10 | Range stated in report |
Specimen · Composite example · Not a report on any actual property
What it is not
Being clear about this protects you as much as it protects me.
Every observation is visual and non invasive. I do not open panels, cut into finishes, enter concealed spaces, take samples, or operate equipment. I perform no calculations and produce no drawings. The report expresses no opinion on whether any building or system is adequate, and it makes no determination about compliance with any code or regulation. Those determinations belong to your municipal code official.
Where I find something that needs a design professional's opinion, the report says so plainly and tells you what kind of professional to call. That happens on most engagements, and it is the report doing its job.
How the dollar figures work
Every number in the report is a budget planning estimate, prepared for capital planning. They are order of magnitude figures built from regional installed costs, and they are not proposals or binding contractor quotes. I will not perform any of the work described. Actual costs move with scope, design decisions, material selection, field conditions, and the terms each contractor offers, so the report recommends you take every item to competitive proposals before you commit money.
See the format, and then see a real one
Reading about a report is not the same as reading one. There are two things here you can read before you decide anything.
A specimen report, built on a composite church that does not exist, so you can see the format, the observation style, and the way costs are presented.
A case study from the first full assessment I did under the Bard Pro name. That one was on a campus owned by the church organization I work for, at no charge to them and on my own time. I say so on every piece of paper it appears on, because you should weigh it as what it is. The organization read the report, saw what it said the campus was short of, and gave me written permission to show it to you anyway.
Specimen. Composite example. Not a report on any actual property.
Bard Pro, LLC is a facility assessment practice. Bard Pro is not a licensed design professional and does not offer or perform any service reserved by law to a licensed professional. Where an assessment identifies a condition that requires an opinion on structural adequacy, system capacity, code compliance, or the design of a corrective measure, Bard Pro recommends that the client retain an appropriately licensed or certified professional.
I run eight campuses. That is the whole qualification.
I am Alex Bard, and I am the Director of Facilities for an eight campus church organization in the Pittsburgh area. I have held that role for four years.
What that means day to day is capital planning across a portfolio, preventative maintenance programs, vendor and contract management, budget analysis for a finance committee, and the Wednesday afternoon when a rooftop unit quits and Sunday is in three days. I have written the capital plan, defended it to leadership, bought the work, and lived with the results.
Before this I was Chief Operating Officer of an event technology company with a three million dollar operation, one hundred thirty four staff, and five states. Before that I was Managing Director of a one and a half million dollar nonprofit with full finance and board oversight.
How this fits with my job
Bard Pro is separate from my employment and it runs on my own time. I disclose the employment on every engagement, I do not take work from any vendor my employer buys from, and I will not assess a property and then have any part in repairing it.
The first full assessment I did under this name was on a campus that organization owns, at no charge to them. I asked for permission in writing before I started, I asked again before I published anything about it, and I said so on the first page of every piece of paper it appears on. A report about a building I am responsible for was easier for me to write than a report about yours will be. It is also the only proof I can offer you that I write down what I find, because that report names what the campus is short of and my employer approved it for publication anyway.
If any of that ever became a problem for either side, this practice would stop. I would rather say that out loud than have you wonder.
Bard Pro, LLC is a facility assessment practice. Bard Pro is not a licensed design professional and does not offer or perform any service reserved by law to a licensed professional. Where an assessment identifies a condition that requires an opinion on structural adequacy, system capacity, code compliance, or the design of a corrective measure, Bard Pro recommends that the client retain an appropriately licensed or certified professional.
Six steps, and you will know where things stand at every one.
A conversation.
Twenty or thirty minutes. Your buildings, their approximate age and size, what your board is trying to decide, and what has already gone wrong. No charge and no obligation. Some of these end with me telling you an assessment is not your next step.
A written proposal.
Scope, what is included, what is excluded, the schedule, and the fixed fee. In writing, before anything starts. If the fee does not work for your congregation, that conversation happens here rather than after the work.
A records request.
Before I arrive I ask for what you have. Drawings, service records, prior reports, the papers that came with the equipment, and whatever the last person left in the file. Most churches have less than they expect, and that is normal.
The visit or visits.
I walk every building with someone from your staff or your trustees. Plan on being with me for part of it, because the person who knows the building is the most useful document on the site. I finish with a short exit conversation so you hear the headlines before you read them.
A draft report.
You read it first and tell me where I got something wrong about your own building. That correction round is part of the engagement.
A board presentation.
I walk your trustees or your finance committee through the report and take questions. Included in a condition report engagement.
Timeline
A walkthrough assessment runs about two to three weeks from signed proposal to delivered summary. A condition report runs about four to six weeks depending on the size of the campus and how quickly records come together. I take one engagement at a time, which means the schedule I give you is the schedule.
Payment
Half at signing and half on delivery of the draft report. I know church payment cycles run through a business administrator or a board and take thirty to forty-five days, and the proposal is written with that in mind.
The most useful thing I can tell you is where my work ends.
I do not bid the work
Bard Pro performs assessment and advisory work only. I will not bid or perform repair, replacement, or construction work on anything I have assessed, and I take no commission or referral fee from any contractor, vendor, or product manufacturer.
Every board that considers a paid assessment wonders whether the person doing it is writing himself a work order. It is a fair question and this is the answer. When my report says a roof has four years left, there is nothing in it for me either way.
I am not a design professional under the practice acts
I am a facility assessment consultant. I do not offer or perform any service the law reserves to a design professional. I produce no drawings and no calculations, I write no construction documents, and my reports express no opinion on whether a building or a system is adequate.
I do not make code determinations
Code determinations for your building are made by the code official for your municipality. Where I observe something you may want to raise with that official, my report notes it as an observation and tells you who to ask. It does not tell you that you are in violation of anything, because that is not mine to say and it is very often wrong about an older building.
What gets referred out, and it is not a short list
On most engagements the report will recommend you bring in somebody else for something. Cracking in a load bearing wall. Any sag, bow, or settlement. Questions about whether a wall can come out. Electrical capacity for anything new you want to plug in. Fire protection and life safety systems, which I record and never test or operate. Materials that may contain asbestos or lead, which I never sample and never clear. Whether a roof is still covered by its maker, which only the manufacturer can confirm in writing.
In each case my report names the condition, names the kind of professional to call, and stops. You are better served by a clear referral than by a confident answer from somebody who is not allowed to give it.
Every observation is visual
I do not open panels, remove finishes, enter concealed spaces, take samples, test equipment, or operate anything. Conditions behind walls, above ceilings, below grade, or inside equipment were not observed and are not in the report. Roofs are observed from grade, from an adjacent structure, from a hatch your own staff opens under your own safety rules, or with a pole camera. I do not climb.
The report records what was not accessible and why, every time.
I tell you where my paycheck comes from
I work full time as Director of Facilities for a church organization in this area. Bard Pro runs on my own time. I disclose the employment on every engagement, I take no work from any vendor that organization buys from, and the first assessment I published was on one of their campuses, which I say on the first page of it.
That last one cuts both ways and I am not going to pretend otherwise. A report about a building I am responsible for is a weaker piece of evidence than a report about a stranger's building. It is also the only evidence I have that I publish what I find, because that report names what the campus is short of and the organization approved it anyway.
And one on the parsonage
I do not assess church owned houses in connection with a sale. If your congregation is preparing to sell a parsonage or a rental property, that is residential work with its own rules and you want somebody set up for it.
None of this is fine print. It is the reason the document is worth having. A report that stays inside what its author can actually stand behind is a report your board can act on.
Tell me about your buildings.
Twenty or thirty minutes, no charge, and no obligation. If an assessment is not your next step, I will say so.
I answer these myself, usually within two business days. Evenings and weekends are when I do this work, so a reply may land outside business hours.
Thank you. I have your note and I will be in touch within two business days.
If it is easier to talk, call or text me at 412-841-0082.