Office of Research Facilities Home

The Office of Research Facilities Development and Operations (ORF) was created in April 2003 to provide a single point of accountability for all NIH facility activities, to streamline information flow, and to facilitate decision making on research and research support facility issues. ORF is responsible for all aspects of facility planning, construction, renovation, and maintenance as well as for protecting the NIH environment.

On this page:

Organization – How is Research Facilities organized?
Mission – What is the Research Facilities mission?
Support – How is Research Facilities supported?
Performance – How does Research Facilities measure performance?
Vital Statistics – What are NIH’s vital real estate statistics?
A-76 – Is Research Facilities affected by the A-76 Initiative?
Location – Where is Research Facilities located?
Mailing address – What is the mailing address for Research Facilities?
Key Contacts – How can I find the name and phone number of a key contact in Research Facilities?
Director – How can I contact the Director of Research Facilities?
Photographs – Where can I find photographs of Research Facilities’ buildings?

How is Research Facilities organized?

We are comprised of the Office of the Director and six functional divisions:

Facilities Planning
Capital Project Management
Property Management
Real Property Acquisition Services
Policy and Program Assessment
Environmental Protection

View the Research Facilities’organizational chart here.

What is the Research Facilities mission?

The Research Facilities mission is to support the advance of NIH’s scientific and programmatic priorities with a strategy that provides safe, secure, sound, healthy, neat and attractive facilities. To do this, Research Facilities strives to anticipate and articulate NIH’s facility needs. We will maintain or enhance the value of existing facilities, as well as construct or acquire the state-of-the-art buildings needed for innovative research. Our facilities strategy seeks to strike a balance between the infrastructure needs of tomorrow’s research and the responsible stewardship of yesterday’s research buildings.

How is Research Facilities supported?

ORF operates as a central service on a business-like basis. The services provided are supported through a set of charge-backs to the NIH ICs. Four mechanisms are used for these charges: a census-based Management Fund assessment; rent; membership fees; and fee-for-service direct charges. Consistent with federal accounting standards for business-like entities, the charge-backs represent the fair value of the services the IC receives from the ORF. ORF also manages the NIH Building and Facilities Appropriation which is used to pay the cost of design, development, construction, repair and improvement of capital facilities and related infrastructure.

How does Research Facilities measure performance?

ORF continues to work on improving customer service, reducing operating costs, modifying service delivery methods, and improving the service portfolio to keep pace with the changing nature of the research, administration, and work-life at NIH. ORF operates within an activity-based management framework (ABC/M) using the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) to monitor performance. Together, these two “best practice”management tools help ORS program managers focus on the services provided and the results of the service delivery efforts. On a regular basis, data on customer service/satisfaction, operational performance, organizational assets, and financial performance are collected and analyzed and used to evaluate how well services are meeting current needs, to plan for meeting future needs, and to generally assess overall organizational performance. The goal is to weave performance assessment into the fabric of ORF operations and to continually assess and improve the performance of every service.

What are NIH’s vital real estate statistics?

Statistics on the NIH Real Estate portfolio can be found here.

Is Research Facilities affected by the A-76 Initiative?

In 2003 NIH conducted an A-76 cost comparison of its Property Management activities including facilities management; management of renovation and construction in existing facilities; and operation of central utility plants. This comprehensive cost comparison involved more than 500 government employees. The outcome has yet to be determined.

Where is Research Facilities located?

The Research Facilities headquarters office is located on the main campus of NIH in Bethesda, Maryland.
Our mailing address is:

Office of Research Facilities Development and Operations
Building 13, Suite 201, MSC 5759
Bethesda, Maryland 20892-7172

Information about how to get to NIH is located at http://www.nih.gov/about/visitor/index.htm. Maps of campus and of the local area are located at http://www.nih.gov/about/visitor/index.htm#maps.

What is the mailing address for Research Facilities?

The mailing address of the Research Facilities headquarters is:

Office of Research Facilities Development and Operations
Building 13, Suite 201, MSC 5759
Bethesda, Maryland 20892-7172

How can I find the name and phone number of a key contact in Research Facilities?

Key contacts are listed in the Research Facilities Phone Directory here.

How can I contact the Director of Research Facilities?

Mailing address:

Leonard Taylor, Acting Director
Office of Research Facilities Development and Operations
Building 13, Suite 201, MSC 5759
Bethesda, Maryland 20892-7172

Email: taylorl@mail.nih.gov
Phone: 301-594-0999

Where can I find photographs of Research Facilities buildings?

Photographs and brief descriptions of several of our facilities are located here.