News & Insights
VIDEO: Resolving the deferred maintenance crisis
Why this matters now
Deferred maintenance has become more than a facilities problem. For federal agencies and mission-driven organizations, aging infrastructure can affect reliability, budgets, safety, and the ability to keep essential operations running. Many facilities were built decades ago, and the systems that support them are now being asked to perform under greater operational pressure, tighter funding cycles, and higher expectations for resilience.
The challenge is not simply that buildings are getting older. It is that maintenance needs often compound faster than capital plans can address them. When repairs are delayed, small issues become larger failures, emergency work becomes more disruptive, and agencies have fewer options when critical systems reach the end of their useful life.
What leaders are weighing
For many agencies, the challenge is not whether deferred maintenance matters. It is deciding what to address first when the needs exceed available funding.
Leaders are weighing visible building issues against hidden system risks, immediate repairs against long-term performance, and capital limits against the cost of waiting. In mission-critical facilities, the right priority is not always the oldest asset or the most obvious deficiency. It is the system whose failure would create the greatest consequence for mission, safety, reliability, or continuity.
How Salas O’Brien is helping clients respond
Salas O’Brien helps clients evaluate deferred maintenance through an integrated lens that connects engineering, operations, capital planning, and mission priorities. Our teams help identify which systems create the greatest risk, where targeted investment can improve reliability, and how agencies can build practical, tiered strategies for long-term infrastructure performance.
Terry Tullis, PE, LEED AP
Terry Tullis has over 20 years of experience providing facility asset management and operations & maintenance (O&M) engineering services. He brings an in-depth knowledge of reliability centered maintenance (RCM), O&M optimization, and risk assessment services. Terry is the VP of Sustaining Engineering Services business line at Salas O’Brien’s Merritt Island office. Contact him at [email protected]
John Carroll, PE
John Carroll is an expert in capital asset management systems that provide facility and systems O&M engineering, condition assessments, sustainability and commissioning services, reliability-centered maintenance, capital asset management, and planning services. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Central Florida. John serves as a Senior Vice President at Salas O’Brien. Contact him at [email protected].
Jon Vernau
Jon Vernau oversees the Advanced Technologies & Robotics team, spearheading initiatives in Automation, Engineering Strategies, Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT), and robotics applications in both DOD and industrial manufacturing facilities. With over 30 years of active-duty military and civilian experience with government clients, Jon is responsible for research and development, project origination and execution, resource allocation, and financial performance of the business line. His leadership and expertise are instrumental in driving success and growth for the team and the firm. Jon serves as a Managing Principal at Salas O’Brien. Contact him at [email protected]