Mission

Maintain and operate Cook County facilities in a cost effective manner for both the general public and various Cook County Departments in order to provide a safe, reliable, and clean environment, conducive and supportive to carrying out the business and services of the County.

Key Activities 

• Compliance with D.O.J. Agreement, I.D.J.J., and Life Safety Codes.
• Maintenance of all facilities outside the Department of Corrections. Total square footage of 6,697,677.
• Maintenance of the Department of Corrections, the largest single site jail in the nation, with capacity for 10,000 inmates, currently at approximately 8,300 overnight inmates and 3,500 employees, in addition to a 14 story commercial high rise and the Leighton courthouse with the second most court calls in the nation. Total square footage 5,033,773.
• Cleaning and sanitizing of all facilities outside the Department of Corrections & JTDC East. Total tenant square footage of 5,095,766 with an additional 2,290,592 in garage space.
• Building operation, building equipment and preventative maintenance programs at all County properties; total square footage of 11,742,024.
• Repairs and maintenance of all properties; total square footage of 11,742,024.

View the County Facilities Map [2] prepared by Cook County Geographic Information System (GIS).

Management Team

• Director, Bilqis Jacobs-El
• Deputy Director, Jail Complex:  Michael Carberry
• Deputy Director, Outlying Facilities, Mike Gandhi

Overview

Facilities Management is charged with maintaining the County’s physical plant, which is comprised of approximately eleven million square feet. These facilities include: the Cook County Jail complex, Cook County Criminal Courts & Administration Building, Cook County Building, five suburban courthouses (Bridgeview, Markham, Maywood, Skokie, and Rolling Meadows), Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, Domestic Violence Courthouse, Forensic Institute, Hawthorne Warehouse, and Rockwell Warehouse.

Major Accomplishments

• 2016 Energy Curtailment – The Department of Facilities Management, exceeded the set commitment/goal by 53%!---This translates into $$!

Congratulations to the DFM Operating Engineers and Skilled Trades involved in this tremendous effort to reduce energy usage at peak times. Thank you County Tenants and Departments for your support and understanding.

• 21st Century Technology – New facilities management, cloud based, work order system went live. The system allows for improved accountability, productivity, transparency, and sustainability in serving the public, departments, and tenants.
• 100% Substantial Compliance with the Department of Justice Agreed Order –Sustained compliance with Authority Having Jurisdiction
• Substantial overtime reduction in 2016.  – Received 2016 NACO Award
• In 2016 Facilities Management has completed over 130,000 work orders
• Facilities Management received a 4.1 average score on Tenant Surveys in 2016. 
• Providing in-house projects to various Cook County Departments providing for them to perform their mission and reach their goals.
• Social Responsibility – Received 2016 NACO Award
  • Chicago Public Schools  Shadow Day – December 2016
    • DFM partners with CPS to give students an insight and exposure into the skilled trades working here at Cook County.
  • Juvenile Temporary Detention Center Painter’s Pre-Vocational training – Established in 2015 continues nurturing and exposing detained youth with a hands-on experience in a skilled trade and insight into others trades.
  • MIKVA Challenge – Started in 2015 and ongoing.
    • DFM partners with the Mikva Challenge, Juvenile Justice Council to collaborating with youth to be informed, empowered, and active citizens and community leaders for justice involved youth.
• Furthering Sustainability - Salvage Services
  • DFM has developed a system that will allow Cook County Departments, non-profit organizations, and private citizens to obtain County salvage for their use through the Procurement Surplus Website.  The mindset is to reuse before deciding to purchase new. This is considered a sustainability initiative. We encourage you to Repurpose and Reuse!