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Fairfax County
Customer Story · Cities and Counties

Fairfax County Advances Lifecycle Capital Program Management with CIPAce

Under a partnership between Fairfax County Government and CIPPlanner Corporation, the CIPAce™ Capital Program Management Information System has been in production since March 2021, enabling DPWES and FCDOT to manage the County’s more than $15 billion capital improvements portfolio through more than 200 automated workflows.

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CIPAce CPMIS dashboard for the Fairfax County capital program
$250B+
in capital programs across all CIPAce customers
20,000+
users across all CIPAce customers
25 years
of CIPPlanner capital infrastructure delivery
Customer Profile

A Major County Modernizing Capital Oversight

Facing a growing population and an expanding infrastructure portfolio, the County recognized the need to modernize its capital improvement program management and financial oversight.

Organization

Fairfax County Government, Virginia, serving 1.2 million residents

Departments

Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) and Department of Transportation (FCDOT)

Capital Portfolio

More than $15 billion capital improvements portfolio

Active Annual Investment

$1.26 billion active annual capital investment in FY 2026

In Production Since

March 2, 2021, replacing a legacy system and disconnected tools

System

Capital Program Management Information System (CPMIS), powered by the CIPAce™ platform

Business Challenge

Six Obstacles the Legacy System Left in Place

For decades the County managed a massive capital improvement program with disconnected systems and disparate tools, exposing it to avoidable challenges and risks.

No Standard Processes Across Units

Capital project planning and delivery had no consistent processes or tools across work units, divisions, and departments.

No Ready Tools for Coordination and Approval

There were no readily available tools to facilitate effective coordination and collaboration or the review and approval processes it depends on.

No Real-Time Auditable Records

The County could not track auditable records at project, funding source, fund program, and managing unit levels on a real-time basis.

Weak Continuity Across Project Phases

There was weak alignment and continuity between the various aspects and phases of a project throughout its lifecycle.

No Effective Scenario Analysis

The County lacked convenient and effective tools for the scenario and what-if analyses capital planning requires.

Manual Procurement and Reporting

Design and construction contract procurement, along with internal and external reporting and collaboration, relied on manual and error-prone processes.

The Solution

One CPMIS, Built Around the County’s Business Processes

Powered by CIPAce™, the Fairfax County CPMIS has been used daily by hundreds of users since March 2021, managing the FY 2026 annual capital budget across individual project lifecycles. Its main modules include:

Planning Project Module

Establishes lifecycle governance from inception by managing Original Total Project Estimates through a user-defined planning horizon. Division-specific TPE templates let departments estimate their own way while approved planning data transfers cleanly when a project is promoted to implementation.

Schedule Management Module

Integrates time control into lifecycle governance. Each project may hold multiple schedules, users can create or import Microsoft Project files, and department-specific templates standardize milestones without restricting flexibility.

Document Management Module

A centralized, structured repository with check-in and check-out version control. Documents are embedded in review and approval workflows and linked directly to contracts, change orders, and financial records for traceability and audit readiness.

Solicitation and Bid Management Modules

Govern procurement across planning, design, and construction contracts. Solicitation Management handles planning and design procurement, Bid Management governs construction bidding, and evaluators score responses in-system through to contract generation.

Submittals Management Module

Governs consultant and contractor submissions per awarded contracts. Vendors submit directly, reviewers work concurrently with integrated markup tools, and all revisions, responses, and approvals are preserved in the project record.

LAD Projects Management Module

Built for projects requiring land survey, acquisition, or property rights. Project managers create property records and submit Work Order Requests tied to specific projects and funding sources, with workflow routing and access controls that maintain confidentiality.

Construction Change Management Module

Manages all contract changes across six primary change types, each initiated by the appropriate role and following a defined approval path. Approved modifications apply automatically to the contract record while preserving baseline history.

Project Financial Management Modules

Aligned to the County governance model and embedded across Contract, Invoice, Payment, and Reporting. Each implementation project carries a unique FOCUS (WBS/IO) number, and multiple funding sources are tracked individually and rolled up under a project or Master Project.

Timesheet Management Module

One of the most frequently used modules since day one. It captures daily project-related timesheet data, with comprehensive workflows for review and approval, and supports fund-based reporting and auditing.

Post Construction and Warranty Management Module

Tracks post-construction obligations once a project is closed out, using configurable checklists for warranty and repair activities, inspections, staged reviews, and final walkthroughs, with an auditable record of warranty fulfillment.

End User Support Services System

Launched to all CPMIS users on May 12, 2025. Users submit support tickets inside CPMIS, requests route to the right agent with automated escalation, and all interactions are tracked with monthly service reporting.

More than 200 automated workflows, synchronized with FOCUS SAP every day. Each implementation project carries a unique FOCUS (WBS/IO) number that stays constant through execution, so budget validation, funding accuracy, and financial transparency hold across the lifecycle.

Value Driven Results

Measurable Operational Improvements

Implementation of the CPMIS delivered measurable improvements across financial oversight, process speed, data consistency, and executive visibility.

Scalable System Architecture

The platform supports a growing portfolio and expanding user demands.

Financial Confidence

Real-time FOCUS SAP synchronization enhances budget accuracy across the program.

Process Acceleration

Automated workflows streamline approvals and accelerate project progression.

Data Consistency

A centralized system of record reduces discrepancies across divisions and departments.

Transparency and Accountability

Real-time progress monitoring and record tracking promote prompt actions and shared responsibility.

Progress and Financial Reporting

Custom reports can be generated easily for any records stored in CPMIS.

Executive Visibility

User role-based dashboards improve visibility and oversight for leadership.

$15 billion

capital improvements portfolio managed on one centralized, cloud-based platform

$1.26 billion

active annual capital budget for FY 2026

200+

highly automated workflows supporting day-to-day capital program management

20-year

fully customizable default capital planning horizon

Questions People Ask

Fairfax County and CIPAce, Answered

The questions below are the ones people ask most often about how Fairfax County runs its capital program.

Fairfax County manages its capital improvement program on a Capital Program Management Information System (CPMIS) powered by the CIPAce™ platform. The system has been in production since March 2, 2021, replacing a dilapidated legacy system and records scattered across disconnected tools.

CPMIS supports the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) and the Department of Transportation (FCDOT) in managing a portfolio of more than 15 billion dollars, with 1.26 billion dollars in active annual capital investment for FY 2026.

DPWES uses the County's Capital Program Management Information System (CPMIS), built on CIPAce™, alongside the Department of Transportation. The system provides pre-defined, division-specific business processes and more than 200 automated workflows that support day-to-day capital program management, contract management, and financial oversight.

It has been used daily by hundreds of users across the project lifecycle since March 2021.

The connection has to be automatic and continuous to be trusted. Fairfax County's CPMIS integrates with the County FOCUS SAP financial system through automatic daily synchronization, ensuring continuous budget validation, funding accuracy, and financial transparency across the lifecycle.

Each implementation project is assigned a unique FOCUS (WBS/IO) number that stays constant throughout execution, keeping CPMIS and the County financial system in step.

A Capital Program Management Information System (CPMIS) is a centralized, data-driven system that manages a capital improvement program across its full lifecycle, from planning and budgeting through procurement, design, construction, and closeout, on one platform rather than disconnected tools.

Fairfax County's CPMIS, powered by CIPAce™, is a working example. It contains modules tailored to the County's business processes and streamlines capital project management, budgeting, and interdepartmental coordination throughout the lifecycle.

For decades the County relied on an aging legacy system, supplemented by spreadsheets, hardcopy forms, and manual review and approval, which could no longer meet evolving business, access, and security requirements.

By implementing a CPMIS powered by CIPAce™, the County transitioned to a modern cloud-based, centralized, highly standardized and automated capital program lifecycle management system, in production since March 2, 2021.

Fairfax County, Virginia, manages a capital improvements portfolio of more than 15 billion dollars on CIPAce™, with 1.26 billion dollars in active annual capital investment for FY 2026.

As one of the most populous and economically significant counties in the United States, the County provides full-spectrum municipal infrastructure services to 1.2 million residents.

The right number is whatever it takes to standardize approvals across every division and department, which for a large county runs into the hundreds. Fairfax County's CPMIS uses a framework of more than 200 automated workflows.

Those workflows support complex operational processes across divisions and departments, standardizing approvals and accelerating project progression.

The Department of Transportation (FCDOT) manages its projects on the same CPMIS as DPWES, built on CIPAce™. Both departments are responsible for meeting public infrastructure needs and managing capital improvements within the County's jurisdiction.

Running both departments on one platform ensures consistent oversight of projects and contracts and improves coordination throughout planning, design, and construction.

Coordination improves when every division and vendor works from the same record. Fairfax County's CPMIS strengthens collaboration across work groups, divisions, departments, and vendor users, enabling real-time progress monitoring, shared responsibility and visibility, consistent data, and coordinated delivery.

More than 200 automated workflows standardize approvals across those groups, and a centralized system of record reduces the discrepancies that fragmented tools create.

The contrast is what decided Fairfax County's modernization.

  • A legacy system with spreadsheets and hardcopy forms leaves processes inconsistent, records hard to audit in real time, and phases poorly aligned across the lifecycle
  • A modern cloud CPMIS centralizes the program, automates approvals, synchronizes with the financial system daily, and gives leadership role-based visibility

Fairfax County moved from the first to the second with CIPAce™, and has run the result in production since March 2021.

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