A year or so ago, as part of my work as a visiting professor at the University of Northumbria, I spoke to a meeting of the North-eastern branch of the British Institute of Facilities Management at a college near Newcastle.
I shared with them some thoughts about the development of the role of the facilities manager, and suggested that the earlier they were involved in the design process, whether for new build, refurbishment or planned maintenance, the more effective their performance would be later.
I said that in any partnering approach, they should have a clear place at the table at the earliest stage. This was a new and welcome idea to the audience, most of whom were used to being seen as little more than caretakers or office managers.
Facilities management is a new discipline, and it embraces many essential areas. The manager is the eyes and ears of the client. This role should exist during the construction or refurbishment phase, although that responsibility will also be shared by a number of client advisers working, hopefully, with the contractor. It comes to fruition when the handover has taken place, and the eyes and ears of the client then assumes the role of hands and feet as well.
The design stage can crucially affect the efficiency of that later role of guardian of the client's interest.
Think of the input that a strong facilities manager could make. Why do you want the car park there? It will not be easy to supervise or maintain, but if it was here, the running costs could be significantly reduced.
What about this corridor design in the school? The children will be bashing against the walls all the time. That cannot be the right place for strip lighting. That heating system not be inadequate for this hospital ward, particularly when the windows are going to be of that thickness. This kitchen outlay will not service the staff canteen and it is too near the main working area.
Some clients will see the dangers of waste early. However, not every client is well-instructed or able to translate an architect’s drawings into reality in their minds
Those toilets are not robust enough for 14-year-old boys, especially as they are in the changing rooms and footballs will be kicked around in there. This chemistry laboratory is too dark. The students will need the light on much of the time when doing their experimental work, which will add to costs. These security devices are in the wrong place. They can too easily be avoided or neutralised.
All those are situations where the facilities manager could spot potential waste or inefficiency before any final design decisions are taken. It is not the fault of the architect or the building services engineer if it does not spot all these traps before their plans are finalised; they and the rest of the construction team have many other problems to resolve.
Some clients will see the dangers of waste at the earliest stage and head them off accordingly. However, not every client is well instructed and professional, nor able to translate an architect's or engineer's drawings into reality in their minds.
When they saw a gap in the market, companies like Amey switched their focus from construction to service delivery and have done well. Others, such as Willmott Dixon Property Services, part of the group which I chair, see their role as far beyond a basic maintenance responsibility because they are offering a full service to clients.
But it is only in the last couple of years that the mental barriers between the contractor and the facilities management service provider have begun to disappear. Previously, the builder built, whether in accordance with an architect's plan or its own design-and-build input.
Once the builder had finished the job, including the defects liability period, that was that. Maintenance was someone else's problem.
In the future, a more holistic approach will see the facilities management workload effectively influenced by the earliest design decisions, and future maintenance will be an integral part of the construction package, offered by the same firm as part of general service delivery.
