Facilities Management

Facilities management (FM) is an area of responsibility that can still be undervalued by the business community, although people are quick to notice when any aspect of it goes wrong. It has always been an essential aspect of running a business, but FM is now a profession in its own right, and may be defined as ‘the integration of processes within an organisation to maintain and develop the agreed services that support and improve the effectiveness of its primary activities’. FM encompasses multi-disciplinary activities within the built environment and the management of their impact upon people and the workplace.

Effective FM, combining resources and activities, is vital to the success of any organisation. At a corporate level, it contributes to the delivery of strategic and operational objectives. On a day-to-day level, it provides a safe and efficient working environment, which is essential to the performance of any business, whatever its size and scope.

Within this expanding discipline, facilities managers provide, maintain and develop services ranging from property strategy, space management and communications infrastructure, to building maintenance, administration and contract management.

The sector is large and complex, comprising in-house departments, specialist contractors, large multi-service companies, and consortia delivering the full range of design, build, finance and management. It is worth between £40 billion and £95 billion a year. Practitioners require skill and knowledge in what has become a vital strategic discipline, which translates the high-level, strategic change required by senior decision-makers into day-to-day reality for people in their work or living space. Performed well, FM can:

• deliver effective management of an organisation’s assets
• enable new working styles and processes – vital in this technology-driven age
• enhance and project an organisation’s identity and image
• help the integration processes associated with change, post-merger or acquisition
• deliver business continuity and workforce protection in an era of heightened security threats.

Legislation has had a considerable impact, with recent laws and regulations covering many different functions, like access for the disabled. Health & safety at work covers a number of procedures, such as fire and other emergencies, which have to be considered and implemented. Indeed, the responsible person may have to answer to the courts as well as to the Chief Executive.

Every organisation has someone responsible for the FM function. They may not actually be called ‘facilities manager’, but they will deal with these areas. The smartest of front offices will have people behind the scenes to make sure the lavatories work, the photocopier has paper and that the Internet server is up and running.

Few companies or businesses have the manpower or resources to deal with all aspects of FM, and this has been one of the principle reasons for the growth in outsourced FM, which now accounts for well over 50% of the total market. Functions can either be outsourced on an individual basis, or everything can be outsourced to a total FM company.

Facilities management in the Services

Many Service people have never heard of facilities management, despite the fact that they may well have been carrying out many of its functions. Some may even be halfway to becoming professionally qualified in FM without knowing it. So read on ... this could be you.

The vast majority of people have been involved in the management of facilities. Environments from ships to ammunition sites, and from aircraft maintenance hangars to divisional headquarters are complex and demanding, and someone has to run them. It is not just the job of the administrative or logistic specialist. Often it is a person with a very different job title and other priorities who actually manages the environment in which Service people work.

Many Service environments differ from their civilian equivalents. However, the principles are exactly the same: modern threats such as fire, electronic attack and mechanical breakdown may be very similar, and contingency plans for equipment redundancy, relocation and physical security translate easily into the outside world.

So the issue is to explain the skills and experience gained in the Forces environment to a civilian employer who may not immediately appreciate the similarities between a nuclear submarine and an office block. There is resettlement advice and training available in this field, either for the Service leaver who wishes to specialise in it or for the more general manager who will be responsible for premises or facilities as part of a wider role.

Qualifications

The BIFM Professional Qualification is a nationally recognised standard. It currently identifies 20 competencies, grouped into six key management areas, as follows.

Understanding business organisation

• understanding the structure and behaviour of organisations
• understanding business and organisational strategy
• developing FM strategy

Managing people

• people management
• communication
• working with suppliers and specialists

Managing premises

• property portfolio management
• understanding building design
• building fabric maintenance

Managing services

• managing building services
• managing support services
• project management
• managing customer service

Managing the working environment

• environmental issues
• space management

Managing resources

• procurement
• risk management
• financial management
• quality management
• information management

The Institute is reviewing and refreshing the competences, and work is currently under way to develop them further.

Joining the programme

The qualification framework offers three clearly defined routes of equal status. Each route recognises the diversity of working backgrounds of today’s facilities managers, and provides a pathway for the achievement of personal and organisational objectives. There are routes for managers at all career stages.

Route 1 – direct exams

This route is intended for members who are relatively new to FM and need to develop their formal knowledge as they progress in the workplace. Exams are set at Part I and Part II level, each consisting of the following papers.

Part I (HND level)

• Module 1 – understanding business organisation/managing people
• Module 2 – managing premises/managing resources
• Module 3 – managing services/case study based on managing the working environment

Part II (degree level)

• Module 1 – case study on understanding business organisation and managing people
• Module 2 – managing services
• Module 3 – managing resources
• Module 4 – managing premises/managing the working environment

Route 2 – higher education

There is a wide range of qualifications that have relevance to FM. These include HNCs, degrees and postgraduate diplomas in FM, and a number of associated subjects. People holding such qualifications from an institution accredited to the BIFM do not need to take the BIFM exams as this is an equivalent route.

Route 3 – professional competence

The professional competence route is designed for managers with considerable FM expertise, and recognises experience and knowledge gained in the workplace. Registration on this route is by detailed assessment against the competencies. Applicants are required to have at least five years’ FM experience for this route.

Portfolio compilation (applies to all three routes)

The portfolio of professional evidence includes a completed Self Assessment Handbook, which asks candidates to assess their experience (and knowledge for the professional competence route) against the BIFM competences. A current CV and job description is required to provide a fuller picture of the career to date and current role and responsibilities. It is designed to demonstrate practical skills and competence in the workplace by submitting narrative and selected evidence, which verifies the range and diversity of experience in FM. The ideal is a well-balanced portfolio, with clear evidence of managerial experience and contribution. The final stage is an interview with the Qualification Panel to discuss the portfolio.

Employment

Many, if not most, FM jobs are with specialist companies in this field, often contracted out to a client organisation. These companies employ, permanently or on contract, people who are competent in all the disciplines associated with FM. Many are now running huge contracts with military organisations, providing the infrastructure for bases throughout the UK and wherever the Armed Forces are serving in the world. In smaller organisations, including schools and partnership practices, FM may well be only a part – albeit an important part – of the overall management job.

There are few professions that are as well suited to a transfer from Service to civilian life as FM. People currently looking after facilities are likely to be learning valuable skills for use in industry. However, there are some key elements involved in gaining professional recognition in the FM field, and the importance and relevance of previous experience need to be understood.

For further information, contact the British Institute of Facilities Management, Number One Building, The Causeway, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire CM23 2ER Tel: 0845 058 1356 Website: www.bifm.org.uk