Find facilities management services for projects of any size to develop commercial, industrial, retail and residential solutions. Whether you are planning a renovation, require analysis or selection of interior fittings, or are preparing for a new construction, ideal facilities management services for any location across Australia can be found here. All your questions about choosing, hiring and working with facilities management and the complete building process are answered below. +

Published by Martyn Sanjay

Preliminaries

• What is facility management?
• What are the roles of a facility manager?
• Which bodies oversee facility management?
• How are facility managers accredited?

Finding and Hiring Facility Managers

• How can I find a list on facility management services?
• Who can tell me about facility managers?
• How do I know if a facility management service is any good?
• Should I investigate more than one company?
• How do I narrow down a shortlist of facility management services?
• Is it possible to contract entire facility management services?
• What are some of the benefits in contracting facility managers?
• Can contract facility management save me on costs?

Working with Facility Management services

• How do I make sure services comply with OH&S statutory requirements?
• How can I facility management services help us identify and control our expenses, and how are these processes managed?
• How can I ensure improvements and facility processes are accurately measured and organised?
• Is there a way to monitor and benchmark facility management processes?

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What is facility management?

The primary function of facility management is to manage and maintain the efficient operation of the built environment, including buildings, properties and major infrastructure. Generally, the industry is responsible for:

• maintenance and repair, security and cleaning along with highly technical services required for the efficient operation of a facility.
• ensuring productivity and profitability in services for the people who utilize a facility
• reducing facility imprint on the environment;
• reducing the operational life cycle costs of facility.

What are the roles of a facility manager?

Facility managers take on various roles and operations and can be responsible for the entire process of managing every aspect of a facility or facility. Facility managers may operate at a:

• strategic level, making very high level decisions and contributing to strategic planning;
• operational management level, dealing with more technical issues such as repairs, maintenance, security and cleaning.

Facility management is essentially becoming a fundamental element in the efficient and productive running of public and private sector organisations. Involved in a multitude of disciplines, facility managers play a vital role for business objectives to realise their objectives and coordination on daily facility operations of facility.

Which bodies oversee facility management?

The peak body (main representative body) for facility management in Australia is The Facility Management Association of Australia (FMA Australia), which represents Australian professionals involved in the strategic and operational management of facility for both public and private sector organisations, as well as those professionals who support the industry through the provision of products and services.
Abroad, the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) is the world's largest and most widely recognized international association for professional facility managers, who support over 19,500 members in 60 countries.

The Tertiary Education Facility Management Association (TEFMA) represents facility management in the Australasian tertiary education sector.

How are facility managers accredited?

There are various facility management tertiary education courses, vocational training programmes and higher education services offered in Australia.
The specialised work of facility management requires rigorous training in interdisciplinary fields requiring a number of skills and technical knowledge. Ensure that any facility management you engage with possess the relevant tertiary academic or vocational qualifications. There are numerous universities and training programmes increasingly providing an array of choices in the facility management industry, including but not limited to: The University of New South Wales, University of Newcastle, University of Sydney, UTS, University of Western Sydney, QUT, University of Southern Queensland, University of South Australia, Deakin University, RMIT, University of Melbourne, and Victoria University, International College of Management, TAFE NSW, and fmedge.

How can I find a list on facility management services?

Specifier.com.au has a comprehensive database on facility management. You can search your local area and you will be given a list of relevant names and contact details.

Who can tell me about facility managers?

Have a look through trade directories on the web or in magazines. Specifier.com.au is an excellent resource for searching for professional facility management services. Many sites offering their facility services include ratings, portfolios, background information, and references for their members.
Industry publications like Specifier magazine are a great source of information. Also, have a look at FM magazine, which has been the only Australian publication dedicated exclusively to the facility management industry for 17 years. FM has been a premier choice for marketing products and services to decision-makers responsible for the management of all aspects of the built environment. Another publication, Premises & Facility Management (PFM) journal is also a useful source for guidance, service suppliers, products, applications, news and jobs.
If nothing much turns up, try consulting the member lists of reputable industry bodies such as the Australian Institute of Building (AIB), the Master Builders Association (MBA), The Facility Management Association of Australia (FMA Australia), or even the International Facility Management Association (IFMA).

How do I know if a facility management service is any good?

The most important thing is to check that all processes, teams or individuals of facility management possess concrete accreditation, academic and vocational qualifications. Also, check whether they're a member of a reputable professional body, such as the The Facility Management Association of Australia (FMA Australia), or the International Facility Management Association (IFMA).
Industry awards are another mark of professional quality and service, but do keep in mind who funds and runs the awards, and why. Within the facility management industry, and even local and state councils, there are numerous awards for sustainability, efficiency and lighting amongst other categories.

Should I investigate more than one company?

Yes, unless you have had a previous association with a facility management services that worked well. However, because the industry is not regulated strictly it is advisable to investigate a number of options.

How do I narrow down a shortlist of facility management services?

Yes, large businesses are increasingly choosing to outsource their facility management tasks to specialized facility management companies who operate buildings for owners on a contract basis. This type of arrangement is becoming more common due to the increasing scope and complexity of facility management. Often, contract managers hired are preferred by their companies to focus on other concerns, such as providing a service or producing a product.
Contract facility managers may be hired to manage an entire complex or just one part of a large operation. Some companies hire contract managers specialising in operating mailrooms or providing janitorial services. In any case, the company expects to benefit from the expertise of the manager/management firm it hires. For example, a recreation facility owner that employs a facility manager specializing in the operation of sport complexes may benefit from the contractor's mix of knowledge related to grounds keeping, accounting and reporting, and sports marketing, among other functions.

Is it possible to contract entire facility management services?

There are several other benefits in utilizing services of contract facility managers other than expertise and efficiency. One such benefit is the reduced liability to owner's or occupants for personnel. In contracting a facility management company to manage one of its buildings, an organization can substantially reduce its involvement in staffing, training, worker's compensation expenses and litigation, employee benefits, and worker grievances.
By contracting a facility management company, general management and payroll responsibilities are no longer necessary, rather than tracking hours and writing cheques for entire staff, the facility management company is simply paid. In addition, a company hiring a facility management team can quickly reduce or increase its staff as it chooses without worrying about hiring or severance legalities.

Can contract facility management save me on costs?

Many of companies and businesses find that outsourcing facility management duties to a specialist reduces costs and improves operations. Those in the facility management industry are experts when it comes to reducing costs, as it is their role to maximise productivity and profitability, maintenance and repair, and reduce life cycle and operational costs.
Many facility management solutions will define and provide accurate budgets allowing you to plan and execute capital replacements when needed with the benefit of having a predictive cash flow, and can create significant savings in existing, wasted facility expenses.

How do I make sure services comply with OH&S statutory requirements?

Many facility management services will organise and cover all OH&S and Statutory Compliance Systems and procedures to meet all statutory requirements as listed in your contract, along with those listed by local authorities in council and state governments.
More than often you will gain control in monitoring, recording and reporting compliances with statutory obligations. To assist in the prevention of accidents, facility management services undertake regular detailed risk assessments and action plans to support the ongoing safe operation of the facility.

How can I facility management services help us identify and control our expenses, and how are these processes managed?

Many facility management services provide comprehensive solutions that review all existing service providers and on site management practices to identify and rationalise the facility management costs without any loss of quality. You should look for companies whose systems and processes have been proven to be sustainable and effective in controlling costs over the years, in both long and short terms.

How can I ensure improvements and facility processes are accurately measured and organised?

Many services and companies within the industry utilize Computer Aided Facility Management (CAFM) to support facility management with information technology. These CAFM systems help support the improvements and new processes made, providing intelligent work ordering and scheduling. It is usually the facility manager who maintains your CAFM system on-site and will provide reports and ongoing technical support from their head office.

Is there a way to monitor and benchmark facility management processes?

The facility management industry has many sources for analysing facility benchmarks. In 1999 FMA Australia undertook a research study into the facility management industry and established the first national operating benchmarks for office, retail, educational, health, hotel and industrial facility. It compares service delivery needs and identifies efficiency drivers for all major facility types. Also provided is new and important information regarding trends in market concentration, price pressures and the impact of technology.
The IFMA, the International Facility Management Association also recently published its Space and Project Management Benchmarks Research Report for 2006, a survey sampling data of organizations throughout North America representing industry types and facility uses.