Gulf Construction Online - Experts focus on the future for FM

Facility Management

Experts focus on the future for FM

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Mena provides an insight into the future of facilities management (FM) across the built environment in the Middle East.

01 August 2020

More than just a tactical service, facilities management (FM) has become a crucial business function, integrating people, property and technology. The need for FM professionals to innovate, adapt and deliver value has never been greater.

In a post Covid-19 world, the FM sector may look completely different as innovation and the changing roles of FM professionals become affected. The agility of the FM sector to respond to the change of demand during this period has been commended globally, with FM professionals keeping key workers safe and productive through their management of hospitals, buildings and critical transport infrastructure.

In May, on World FM Day RICS held a webinar to discuss how the sector is providing innovation, agility and critical support to the re-opening plans of businesses during the current crisis.

Expert speakers in the webinar included David Pine-Coffin, Head of Property and Asset Management Services UAE at JLL, Amin El Najjar, Director of Operations at Enova, Ian Harfield, Executive Vice President at Engie, and Mark Milligan, Project Director FMS at Mosanada, with Stephen Morris, RICS Global Head FM Sector moderating the panel.

Response to crisis

As facilities shut down and travel became restricted, many organisations in the sector faced particular challenges of mobility, however, as Harfield stated, it was essential to assess the situation and the current local policies in place, after which plans were made on how services with manpower could be provided with ease.

Safety during this crisis has been an essential aspect for many FM professionals, Pine-Coffin explained: “The first thing to understand is how we can be more flexible while being safe before approaching clients. Crisis management plans include how people coming in and out of buildings safely are managed and how we can increase cleaning.”

Expert FM in the hospital sector has been crucial in this pandemic. Commenting about the extra measures that are put in place when managing facilities in hospitals and what were the challenges, El Najjar said communication with the client had to be continuous to get a regular flow of updates on the cases in the hospital and the areas labelled as ‘high-risk’. He added: “Health and safety becomes your number one priority and that includes continuous update on the business continuity plan. FM professionals should become an advocate for agile teams and operation to minimise risk of infection.”

Financial impact

There is an economic impact to the immediate and ongoing response to the pandemic situation; this can be related to the demand for additional service or a reduction of service. With cash flow being restricted globally, client-supplier relationships have the potential to suffer greatly.

The panel discussed the opportunity of unity across owners, occupiers, managing agents and the FM organisations to demonstrate real integration.

Quality through technology

PropTech has the potential to transform the built environment, and the way the industry operates, with the rise of smart buildings utilising the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data revolutionising FM. New technology is enabling more strategic decision-making, allowing FM professionals to deliver enhanced value and create positive change in these uncertain times.

In an effort to reduce costs during this pandemic, it is essential FM providers maintain best quality. In the Middle East, as highlighted in the session, there may be issues with quality control as the region can be a price-driven market, with client expectations being higher than budgets allow. However, as El Najjar stated, lower costs do not always represent reduced quality. Technology and innovation can increase efficiencies resulting in cost savings for both parties.

Future Guidance & Standards

There is a demand for central organisations to develop guidance that helps professionals in providing their input efficiently on the reopening of markets. As the impact of the outbreak rapidly evolves, RICS has been monitoring developments and giving guidance and signposts to useful resources. It has published a guidance document on the ‘Reopening of commercial buildings’ to help building managers, commercial tenants and landlords identify and plan to mitigate the main risks arising from reopening a building that may be applied to all asset type.

RICS is also developing an International Building Operating Standard that using live market data aims to deliver transparent reporting and user confidence by placing their experience at the heart of an asset’s performance management.