2012-09-20 FM World

THE MAGAZINE FOR THE BRITISH INSTITUTE OF FACILITIES MANAGEMENT | 20 SEPTEMBER 2012

FMW www.fm-world.co.uk

Politics, opportunity, and confusion – FM and the Green Deal

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VOL 9 ISSUE 17 20 SEPTEMBER 2012

CONTENTS

8 | Edinburgh University

16 | Green Deal

20 | History of FM

NEWS

OPINION

FEATURES

6 Whitehall is stifling efforts to reduce property cost via the GPU 7 The finalists have been announced for the BIFM Awards 2012 8 Project of the Fortnight: A new skyscraper for Lime Street, London 9 Think Tank: what are your reception area’s shortcomings?

10 Business news: Graeme Davies: size matters as big firms rely on UK contracts 11 G4S takes stock of Olympic hangover in half-year results 12 In Focus: Mark Swales on the importance of good student accommodation

14 Perspective of a facilities manager: John Bowen relishes the chance to get back to the front line 15 Five minutes with the BIFM Awards’ chairman of the judges, Oliver Jones 46 No Two Days

MONITOR 30 Legal: Bernie Brooks urges FMs to switch on to CCTV data legislation 31 Technical: John Lane analyses building automation over IP 32 How To: Barry Scholes on how to evacuate a building safely 33 Standards: Stan Mitchell looks to a future of FM benchmarking 34 Insight: Market intelligence

REGULARS 36 39 41 43

BIFM news Diary of events People & Jobs Appointments

28 | Royal College of Music

16

Green Deal: As the sector grapples with the implications of the Green Deal, Elisabeth Jeffries looks at the problems likely to hinder its adoption

20

History of FM: Beth Goodyear interviews Oliver Jones in the latest of FM World’s History of FM series, featuring the sector’s formative individuals

24

IT convergence: Lee Funnell looks at the weakening boundary between FM and IT that could usher in a generation of intelligent buildings

28

LEDs: James Harris reports from the Royal College of Music where LEDs have solved several unique lighting problems in the Grade-II building

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COVER ILLUSTRATION: Jesse Lefkowitz

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Redactive Publishing Ltd 17 Britton Street, London EC1M 5TP 020 7880 6200 www.fm-world.co.uk EDITORIAL Tel: 020 7880 6229 email: editorial@fm-world.co.uk editor: Martin Read ⁄ news editor: David Arminas ⁄ sub editor: James Richards ⁄ editorial assistant: James Harris ⁄ art director: Mark Parry ⁄ art editor: Daniel Swainsbury picture editor: Sam Kesteven ADVERTISING AND MARKETING email: sales@fm-world.co.uk

MARTIN READ EDITOR COMMENT

LEADER

senior display sales executive: Adam Potter (020 7880 8543) ⁄ sales executive: Edward Taylor (020 7880 6230) ⁄recruitment sales executive: Carly Gregory PRODUCTION production manager: Jane Easterman production executive: Aysha Miah PUBLISHING publishing director: Steve Bagshaw Forward features lists and media pack available at www.fm-world.co.uk/about-us SUBSCRIPTIONS BIFM members with FM World subscription or delivery queries should call the BIFM’s membership department on 0845 0581358 FM World is sent to all members of the British Institute of Facilities Management and is available on subscription to nonmembers. Annual subscription rates are UK £110, rest of world £130. To subscribe call 020 8950 9117 or email fm@alliance-media. co.uk – alternatively, you can subscribe online at www.fm-world.co.uk/about-us/ subscribe/ To order the BIFM good practice guides or the FM World Buyers’ Guide to FM Services call James Harris on 020 7880 6229.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Simon Ball, business development manager, Interserve ⁄ Martin Bell, strategic solutions manager, Norland Managed Services / Jason Choy, director, Persus⁄ Nick Cook, managing director, Haywards ⁄ Rob Greenfield, group SHEQ director, GSH ⁄ Liz Kentish, managing director, Liz Kentish Coaching ⁄ Anne Lennox Martin, FM consultant ⁄ Peter McLennan, joint course director, MSc Facility Environment and Management, University College London ⁄ Geoff Prudence, chair, CIBSE FM Group ⁄ Chris Stoddart, general manager, Heron Tower ⁄ Jeremy Waud, managing director, Incentive FM ⁄ Jane Wiggins, FM Tutor and author ⁄ Chris Wood, senior associate at Advanced Workplace Associates

Average net circulation 11,513 (Jul 11 – Jun 12) FM World magazine is produced using paper derived from sustainable sources; the ink used is vegetable based; 85 per cent of other solvents used in the production process are recycled © FM World is published on behalf of the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM)

by Redactive Publishing Ltd (RPL), 17 Britton St, London EC1M 5TP. This magazine aims to include a broad range of opinion about FM business and professional issues and articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the BIFM nor should such opinions be relied upon as statements of fact. All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced, transmitted or stored in any print or electronic format, including but not limited to any online service, any database or any part of the internet, or in any other format in whole or in part in any media whatsoever, without the prior written permission of the publisher. While all due care is taken in writing and producing this magazine, neither BIFM nor RPL accept any liability for the accuracy of the contents or any opinions expressed herein. Printed by Pensord ISSN 1743 8845

BIFM ENQUIRIES

British Institute of Facilities Management Number One Building, The Causeway, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire CM23 2ER Tel: 0845 0581356 email: admin@bifm.org.uk web: www.bifm.org.uk

www.fm-world.co.uk

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arketers have been making hay with our ‘something for nothing’ culture.

Insurance companies, for example, have ever-more arithmetically challenging ways of enticing us. Is it ‘three months’ free insurance’, or just an extended term? I’m still ‘confused,’ so where are my free reward scheme points? These offers appeal less to the specific value proposition of the product but more our sense that we really, really deserve that “free” meerkat toy in exchange for our custom. Awards schemes can be affected by this problem, with people receiving awards just for turning up in order that everybody feels they’ve got something in exchange for their involvement – because, well, that’s just what happens.

But the problem when everyone’s a winner is that no one wins. The true value in competition is in the discerned difference between the best and the rest. Where runnersup are only a wafer-thin reason away from winning themselves, they should be clearly recognised as being as such – even though they’re still not winners.

The Olympics showed this logical purity in the most thrilling way. Clear winners left others in their wake, while those pipped at the post could be identified as such and appreciated for their extraordinary efforts despite the result.

So it’s important that the BIFM Awards, which take place next month, show the same stringency. For 2012 there’s been a 50 per cent increase in entries year on year following a 50 per cent increase on entry levels in the year before. So that’s a fourfold increase since 2010 in the number of organisations putting their facilities forward for one or more of the awards’ eleven categories. Impressive stuff.

The chairman of the judges committee, Oliver Jones, can be found elsewhere in this issue talking about the rigour of the judging processs. It’s encouraging to hear him talk about the “truly spectacular examples of facilities management” that he and his colleagues have identified this year. “There are a couple on the shortlist this year that amaze me about the capabilities of people in FM in the UK,” he told me recently.

Facilities profiled in FM World have made it to this year’s shortlist and we’re obviously delighted to be helping unearth innovative approaches to FM service provision in interesting new projects. But what we’ll be doing more of in the future is full profiles of the facilities that make the BIFM Awards shortlist.

The strength of the BIFM judging process is such that we can be certain you’ll be interested in the story behind them, whether they’re category winners or not. Previously, we’ve spent a lot of time squeezing these stories into single pages in a one-off, post-awards edition; we’ve decided that some of these stories need considerably more than that to do them justice.

We’ll still be choosing our own case studies; it’s just that more of the BIFM awards winners will be getting the full profile treatment. But it’s a two-way street, and we’re keen to play our part in both unearthing and reporting the most deserving FM projects from around the country.

M

“THE PROBLEM WHEN EVERYONE’S A WINNER IS THAT NO ONE WINS. THE TRUE VALUE IN COMPETITION IS IN THE DISCERNED DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE BEST AND THE REST”

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PUBLIC SECTOR

The government’s spending watchdog has criticised Whitehall departments and agencies for remaining in their silos and failing to co-operate effectively to reduce property costs.

To ensure co-operation, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) wants to see more top-down mandating of how Whitehall departments will work together.

“We welcome the progress made in recent years to reduce the cost of the government office estate,” the PAC said in its report Improving the Efficiency of Central Government Office Property.

“However, the Government Property Unit (GPU) will need greater clout to mandate actions across Whitehall if it is to build on this success and make the government’s use of office space as efficient as it could be.

“The GPU’s early plans to centralise control of office property failed to gain support of departments and the Treasury.

Since then, the unit’s approach to savings has relied on departments exiting buildings as lease arrangements naturally expire.”

The PAC said the most effective intervention has been the national moratorium on new or extended leases, which shows “why the management of government property is a classic case where ‘tight’ central control would be more effective for the taxpayer than the ‘loose’ approach of leaving it to departments to act individually”.

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Government also has been slow in making its vacant office space available for productive use, according to the report.

However, the PAC acknowledged that the current economic environment means the government will have more unused office space that can be disposed of, a situation that might get worse.

ISTOCK

Whitehall stifling efforts to reduce property cost The GPU wants to make the government’s use of office space more efficient For a full version of this article, and more news stories like this, please visit our website: www.fm-world.co.uk

The PAC report mentioned in the above article can be read in full here: tinyurl.com/pacmandate

PROPERTY

Squatting moves from civil to criminal offence Squatting in residential properties – including those of housing associations – has become a criminal offence.

The legislation came into effect on the first of September and is designed to make it easier and less costly to remove squatters.

However, it could also mean vacant commercial and nonresidential properties will be targeted more because squatting remains a civil offence for buildings, a vacant property specialist has said.

“We welcome the new legislation, which will help social housing landlords to involve the police at an early stage and evict squatters, freeing up social housing properties to those most in need on council waiting lists,” said Mark Cosh, director of vacant property protection specialists SitexOrbis.

“But as a result of the new law, commercial properties are likely to become an even greater target for squatters. Commercial property owners, managers and occupiers must ensure that their properties are properly protected and vacant buildings are not left to become a target for squatters.”

Under Section 144 of the amended Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act, a person commits an offence if they are in a residential building as a trespasser having entered it as a trespasser. The person also commits an offence if he or she knows – or ought to know – that they are a trespasser and the person is living, or intends to live there for any period.

Importantly, an offence is not committed if the person is holding over after the end of a lease or

licence, even if the person leaves and re-enters the building.

The law spells out what constitutes a residential building – any structure or part of a structure, including a temporary or moveable structure. The building is ‘residential’ if it is designed or adapted, before the time of entry, as a place to live.

Also, an individual may be considered a trespasser if they have received permission to be on a site, where that permission comes from a person who, it transpires, is also trespassing.

People convicted under the act can be imprisoned for up to 51 weeks, fined up to £5,000, or both.

But the act does not include an offence for squatting in a commercial or non-residential building and this will remain a civil offence. www.fm-world.co.uk

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NEWS

BRIEFS VPS appoints new MD

Finalists announced for BIFM Awards 2012 The British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) has announced the finalists for the 2012 BIFM Awards, including ‘FM of the Year’.

The awards, with headline sponsor Mace, are dedicated to recognising and celebrating excellence in the UK’s FM sector.

Individuals in the running for FM of the Year are: ● Wendy Cuthbert from Barclays ● Gary Johnston from LOCOG (London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games) ● Gemma Lynch from Carillion.

This year’s awards saw the highest number of entries to date, with a 50 per cent increase

on the awards in 2011.

“This year we managed to break new ground, as the number of entries received across the 11 BIFM Awards categories, in addition to the FM of the Year Award entries, was extraordinary, said Oliver Jones, chairman of the judges committee.

“We set out to raise the bar and make the BIFM Awards the benchmark for excellence a few years ago. We are very pleased that this has now definitely been achieved thanks to great enthusiasm and support from the industry-leading firms who entered.”

The full list of finalists for this year’s hotly contested awards are available at www.fm-world.co.uk.

The winners will be announced at the BIFM Awards ceremony taking place on Monday 8 October 2012 at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.

Tickets and tables are becoming limited, with only 225 of the 1,200 tickets remaining – individuals who wish to attend but have not yet booked should guarantee their place by emailing awards@bifm. org.uk or calling 0141 206 3717.

In the run-up to the awards, the BIFM will be sharing more information on each of these inspirational projects, teams and individuals to inspire others and generate ideas within the FM profession.

Full details will be available at www.bifm.org.uk/awards2012

DEBATE

SAM KESTEVEN

Participants sought for procurement webinar The theme of how the procurement of facilities management can play a role in enhancing a business’s brand is to be discussed online in a live webinar – a first for the FM sector.

The event will take place at 1.00pm on Tuesday 25 September.

FM World editor Martin Read will chair the event, joined by Dr. Brian Atkin of the Facilities Society, facilities consultant Dave Wilson and Tony Sanders, managing director of event sponsor Interserve. Issues covered during the hour-long session will include: www.fm-world.co.uk

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● How to save money and improve customer service ● How to measure and implement ‘added value’ ● How to protect your brand when buying FM services ● How to create an FM model designed around the customer experience ● Which service level agreements can boost innovation ● How best to manage the supplier relationship The event is being run in tandem with Supply Management, the sister

Vacant property specialist VPS has appointed Paul Chamberlain as UK managing director.

Chamberlain has 18 years’ experience of directorships in UK and international companies including Kone, Honeywell Building Solutions, Novar, Siemens Building Technologies and Saga Homecare.

His experience of property and building systems, initially as an engineer, covers security, building management, fire detection, elevators and automatic doors.

Chamberlain’s appointment comes after the Competition Commission last month blocked the acquisition of SitexOrbis Holdings by VPS Holdings.

‘Misguided’ safety cull The government’s “blitz on red tape” to exempt small businesses from “burdensome health and safety inspections” is misguided, according to the British Safety Council.

More than 3,000 regulations will be scrapped or overhauled so that low-risk workplaces such as shops, offices, pubs and clubs will no longer face inspections.

The new rules, which take effect in April next year, mean that firms will only face health and safety inspections if they are operating in higher-risk areas, such as construction or if they have a track record of poor performance.

Tough times ahead

title of FM World and magazine for the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply.

BIFM members can listen in from their laptop/desktop computers and, if they want, contribute to the debate as it progresses.

To listen in, you are invited to register for the event by visiting tinyurl.com/prowebinar

Small and medium-sized (SME) construction contractors are increasingly financially vulnerable because of falling workloads, tighter margins and rising costs, according to new research.

Findings of the State of Trade survey suggest that there has been a drop in workload for one in three contractors during the first six months of 2012.

Half of respondents said that tender prices were lower than six months ago despite a rise in the cost of materials, noted the survey from the Building and Engineering Services Association (BESA). Direct employment – a contract with the end-client – has fallen across the sector.

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PROJECT OF THE

FORTNIGHT NEWS BULLETIN

City of Glasgow College shortlist down to two City of Glasgow College has shortlisted two consortia, BAM PPP and the Sir Robert McAlpine-led Glasgow Learning Quarter, for the institution’s £200 million campus development project.

Missing out on the final round for the 25-year contract, including construction and FM provision, was the Laing O’Rourke–GP4L consortium.

In March, the college chose the three consortia out of nine tendering groups and entered into a detailed design dialogue for the final shortlist of two. The college aims to include hard FM in the final contract but some soft FM services such as cleaning, will likely remain in-house, Janis Carson, college vice principal and project sponsor, told FM World.

Once planning consent is achieved, construction is expected to start in mid-2013 with the first stages of the new campus opening in 2015 and the final phases in 2016.

Consultancy move for Ikea’s global FM head

Next up, the WR Berkley building, to be located at Lime Street, London

London set for another sky-high office Planning has started for another landmark London skyscraper in the shape of a 35-storey structure built for WR Berkley Corporation, a property casualty insurance provider.

WR Berkley has submitted a planning application for its 190-metre (nearly 625 feet) European headquarters at 52-54 Lime Street, which will draw together all of the company’s London offices into one place.

The company will pay for the building – “several hundred million pounds” – from its own balance sheet, and will occupy initially around 25 per cent of the space and lease out the rest of the building.

Floor plates will range in size from 836 to 2,044 square metres (9,000 to 22,000 square feet) and offer views of London to the north, east, west and south-west.

The building is designed by international architects Kohn Pedersen Fox, which also designed the Heron Tower. KPF’s work is being led by Bill Pedersen, a seven-time winner of the American Institute of Architects National Honour Award.

The Lime Street building will have two basement and two roof levels and also incorporate a new square of around 1,022 square metres (11,000 square feet). The development will have more than 52,397 square metres (564,000 square feet) of commercial and 929 square metres (10,000 square feet) of restaurant space.

The square, which will be open to the public, will include seating and planting as well as potential space for public art. It will be linked to a ground-floor coffee shop, “echoing the 17th century origins of the specialist insurance markets at Lloyds Coffee House,” according to a statement by WR Berkley.

Subject to planning, construction work is scheduled to start by 2013 and it could be ready for occupancy by 2017.

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Helena Ohlsson, former global facility manager for home furniture retailer Ikea, has left to start her own consultancy.

Ohlsson spent almost four years at the Swedish company, building up the FM function across more than 300 sites in 27 countries, with around 11 million square metres (118.4 million square feet).

An architecture graduate, she has more than 14 years of experience in global FM, international project management, real estate development, architecture and workplace management.

She is a former board member of IFMA and EuroFM and has been president of IFMA Sweden.

In 2006, she moved to the UK and joined Johnson Controls as principal consultant with responsibility for business development in Europe, with involvement with clients as diverse as BP, Cisco and the BBC. She later moved to FM software company Service Works Global where, as a director, she once again led the drive to grow the business into Europe and also tried to bridge the gap between technology and FM practice.

FMA sets up postgrad course at Sheffield The Facilities Management Association (FMA) has developed a postgraduate facilities management programme specifically for its member organisations.

The distance-learning course will be provided by Sheffield Business School at Sheffield Hallam University and allow independent study and completion of the programme in three years, including 20 days on campus in London.

The blended learning course includes some FM courses the school uses for its MBA degree program. The course is paid for by individual companies with the aim to develop leadership and management skills of their employees, giving them a recognised qualification.

FMA members who wish to study for the certificate later this year will be able to commence the MBA starting in March 2013, which will consist of continuous assessment.

SHU is also in negotiation with BIFM to introduce pathways to the SHU open access MBA in Facilities Management programme.

The BIFM will be amending its existing Level 7 Certificate and Level 7 Diploma qualifications to include units delivered by SHU which will, similar to the Masters in Applied Facilities Management delivered by Liverpool John Moores, provide a pathway to the SHU MBA in Facilities Management.

The BIFM Level 7 Certificate and Diploma qualifications are regulated qualifications and are accredited on the Qualifications and Credit Framework, a nationally and internationally recognised framework. www.fm-world.co.uk

13/09/2012 13:57

THINK TANK

WE ASKED 100 FMs… What the biggest problem with your building’s reception area? What would you demand if it were to be re-fitted?

When it comes to reception areas, FMs are focused on maintaining proper temperature, creating a good impression and ensuring ergonomics are right for front-ofhouse staff and visitors.

Security issues are the least of their concerns. In fact, the real problem lies in how security issues now lead the design of reception areas. In practical terms, security is creating the other problems, said one FM. “A recurrent fault with reception areas lies in the tension between creating a comfortable, practical layout versus clients’ rising demand for secure visitor control,” he said. “As the security paranoia of government spreads to private organisations, entry processes become anything but welcoming.

“Increasingly these days, a visitor will enter a sealed-off reception area – in some cases an entirely separate

18% Other

27% Poor ergonomics

22% Doesn’t convey right image

6% Not secure

27% Poor heating or cooling

building – for ‘screening’ during which a photograph may be taken, CCTV image recorded and a visitor pass issued. From there they wait for their host to escort them.

The modern grandiose glassenclosed reception area, beloved by financial institutions, has a major drawback, according to another FM. “Designers always forget that sitting

in such areas has it challenges.

There can be excessive draughts, not to mention too much sunlight.

It is designed as a temporary space, when in effect it is a permanent working space for most front-ofhouse of staff.”

Read this article in full at www.fm-world.co.uk

ALAMY

Balfour bags £110m Edinburgh deal The University of Edinburgh has appointed Balfour Beatty as preferred bidder for its £110 million Holyrood Postgraduate Student Accommodation and Outreach Centre project.

The 50-year contract involves the design, build and maintenance of student accommodation for the university.

The project will provide state-of-the-art accommodation facilities for 1,160 postgraduate students, as well as an outreach centre, which will become the focal point for the university’s community-based teaching activities and continuous professional development courses.

Energy for the facilities will be provided by the university’s www.fm-world.co.uk

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The University of Edinburgh will see 1,160 new post-grad rooms

Combined Heat and Power Energy Centre.

Balfour Beatty will invest 100 per cent of the required equity in the project, which is expected to reach financial close in spring 2013.

Ian Tyler, chief executive at Balfour, said: “We have worked with the University of Edinburgh on numerous projects over the past 18 years and look forward to supporting it in realising its longterm aspirations to enhance the postgraduate student experience.”

This project builds on Balfour Beatty’s experience in the student accommodation sector. It currently has a portfolio of student accommodation design-and-build contracts across the UK amounting to over £120 million.

Last month Balfour Beatty Group reported half-year revenue at almost £5.54 billion, a 6 per cent rise on the same period last year.

Pre-tax profit from continuing operations was up 2 per cent.

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ANALYSIS

Size matters as big firms rely on UK contracts GRAEME DAVIES newsdesk@fm-world.co.uk

The latest results season for the UK’s listed outsourcing and FM specialists has once again highlighted a divide. On one side are the bigger, more diversified players that are generally maintaining their growth, albeit at lower levels, while on the other are the smaller operators who are finding life more difficult.

It has also illustrated how the UK market, in general, remains buoyant, but overseas, the wider global economic slowdown begins to bite.

With the UK set on further

outsourcing of government services, the likes of Interserve enjoyed a strong first half, with overall revenues up 2.8 per cent to £1.2 billion, with the UK business a standout performer, growing revenues by 11.5 per cent to £572 million. The pipeline of work for Interserve’s support services business grew from £4.5 billion to £4.7 billion in the past six months, as it won contracts from the police and NHS as well as the private sector.

Serco’s first half performance was dulled by slow progress in the US but the company expressed confidence that a slew

of recent contract wins, especially in the UK, would see second half performance bounce back. G4S suffered more as the company’s ill-fated Olympics security contract came back to bite. Profits slumped from £151 million to £62 million, primarily due to the £50 million hit on the flagship contract, plus restructuring costs.

G4S has vowed to continue its policy of growing revenues from overseas markets, with chief executive Nick Buckles saying he wants to see half of revenues coming from developing countries by the end of the decade against just less than a third now.

But relying on global growth, in the short term at least, could prove tricky if the latest KPMG survey into outsourcing proves correct. Its survey of executives in the outsourcing industry showed a fall in confidence, which suggested the second half of the year will see slower growth than the first half as companies use the tougher economic

Contract wins

NEW BUSINESS Aramark has retained its contract with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in Scotland. The company has added Kinloss Barracks and the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde Air Squadron to its work at RAF Lossiemouth and RAF Leuchars, providing services for military personnel including cleaning, laundry, tailoring and pest control.

Housing association London & Quadrant Group has chosen Seddon Property Services for a £2 million painting and repairs contract in the south-east of England including south London. The deal, which will create up to 60 jobs, covers redecoration 10 | 20 SEPTEMBER 2012 | FM WORLD

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work and pre-painting repairs to 2,500 homes in south London and Bexley as well as in Crawley and Brighton in East Sussex.

The NEC Group has appointed Norland for reactive mechanical, electrical and building fabric maintenance as well as post-room services. The contract encompasses the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham, the International Convention Centre (ICC), the LG Arena and the National Indoor Arena (NIA). The NEC Group’s Birmingham exhibition and live events welcome around 3.5 million visitors to over 700 events annually.

BaxterStorey has won a five-year catering contract with University of the Arts London (UAL), a continuation of it previous contract. The contract, which started this month, was awarded following a tender involving eight companies and a panel of senior representatives from within the university.

Europa has won a £12.5 million total FM contract with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). The fiveyear deal will see the services group deliver mechanical and electrical, fabric maintenance, cleaning, catering, frontof-house services, waste management, security and helpdesk at 71 locations across England and Wales.

Motoring organisation RAC has appointed Kier FM as preferred bidder to provide total facilities management for its three main sites and its training bases. The contract includes an optional two-year extension and is worth more than £3 million in total.

conditions as a reason to draw in their spending.

The UK remains a key source of growth for the bigger players; the three companies mentioned are all in the running for a series of high-profile and valuable contracts to be awarded in the coming months by the Ministry of Justice, particularly for running prisons. Some have suggested that the Olympic security debacle should not preclude G4S from winning prisons contracts. Yet it could prove politically difficult for the government to be seen to reward G4S so soon after its high-profile failure to deliver the Olympics security contract.

And if the recent shareprice performance of the three companies is studied, investors seem to agree; investors, it seems, appear to favour Interserve’s chances of picking up the lion’s share of upcoming work. Its shares have significantly outperformed Serco and G4S in recent weeks, although reaction to the recent results could also have played a part in this.

But not all UK outsourcers are having it their own way. Not long after the recent demise of Mouchel, which was placed into administration in August, services business May Gurney Integrated was the latest company to report troublesome trading. It issued a profit warning on the back of disappointing performance in some waste management contracts. This was blamed on higher than expected costs from the running-down of its FM business, and Scottish gas networks partner Scotia Gas reducing the amount of outsourced work it was expected to award. Chief executive Phillip Fellowes-Prynne paid for the profit warning with his job.

Graeme Davies writes for Investors Chronicle www.fm-world.co.uk

13/09/2012 14:54

G4S

G4S suffers Olympics hangover Security company G4S took a £50 million hit on its Olympics guarding contract, which contributed significantly to a 60 per cent drop in its first-half pre-tax profit.

Revenue for the six months to June 30 2012 rose 5.9 per cent to £3.9 billion, excluding the Olympics contract.

“Olympic and Paralympic Games contract loss of £50 million [was] provided for as an exceptional item in H1,” noted the company statement, which in practical terms amounts to a penalty for nondelivery of contracted services In July, G4S said it would not be able to provide the Olympics

BUSINESS BRIEFS Capita picks up Reliance

G4S reviews the first half-year of 2012

with the contracted 10,400 guards, which led to chief executive Nick Buckles admitting before a committee of MPs that the contract had been a “humiliating shambles”.

Profit from operations before taxation was down to £61 million (H1 2011: £151 million).

The group also reported another exceptional cost of £24 million for reducing its headcount overall by 1,100. It lost 605 employees within its operations in developing markets, which represent 31 per cent of group revenues.

The “growing outsourcing trends continue to be key business growth drivers and we expect to

see organic growth continue to improve as a result”, according to the statement.

G4S’s Continental Europe business also saw a headcount loss, down 257 people, while the UK lost 58 people. Another £10 million will be spent to reduce the headcount in the second half-year.

The statement contains a lengthy explanation of how the company went about supplying guarding services to the Olympics and also how that provision went awry, saying the “process proved very challenging, with more than 14,000 staff recruited, trained and deployed.”

Serco’s profits dip as revenue rises Serco Group has reported a drop in profits for the first half-year – although revenue rose 4.3 per cent to £2.34 billion.

Adjusted profit before tax and before reorganisation costs declined by 4.7 per cent to nearly £118 million.

But contract win performance surged ahead in the first half to £4.2 billion worth of deals, versus £2.5 billion for the same period in 2011. This included £3.7 billion signed and £500 million as preferred supplier.

Serco had an increased order book of £19.4 billion as at 30 June 2012 (£17.9 billion at 31 December 2011). It also reported 98 per cent revenue visibility for 2012 and 83 per cent for 2013.

Within the UK and Europe, www.fm-world.co.uk

10-11_BusinessNews.indd 11

Christopher Hyman, CEO of Serco

revenue declined by 1 per cent to £1,27 billion (2011: £1,284 million), and represented 54 per cent of group revenue. The drop followed fewer contracts in the welfare-to-work market.

But adjusted operating profit, before reorganisation costs and corporate expenses, increased by 7 per cent to £86.3 million (2011: £80.8 million).

Of total group revenue, 46 per

cent is now generated outside the UK (2011: 42 per cent). Also, 13 per cent is business process outsourcing (2011: 10 per cent).

Christopher Hyman, chief executive of Serco Group, said the new global business process outsourcing division has seen plenty of contract wins, many with private-sector customers.

“Our business in Australasia and the Middle East continues to grow strongly and, while significant challenges in the US remain, we see conditions in the UK starting to improve.

“The recent level of new contract wins across the group will help us deliver the anticipated strong financial performance in the second half of the year.”

Capita has acquired medical assessment and criminal justice support services firm Reliance Secure Task Management. Capita paid Reliance Group £20 million for the division which provides forensic medical services, custody support and secure transport services to clients including the UK Border Agency, the Ministry of Justice, NHS trusts and police forces. Annual sales are around £75 million but made “a pro forma operating loss for the 11 months to 31 March 2012 of £5.7 million,” a company statement said.

NG Bailey revenue boost NG Bailey has reported turnover up 12 per cent to £464 million for its financial results for the year to February 24, 2012. The independent engineering, IT and FM provider also reports a pre-tax profit of £7.2 million.

David Hurcomb, NG Bailey’s chief executive, who took up his post in September 2010, said the company posted a strong result “in what has been a very challenging environment, not just for us, but for UK industry as a whole”.

Contract wins include a three-year M&E deal for the 02 Shopping Centre in Finchley, London.

GSH appoints MD for UK GSH Group has appointed Clive Clarke to the position of managing director for UK & Ireland. He reports directly to John Davy, group managing director. Clarke joined GSH in 1998 as a graduate management trainee and later completed a BA degree in business management at the University of Ulster. He takes over from John Davy, who had been acting UK managing director since Paul Cottam left the post in 2011.

FM WORLD | 20 SEPTEMBER 2012 | 11

13/09/2012 14:55

FM BUSINESS IN FOCUS

THE ISSUE University facilities always play a key part in attracting new students. This has become much more important with the reduction of government subsidies

THE INTERVIEWEE Mark Swales, director of estates and facilities at Sheffield Hallam University

Back to school Britain’s university and college students are returning to their campuses this month where a lot of teaching and accommodation facilities have been either refurbished or entirely replaced.

The improvements (which have been reported in FM World) have given the impression that universities are physically expanding to accommodate an anticipated, or actual, increase in student numbers.

It is true that the pressure is on universities to attract students in light of reduced government subsidies.

However, a recent study suggests that far from expanding campus assets, universities have reduced the physical size of their built environment in recent years, albeit by just three per cent, according to Mark Swales, director of estates and facilities at Sheffield Hallam University (SHU), which has around 35,500 students.

This means FMs are under serious pressure to make much more efficient use of their assets than before – from student accommodation and labs to academic offices and administration areas, said Swales, who joined the SHU FM department 20 years ago.

It was always assumed that 12 | 20 SEPTEMBER 2012 | FM WORLD

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there was a direct link between the quality of a university’s built environment and students deciding to study there. “This is not rocket science,” said Swales. “But what is astonishing is just how important the built environment is in that decision.”

Research undertaken by the Higher Education Design Quality Forum found that 20 per cent of prospective students rejected institutions over concerns about buildings and the general physical environment.

What masquerades as expansion is often major refurbishment. SHU’s £25 million Collegiate Campus, which involves replacing a building, will be in operation by autumn 2014. The new three-storey building of 2,700 square metres (29,060 square feet) will include a café, atrium, lecture theatre, study areas and social spaces.

“Students’ perception of value for money is often influenced by the physical space and the quality of the contact they have with the academic and student support community,” says Swales.

But there is also a need to provide technical backup in

classrooms to enhance that quality of contact. “Overall, it’s about enabling the academic staff in the classroom, in informal settings that enable them to meet students, and within their office environment as well.”

Old habits die hard when it comes to academic offices, typified by the isolated booklined cubicles where professors buried themselves away for hours.

The Sheffield Business School recently reduced its square footage by 40 per cent and created an open-plan office where even the pro-vice chancellor sits.

There is also a “kitchen table” to encourage more informal meetings in an open environment.

The open-plan set up looks like any office outside academia, thanks to design and consultancy by the school’s own Centre for Facilities Management Development and private consultancy, TSK. Modern and well-maintained student accommodation is important to the student experience. Even so, Swales says SHU sees it as a non-core business activity: “We took the decision in the early 90s not to invest in

“Students’ perception of value for money is often influenced by physical space”

accommodation but work with local providers around the city.”

Not having accommodation on the university’s asset inventory means resources – especially land for city-campuses – are ploughed back into the teaching and academic facilities.

It also means that, as in the case of Sheffield, brown-field sites in the city centre can be used for new university accommodation, and added benefit for the city.

Swales believes the education sector has a “healthy mix” of business solutions for accommodation, from outright ownership of a building to agreements with private sector accommodation providers.

Budgets and projections are partly, sometimes largely, based on foreign student income. London Metropolitan University suffered a body blow last month when the government revoked its licence for approving foreign student’s visas (which the university is appealing).

“There is a clear sea-change in thinking,” says Swales. “We have entered into a more consumer-led higher education regime, which is being explored through groups including the Association of University Directors of Estates.”

David Arminas is FM World’s news editor

www.fm-world.co.uk www.fm-world.co.uk

13/09/2012 13:58

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FM WORLD | 20 SEPTEMBER 2012 | 13

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11/09/2012 16:02

FM OPINION THE DIARY COLUMN JOHN BOWEN

John Bowen is an FM consultant

“ONE OF MY EARLY LESSONS WAS LEARNING THE POWER OF THE QUESTION: ‘WHAT HAPPENS IF WE STOP DOING THIS?’” SU PPORTIN G TH E FRO N T L I N E, N OT H O L DI N G IT U P

ohn Bowen has recently returned from hospital, where he had time to reflect on the divide between those making decisions in FM and those doing the job on the front line

J

I have been very lucky over the years in that I have been able to be part of some massive changes in the businesses for whom I have worked, from small parts in the early years through to influence and then responsibility.

These days my role is usually one of influence – that is what mentors and consultants do (I can’t recall who said it, but I love the line about a consultant being like a castrated bull; he can only advise), but I do love the opportunity to get back into the

trenches and do something.

I suppose that my six-week sojourn in hospital helped stir some thoughts; but my experience reinforced my concerns about the gap between those making the decisions and those who have to do the job.

Involving myself in fixing things is one way I get back to the front line over the course of the year; but I also like to get into other ‘line work’, perhaps on the procurement front where I can get round the table and thrash out a

deal; there’s nothing like seeing the whites of people’s eyes in that situation.

At the sharp end, you can see very clearly what helps and what gets in the way, and it is the latter that you need to eliminate.

One of the early lessons I learned when I got into the senior management ranks was being asked the question: “what happens if we stop doing this?”

It got me thinking (even sweating) at the time, but it later become a mantra for me.

These days we call it ‘lean’ and all that because we consultants love these labels, but it is another aspect of common sense: if it doesn’t add value, don’t do it.

This was one of my frustrations in hospital – there was so much acting as a drag anchor on

delivering care that it was painful.

There is a photo in the album that I made that illustrates the point.

It shows the staff car park on a Sunday – an area that is full by 9.00am Monday to Friday was less than a quarter full. I inferred that these Sunday workers must be those essential to patient care.

So who was taking up all the space during the week? Lab workers yes, but many will have been administrators. What were they contributing to patient care?

What happened if we stop doing this is a powerful question, and one that everyone in a position of influence should be asking. And if you really want to know, they should get themselves down on the floor and spend a day there on some scut or grunt work that will open your eyes.

BEST OF THE WEB Views and comments from across the web How much management support do you get for energy reduction projects?

(BIFM LinkedIn group) Charlie Wright: I’m just lucky I guess but my company is keen to effect whatever energy initiatives can be justified.

There is still an expected return and within a reasonable time, but I think a decade is a more sensible outlook than the financial year. That said it is worth considering other cost savings, reduced 14 | 20 SEPTEMBER 2012 | FM WORLD

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maintenance costs both labour and work delays, intelligent usage to prolong the life of the plant-reducing capital expenditure.

Tony Verrall: During my time with one of the largest hotel chains, it was very frustrating when projects that many would see as ‘no-brainers’ were dismissed or put on the back burner. This was mainly due to a lack of time at certain levels of management. It is so amazing when we can still

walk around large facilities today and see them full of 50w halogen lamps.

The return on investment is so fast when you can purchase good quality LED lamps for as little as £4 each. It seems we are still trying to convince people to make the right choices.

What is good practice, including policies, when running a maintenance helpdesk?

(BIFM LinkedIn group) Andy Dodson: The person on the end of

the phone must have enough technical knoweldge to translate what the customer is saying into something that a tradesman will understand. This should ensure that your tradesman turns up with the right equipment, knows roughly what to expect and what they will have to do when they turn up.

Clear prioritisation of faults is important and ensuring that the person phoning up understands that a dripping tap won’t

justify an emergency call out. I’ve had this on regular occasions where people bleat about why their minor problem hasn’t been fixed instantly when it’s only a small fault. @FMandBeyond: Workplace Summit: Frank Duffy quips that work no longer needs a place.

Pretty provocative for an architect! @NeilWigg: Safety inspections set to be cut – very worrying but not surprising. www.fm-world.co.uk

13/09/2012 16:55

You can follow us at twitter.com/FM_World facebook.com/FMWorldMagazine

BEST OF THE

FMWORLD BLOGS Green Sky Thinking Week, 17-21 September Sunil Shah, director, Acclaro Consultancy Genuinely sustainable solutions for our cities are ones that respond not only to environmental needs but also broader social, economic and political ones. Open-City’s GreenSkyThinking Week (17–21 September) highlights current and future innovation for a sustainable London that demonstrates how this integrated thinking and approach can be embedded. It’s a week-long programme of B2B events across the capital, giving an inside view from top experts, industry leaders and collaborative teams.

The question is how we could move towards successfully ‘greening’ buildings and wider neighbourhoods, throughout their life-cycle while understanding their value to ultimately inform better decision-making.

With support from key industry organisations, the initiative provides a forum for in-depth engagement on sustainability for planners, developers, architects, contractors, councillors and professionals from across the built environment and property sectors.

For a full list of events from the programme, go to greenskythinking.org.uk

One hundred years of solitude Neil Usher, ‘work and workplace protagonist’ How many of you celebrated the one hundredth anniversary of the publication of Frederick Taylor’s Principles of Scientific Management? None of you? As I thought.

Believing that workers naturally “soldiered” (worked at a lesser capacity to protect jobs) under the prevailing autonomous “rule-of-thumb” methods, Taylor set about measuring productivity through the study of time and motion, believing that there was only “One Best Way” to complete any task. The only benefits that could be measured were quantitative. To ensure that this ultimate efficiency was possible, control was to be passed from workers to management to ensure strict standardisation of methods, conditions, processes, tools and co-operation: the antithesis of trust. It could be argued that without Taylorist principles, we would not have the prosperity we enjoy today.

It is not the purpose of this post to debate the matter, nor to be critical of his thinking. It is my intention to challenge the fashionable belief that we are in the midst of a “revolution” in work or the workplace. Revolution can only take place within the infrastructure, whereas at this time, while some cracks are appearing therein, the activity being referred to (within technology, the workplace and how we work) is taking place in the superstructure, a place entirely comfortable with, and expectant of, change.

The revolutionary change will occur when we finally dispense with the hegemony of efficiency. The increasing socialisation of all aspects of our life and work has started this process. The complexity and connectedness of the world of today is creating opportunity from accident and inefficiency that can be rapidly turned to commercial advantage without significant investment. We are realising that circumstances shift continually, and that the operating models imposed on them may often be empty shells. We are once again recognising the importance of the unusual and extraordinary individual over and above ‘the system’. In such environments the distinction between managers and workers breaks down, and control is dispersed. The “One Best Way” becomes whatever way works at that particular time, under those conditions.

Read the full article at: workessence.com/one-hundred-years-of-solitude/

www.fm-world.co.uk

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FIVE MINUTES WITH NAME: Oliver Jones JOB TITLE: Chairman, BIFM Awards judges

We’ve seen a great improvement in the quality of entries this year. Three years ago, we set out to bring some new judges to the table, with broader industry experience. In doing so, we’ve sent a message that the awards are the pinnacle of achievement in the UK FM industry, and the standard by which we measure our acheivements against our peers. To do this, we had to ensure that the awards were relevant enough for the teams that wanted to enter; we had to make sure we had impeccable and auditible judging processes so that teams recognised the outcomes and respected them; and finally, we had to encourage teams to enter.

The number of entrants has now increased by 50 per cent two years running. There are between ten and fifteen entrants in each of the the eleven categories, excluding FM of the year, which shows how stiff the competition has been; each winner will have had to demonstrate exceptional quality.

The quality of submissions has increased.

It gave me a strange sense of satisfaction at the awards dinner last year to see teams putting in some amazing entries and yet not winning. We also have a judges’ special award, and each year, it’s remarkable that one or two truly spectacular examples of FM emerge. There are a couple on the shortlist this year that amaze me about the capabilities of people in our industry in the UK. There are great organisations entering in multiple categories. That excites me because it means that they are using the awards to motivate their teams and get their marketing engaged with the activities of the awards.

This year’s BIFM Awards take place on the evening of Monday 8 October at the Grosvenor House hotel on Park Lane, London. Tickets are almost sold out, so to check availability and book yours, visit www.bifm.org. uk/bifm/news/6792 to download a booking form.

FM WORLD | 20 SEPTEMBER 2012 | 15

13/09/2012 16:56

FM FEATURE GREEN DEAL ELISABETH JEFFRIES

DEAL BREAKER Can the Green Deal be more successful than existing energy efficiency incentives aimed at businesses, or is it fatally flawed? Elisabeth Jeffries reports

Illustrations: Jesse Lefkowitz

hat happens when you spend £306-million on an insulation company?

Well, for Carillion, its Eaga acquisition in 2011 opened a window onto a whole new area of potential business – energy services.

And the move was well timed, given the government’s introduction of the new privatesector energy efficiency finance scheme, known as the Green Deal.

Since then, this diversified property services company has fallen into step at the vanguard of the Green Deal – those organisations and companies responsible for providing Green Deal finance to households and commercial properties and arranging the project. And other facilities management players could follow.

But as the Green Deal kicks off this autumn, the ground looks rather uncertain, especially as far as business customers are concerned. The thread running through the scheme, known as the ‘Golden Rule’, demands that energy bill savings made

W

by installing the equipment are equal to or greater than the loan repayments.

A second unique feature is that the loan stays with the property in order to incentivise investment even if the occupant moves away.

Thirdly, utility companies have an obligation to assist in financing new installations. The idea is to drive a major retrofit programme across the whole UK (from its present investment level of £1−2 billion per year to £7-11 billion annually over the next 15 years) by breaking down classic barriers to energy saving investments in buildings.

It is an inspired vision, and certainly several FM suppliers are excited by it, not least Carillion.

Company managers believe there is pent-up demand for energysaving investment, and that they can help drive it forward.

“We’ve acknowledged that energy efficiency is a growing market due to rising energy prices, energy security issues, climate change and sustainability concerns,” points out Siobonne Brewster, Carillion’s strategic director of energy services, commenting on

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GREEN DEAL

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FM CASE STUDY GREEN DEAL ELISABETH JEFFRIES

the company’s major step into energy services last year.

Alan Somerville, energy director at Capita Symonds, which is also interested in the commercial potential of the Green Deal, takes a similar view.

Somerville perceives a change in corporate attitude. “What has changed in the last couple of years is recognition by tenants and landlords of spiralling energy costs. Tenants are now looking at energy efficiency as a part of their selection criteria for a new building.”

Many property owners, he suggests, may at the same time be developing a new outlook: “What you see from landlords is a need to think more defensively about asset value driven by the rapidly changing landscape for energy efficiency. They are also looking at how to ensure buildings have a strategy in place in anticipation of energy efficiency legislation,” he says.

Those views are supported by a 2011 DECC survey [link at end of article] that showed 75 per cent of businesses and landlords are strongly motivated towards energy-efficiency improvement, due to its impact on reducing costs; also, just over a quarter of businesses had already sought information or advice about energy efficiency.

The best alternative The question is whether the Green Deal will be more successful than existing financial arrangements and tax incentives in stimulating the energyefficiency market. The DECC survey certainly revealed some interest in the scheme, reporting that 24 per cent of all businesses interviewed said they would consider the Green Deal, in the absence of detailed information.

So it seems that the task of Carillion and its Green Deal cohorts with a foot in the FM 18 | 20 SEPTEMBER 2012 | FM WORLD

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“The question is whether the Green Deal will be more successful than existing financial arrangements and tax incentives in stimulating the energy-efficiency market”

community (as well as other property-related businesses) will be to drive this forward.

The programme certainly provides them with a visible public platform for developing this side of their business.

But just as the scheme gets off the ground, there are some doubts as to how well adapted it is to the commercial sector.

DECC itself is lukewarm about the commercial side of the Green Deal for larger companies in particular: “any company can apply... but the upfront cost is much higher for whomever is doing the work, and it’s harder to get a package; it’s more expensive and time–consuming,” comments a DECC spokesman, describing the needs of this kind of customer as potentially too “complex” to meet Green Deal requirements.

That said, the 15 new eligible measures for Green Deal finance since a 2012 consultation are

particularly relevant to the nondomestic sector, and include HVAC systems, roof lights, radiant heating, and energyefficient taps and showers. This, at least, indicates pressure from both business customers as well as non-domestic sector Green Deal providers. DECC figures also point to a buildings sector crying out for assistance: 75 per cent of non-domestic buildings in the UK were built before 1985 and nearly one third before 1940.

But a study by property consultancy the Sweett Group indicated the Green Deal might indeed not be worthwhile for the larger buildings it investigated, including a primary school, an office, a retail warehouse and an

industrial unit. This is because it found energy savings from improving the retail, office and school building fabrics only pay back 25-60 per cent of the capital costs over 25 years while finance costs can intensify this difference.

Payback time?

This suggests that only the most inefficient buildings might be eligible, if the Golden Rule was strictly applied. However, decisions to act could be affected by the government’s plan to make ‘F’ and ‘G’ Energy Performance Certificate-rated (EPC) property unlettable (unless all Green Deal measures have been undertaken) by 2018. These points would need www.fm-world.co.uk

13/09/2012 14:11

GREEN DEAL

to be considered by any FMs in larger companies interested in applying for Green Deal finance.

One of the reasons for the Green Deal’s lower relevance to larger companies may also lie in their relatively powerful position. “A home owner does not have the same access to funds as commercial building owners,” points out Siobonne Brewster.

In addition, the large company sector is already managing energy efficiency through the Carbon Reduction Commitment, European Union Emissions Trading Scheme and other EU building and energy directives.

Landlord-tenant split However, Brewster is positive about the impact of the Green Deal’s solution to the landlord/ tenant split, indicating the neglected SME sector (defined by DECC as companies with up to 249 employees) could be a suitable target for Carillion (which is also deeply involved in social housing), in terms of commercial properties.

“SMEs might not have the same access to finance [as larger companies] so it could work well for them. The cost of finance could also work well for what they are doing. It could be a good growth area especially as a lot of SMEs are in converted residential properties, rather like many homes,” she says. Like domestic tenants, some small businesses are not usually interested in these kinds of investments, because they require a long-term commitment under conventional financial agreements.

However, Brewster believes the added security of the Golden Rule and the fact that the tenant relinquishes responsibility for payments after moving could be attractive new features.

“It’s just a different way... I don’t necessarily see the Green Deal solving that [landlord/ tenant] conundrum but it could www.fm-world.co.uk

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be a helpful option,” she says.

The opportunities may be finally ripening. “Would we market ourselves to smaller SMEs? We’re certainly looking to partners such as local authorities. It’s a growth area and we are contemplating a big section of the energyefficiency market.”

It is easy to attack the government’s grand new project, particularly given subsidy cuts, u-turns and policy changes relating to renewable energy incentives.

But even environmental activists support the scheme in principle.

“The basis and the ideas are sound.

But I very much doubt it will be the big flagship programme the government wants it to be,” comments Zoe Leader, energy efficiency policy advisor at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Among the criticisms levelled at the policy is the loan interest rate at 6-8 per cent.

“It is a high interest rate and needed to be as close to zero as possible,” she says, comparing the scheme to a similar project pioneered in Germany at very low interest rates.

Paint the town green Leader also suggests the government have kept the project too quiet. While some government-backed schemes have been popular, such as solar PV incentives, Leader compares them to ‘eco-bling,’ arguing that solidwall insulation, on the other hand, is “something people don’t show off about...it needs a campaign to make it desirable,” she says.

Apart from a government cash injection of £200 million to get people interested in the early days of the scheme, it will be up to Green Deal providers to use imaginative marketing and financing to attract domestic and business customers. FM

PERSPECTIVES

HOW TO BE A GREEN DEAL PROVIDER roviders need to sign up and comply with the Green Deal Code of Practice and the Green Deal Arrangements Agreement, a contractual agreement between Green Deal providers and electricity suppliers governing the payment collection and remittance process.

They also need to make suitable provisions to provide protection for customers in the event the Green Deal provider becomes insolvent or loses its licence, provide an appropriate independent conciliation process to help resolve customer complaints and pay the required fees to the registration organisation (known as Orb) for authorisation. However, there is no application or authorisation fee for Green Deal providers during the first two years (August 2012 to July 2014) of the Green Deal authorisation scheme.

Should other property and FM companies follow suit? Certainly DECC has anticipated the participation of numerous companies large and small as Green Deal providers, and has launched a certification scheme.

Providers would work with the Green Deal Finance Company (GDFC), the organisation launched by DECC to finance them. The GDFC aggregates loans across all the providers and installers using its access to the bond market and is set up to achieve the lowest cost finance to the Green Deal provider. This can then be passed onto the customer. It is also responsible for central administration. However, providers are not obliged to use the GDFC for finance.

P

To access the survey mentioned in this feature, visit tinyurl.com/ DECCsurvey

FM WORLD | 20 SEPTEMBER 2012 | 19

13/09/2012 14:12

FM WORLD INTERVIEW OLIVER JONES BETH GOODYEAR

THEHISTORYOF

FM

OLIVER WANTS MORE

Over thirty years, business man Oliver Jones has seen the FM sector evolve dramatically. But as Beth Goodyear finds out, he’d like to see greater change in the years ahead

BG: One of the interesting things in this series has been the interviewees’ various backgrounds and routes into FM. You trained as a chartered surveyor…

OJ: That’s right. An interesting perspective for many who see me as this extreme capitalist these days, is that I started off in the public sector, on the graduate trainee scheme with the British Airports Authority (BAA).

I had a brilliant career and brilliant training, moving into the quantity surveying section within BAA. I soon found myself promoted rapidly to a position where I was tasked, as part of a small team, with the opening of 20 | 20 SEPTEMBER 2012 | FM WORLD

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the North Terminal in Gatwick.

This was the late 1980s, and I was 25, 26 at that stage. I was suddenly thrown into the responsibility of having this enormous public building to open.

That was a great experience.

Then, when BAA was in the process of being privatised in 1987, the board began looking at how the company could differentiate the industry and diversify into other areas.

That’s when I thought, ‘what a great opportunity’, so I set up the first post-privatisation company for BAA. But of course we didn’t refer to it as FM in those days; the business was called Gatwick Premises Management.

BG: When did you first get familiar with the term ‘facilities management’?

Photography: Sam Kesteven

OJ: I stumbled on it through that opportunity with BAA. At the time, I was doing my Masters degree in business administration at the London Business School, and one of the best things to come out of that happened in parallel to my putting in the proposal to BAA to set up what became Gatwick Premises Management.

I didn’t know how to set it up, of course, nor did BAA. But I spoke to Michael Hay, my tutor at the London Business School, and I was put forward as part of a project into what we’d recognise today as www.fm-world.co.uk

13/09/2012 14:33

Beth Goodyear interviews Oliver Jones at FM World’s London offices

WATCH this video interview at fm-world.co.uk

Court Road to buy the computers.

I became a very competent consultant early on, and used to directly deliver all the strategic tactical consultancy. One of my skills is that I’m a supply chain expert. I write contracts from first principles and I’m highly trained in the law, so when I hire lawyers it’s bad news for them because I’m the most demanding client they’re ever going to have.

I don’t think you can be a true leader in a specialist area like FM unless you’ve got a deep specialism within in it. I know about supply chain and procurement strategy, team leadership and customer service.

So I’ve been very hands-on over the years, but by definition when you’re an managing director, chief executive or chairman you have to be looking at the bigger picture – strategy, finance, HR.

BG: How do you think FM has evolved over the last couple of decades?

a sort of Dragon’s Den, in front of a group of private investors who came in to judge the very best of the business plans that were put together. Six months after that experience I persuaded three investors to invest £100,000 in me to set up what became Symonds Facilities Management in 1989.

BG: When I asked others to describe you, they’ve used words like ‘businessman,’ ‘property guru,’ ‘entrepreneur,’ ‘strategist’, ‘contracts pioneer’. How would you describe yourself?

OJ: I’m an enthusiast for life! I love business, I love people, and I love exciting business deals. I www.fm-world.co.uk

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was fortunate that Symonds was sold for a large amount of money in 1993, and the great privilege that afforded me is the freedom to choose what I wanted to do. It’s allowed me to back a few people and invest in a few companies.

OJ: You took on some very senior positions at an early age.

Is it fair to say your experience in FM has been more strategic than operational?

BG: It’s more strategic now, by definition. But when you first set up a company you have to do everything from the photocopying to making the tea.

I even used to go to Tottenham

OJ: I used to draw parallels with project management, which rose to prominence in the early 1970s out of the oil industry, and had become mainstream by the mid-1980s.

FM has done exactly that over the last 20 years. It’s mainstream today and continues to evolve; but there’s still a huge amount the industry needs to do professionally to enhance its credentials.

BG: You work pretty extensively overseas. What’s the attitude towards FM in China, and overseas in general?

OJ: I was first invited into China in respect to FM in 1995. We’d sold Symonds to the French Group Générale des Eaux (now Vivendi), and I was invited to be part of a French delegation to China. The 88-storey Jin Mao tower in the Pudong district of Shang-Hai was just going up, and the guy building

it, who was also part of Générale des Eaux, asked if I wanted to go out and give advice about running the building.

So I went to Shanghai, and that’s where I really had my eyes opened; FM in China was awful then; the cracks in the concrete were just big enough for the cockroaches to squeeze through.

It’s not like that now, though.

What I love about Asia is its receptiveness to new ideas.

When people of my age were educated in the 1970s it was all about Chairman Mao and what he was doing. The horrendous brainwashing we’ve had in the West about China, right up until the Beijing Olympics, has been to our absolute loss; the arrogance of the West I think has been absolutely shocking.

In FM terms I work with city governments in China where the ‘first officer’ is the equivalent of a chief executive. One city we’re working with, Nanjung, is the size of Birmingham with 1.2 million people. It has a 25-squarekilometre development zone and the task is to grow the city to two million people. It needs everything – roads, cities, domestic areas.

And today when I talk to these

“ WHEN YOU FIRST SET UP A COMPANY YOU HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING FROM THE PHOTOCOPYING TO MAKING THE TEA” FM WORLD | 20 SEPTEMBER 2012 | 21

13/09/2012 14:33

FM WORLD INTERVIEW OLIVER JONES BETH GOODYEAR

guys, a lot of them want to learn how to achieve international standards of customer service.

That’s something China was dreadful at just ten years ago; but today they’ve got world-class hotels, world-class customer standards and extraordinary urban management. It’s a really exciting place. China still has a capacity issue in some parts of the country, but in the parts where development is taking place under good management, there are exceptional structures being built.

BG: You’re still very much active, but what’s been your FM career highlight to date?

OJ: After we sold Symonds I was invited to get involved in a PFI panel, working for the Cabinet Office under the Tories in the 1990s. I found myself in a small group of smart people, most of whom knew nothing about FM, just when FM had suddenly become critical to the PFI model.

A subset of that group became the team that did the Trillium deal in 1998, and I was at the core of that. [Trillium was formed in 1997 to acquire the property portfolio of the Department of Work and Pensions]. There were eight of us, and I represented the FM side.

When we won preferred bidder status it was quite extraordinary, because at that stage, that was the biggest ever PFI arrangement. It was a landmark deal in property outsourcing. I already knew about cash flows and deal structuring, but what I first learnt at that stage was how to link investment finance to FM, which is what PFI is all about. That was transformational in terms of my outlook, a really important highlight.

Another exciting time was when we sold Citex to Carillion in August 2002 and I took the role of group sales and marketing director. That was great fun, like playing with the biggest toy box in the world.

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I got involved in the middle east, and back then Dubai was like China is today; when you opened the curtains in the morning, in the early 2000s, you’d see the buildings growing in front of you.

It was so vibrant and dynamic.

BG: What about role models?

You mentioned Michael Hay, have there been others?

OJ: One was [property developer] Stuart Lipton. He and his team took brilliant ideas, principally from New York, and brought them to London in the 1980s. That was on the back of the Big Bang, and it transformed the cityscape. It created the big floor plates we run with today and totally changed the way we look at buildings in

the city. What I loved about Lipton and those guys is that they didn’t give a damn about tradition. They respected it, but if they found a better solution, they went and implemented it. I love that attitude.

In FM, the guy I’ve learned most from is Mark Dixon of Regus. Mark exemplified entrepreneurship; he was in the property industry but actually also in the service industry – something the UK property industry had never really got at that stage. He was a passionate advocate of understanding the customer and giving them what they want.

BG: You’ve been involved in lecturing and as an examiner, and you’re a regular on the speaker circuit. Give us an overview of

“WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS BE MORE CHINESE. WE’VE GOT TO COPY THE ABSOLUTE BEST OUT THERE, AND MAKE IT HAPPEN TOMORROW, JUMPING TWO GENERATIONS OF EVOLUTION” www.fm-world.co.uk

13/09/2012 14:33

from lots of managers and not enough leaders. I’d like to see more powerful, strong, upstanding leadership in the profession. It deserves it; support services is one of the largest employment groups in the country, and we’ve got some brilliant chief executives out there. People like Ruby McGregor Smith are brilliant leaders in this field, and I think that what the institutions in FM fail to do is engage with entrepreneurial and innovative leaders like me and some of the commercial and corporate leaders like Ruby. That’s the future for this industry.

CAREER FILE NAME: Oliver Jones QUALIFICATIONS: MBA, Corporate Finance at London Business School; BSc, Quantity Surveying, Kingston University CAREER: 2011-present: Founded Chayora, chief executive 2009-2011: Partner & group board director at EC Harris 2008-present: Co-founded Morphose, chairman 2005-present: Co-founded The Asset Factor, chief executive 2002-2005: Group sales and marketing director at Carillion 1998-2002: Chief executive at Citex Group 1997-1998: Group property & logistics director at Regus 1995-present: Co-founded Babel Language Consulting, chairman 1989-1997: Founder and managing director at Symonds Facilities Management 1981-1989: Head of QS services at BAA

Strathclyde, which I did for three of four years.

BG: And you’ve seen some success recently in your capacity as judge at the BIFM awards.

some of the experiences you’ve had in this area.

OJ: I do perhaps ten speeches around the world per year. I enjoy doing it, and when you enjoy it, you inspire an audience, but I still sometimes get nervous on the big platforms with new speeches.

BG: What are some of the topics you’ve talked about recently?

OJ: I tend to speak about the future of property; the interweaving of the technology and real-estate worlds is something we’re still struggling with. A lot of people don’t realise the impact of mobility and e-commerce and what that means for physical real estate.

I find that a really fascinating www.fm-world.co.uk

20-23_History of FM.indd 23

area. It’s hugely important for FM, of course, because it means that this is not about supporting someone at their desk 9-to-5, but about supporting the wider accommodation needs of an organisation. So I preach to people not to look at the space but to look at the person. What does it take to support the person? Why isn’t FM part of IT? Why isn’t FM, IT, HR and finance all one entity? That’s the opportunity for people in FM. At university level, I was very closely involved with Keith Alexander at the University of Strathclyde and what was called the Centre for Facilities Management, before it moved to Salford. I got involved as an external examiner for the PhD and the Masters programme at

OJ: I’ve been involved in the awards for around six or seven years and chairman of the judging for around three. I think it’s one of the most important things the BIFM has done in recent years.

My case for taking over the chairmanship of the BIFM Awards judging was to push the bar higher; to ensure that the BIFM Awards became the most important benchmark. We’ve been thrilled to work with an amazing group of fifty or so judges and this year we’ve seen a fifty per cent increase in the number of entries. I am very proud to be a part of that, because it is so important for the industry and I know it works.

BG: It’s sounds like a few things have frustrated you within FM OJ: What I love about it is that it’s a continuing, evolving industry. Its limits are the planet that we live on, and every aspect of that needs facilities management of sorts.

But as an industry we suffer

BG: In terms of professional development, what are your views on the recent influx of new qualifications and how do you think they’ve evolved?

OJ: Great weight is placed on qualifications and I think we should respect that. But I think it’s more important that our institutions are creating opportunities for the people they represent. Take the Law Society, and the opportunity that’s created for people within the law as a result of their promotion of it.

Also, institutions like RICS, of which I’m a fellow, are working hard to create business for the industry while supporting individuals in their achievements.

BG: Lastly, what’s next for you?

OJ: There’s great change happening in the industry today.

I set up a business in 2008 called Morphose, a mergers and acquisition brokerage. There is huge consolidation happening in the support services industry, and I’m heavily involved in really getting to grips with a lot of the smaller companies in the UK FM industry. Add that to the exciting stuff that I’m hoping to do in China over the next few years, and there’s a lot to do. FM FM WORLD | 20 SEPTEMBER 2012 | 23

13/09/2012 14:33

FM FEATURE IT CONVERGENCE LEE FUNNELL

GET

I.T.

COVERED Bringing CCTV, internet, phone, VoIP and security together under a single system…

How far off is true IT ‘convergence’? ell-known in the IT sector, but relatively new for facilities management, is the concept of ‘convergence’. This refers to a single building network infrastructure used to run many systems, maximising efficiency and delivering ‘green’ advantages.

While the IT market has been enthusiastic about it for some years, many of the elements of convergence fall within the typical FM remit. Collaboration is therefore the key for FM and IT to capitalise on this efficient approach.

A ‘converged network’ means

W

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a single intelligent building cabling system that provides for voice, data, wireless devices, audio/video, energy management, lighting controls, security, fire/safety systems and HVAC. It’s where the IT world meets the FM domain, using structured cabling to create a single IP ethernet network to run low-voltage building automation systems (BAS) on one integrated, physical infrastructure, including those supported by PoE (Power over Ethernet) and PoE+.

Converged IP networks are reported to bring a host of business benefits; for many, the promise of reduced capital/operating expenditure and improved energy

efficiency are each convincing reasons in their own right.

So why isn’t everyone doing it? Perhaps legacy systems are dissuading change? The most likely reason that converged networking isn’t being more rapidly capitalised upon is that it requires two functional domains – FM and IT – to work together and to become joint owners of one system: in other words, a level of collaboration without precedence.

Imagine, for instance, an employee entering a building with their pass badge. With converged IT, the individual’s work space is immediately illuminated, network access is provided, HVAC www.fm-world.co.uk

13/09/2012 17:15

IT CONVERGENCE

“Imagine an employee entering a building using their pass; with converged IT, the individual’s work space is immediately illuminated” www.fm-world.co.uk

24-26 IT.indd 25

adjustments are made and any night-time power conservation methods are disabled.

Or when a fire alarm is activated, emergency lighting and pathway guidance systems could be instantaneously activated, doors to exits unlocked, video and audio feeds enabled, and emergency shutdowns of critical systems are initiated, while status and containment information is forwarded to rescue personnel.

These scenarios and others are all perfectly possible, but they require a significant level of integration. The picture is particularly complicated in a world where it’s common for each building service to be served separately by a different and dedicated infrastructure, usually by a specific supplier.

These services can be easily integrated, suppliers rationalised and cost-efficiencies realised through the installation of just one intelligent building cabling system.

Sensible savings Deploying a converged network means that capital expenditure is reduced at installation as less material is demanded at the outset and a single contractor may be used to install one converged system, compared to multiple

contractors installing multiple systems. However, the more compelling saving is in operating expenditure over the longer term, where an intelligent, converged system supports energy efficient protocols that will save money year-on-year, while playing a major part in more sustainable operation that controls the carbon footprint of the building.

To put a measure on the operational advantages of convergence, the EPA (the US Environmental Protection Agency) suggests that green buildings can reduce energy use by up to 70 per cent. This will mainly come from power efficiency, perhaps from intelligent, sensor-enabled provision of lighting, tailored to meet demand of the building’s inhabitants, and HVAC that operates automatically to control temperature and air movement based on chosen climate settings.

When zones of the building are unoccupied, sensors trigger power conservation routines. These power-efficient services can all be run on one, integrated and scalable network foundation.

Measuring efficiency Beyond power efficiency, a converged network can also run power monitoring across many disciplines, facilitating assessment of demand and planning for savings. When you consider that in Europe, buildings account for 40 per cent of all energy consumption, it’s immediately striking what an opportunity for efficiency this kind of continual assessment and improvement can present.

The basic premise for intelligent buildings, of course, is to use only the energy required for efficient and effective operation, no less and certainly no more. Energy management systems can also be provisioned via a converged network, to monitor demand and automate demand-based controls.

When we talk about energy

efficiency, we’re usually talking literally. However, there’s another aspect to a sustainable approach, beyond the obvious measures, to reduce power consumption and shrink our carbon footprint. This is the human element.

With a single converged network, issue resolution is much simpler and quicker, meaning that human resource is also efficiently deployed. Working with a single structured cabling contractor for ongoing maintenance can reduce service contract costs by 15 per cent according to CABA (Continental Automated Buildings Association). MACs (moves, adds and changes) can happen more quickly and, with a converged system, costs less to do (CABA estimates 20 per cent less). This not only saves the human resources needed to implement them, but also avoids delay in deployment.

If we look more broadly at efficiency, properly planned, intelligent buildings can make better use of financial resources as well. CABA estimates that intelligent systems can enhance building asset value by two-tothree times the initial investment and achieve a return on investment three to four times faster than traditional buildings.

When specifying, taking a convergent approach reduces cable volume requirement, space requirement in pathways and considerable savings on the overall installation costs, compared to when using multiple cabling systems, pathways and contractors.

Having one supplier means fewer contractors and fewer visits, not only important at installation, but also in the long term operation of the site.

Wire and fire?

In terms of cabling specification, converged networking with PoE and PoE+ enabled devices can be supported by category 5e, 6, 6A, 7 and category 7A cabling FM WORLD | 20 SEPTEMBER 2012 | 25

13/09/2012 17:15

FM FEATURE IT CONVERGENCE LEE FUNNELL

solutions in their shielded and un-shielded construction types, replacing the need for proprietary and co-axial cable or connectivity.

Multi-mode and single-mode optical fibre can also be used as part of a converged network infrastructure if needed to support a higher bandwidth backbone or to extend distances beyond the 100-metre channel length of copper, but cannot support PoE enabled devices.

The major consideration when selecting a cabling system is to estimate its lifecycle. Maximum longevity and minimum maintenance makes the best use of resources, so future performance demands must be considered and provisioned for.

Currently, category 7A/class FA is the highest performing twistedpair copper cabling system on the market, which provides a significant amount of bandwidth above and beyond other 10Gb/s network infrastructures.

Converged convergence Just as convergence allows many low-voltage applications to run over one, integrated network, it is possible to run a number of low-speed, high-density applications over different pairs of a 4-pair twisted-pair copperstructured cabling channel using the concept of ‘cable sharing’. It could be described as ‘converged convergence’, whereby the cost savings of a converged network are compounded by the savings associated with the utilisation of cable sharing.

This standards-approved strategy takes convergence on a major step, or indeed leap, as it frees up valuable pathway space by reducing the number of cables required. It further reduces the number of outlets required, which can result in lower installation labour costs. By using cable sharing, unused 26 | 20 SEPTEMBER 2012 | FM WORLD

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pairs can be reduced by up to 70 per cent – over and above the system efficiency afforded by a converged IP network.

Efficient cabling In a typical converged network environment, a wide range of applications (eg VoIP, CATV, CCTV, internet, security cameras, automation control systems, and intercom) are deployed that utilise only one or two pairs for transmission. However, cable sharing – which is possible with some fully shielded, category 7A/ class FA cables – supports multiple low-voltage applications over one cable, using all four pairs rather than just one or two.

Because of its fully shielded construction, the signals on individual category 7A pairs are fully isolated from each other and multiple applications transmitting on just one or two pairs may be run without concern for interference. In fact, category 7A/class FA media is so robust, that two PoE applications (12.95 W maximum power delivered to the each powered device) can be supported over one channel as long as power is delivered using IEEE 802.3-2005 Alternative A. As an example, if six services (VoIP, CATV, CCTV, internet, security cameras, automation control systems, and intercom) are required for a specific network implementation, providing a dedicated 4-pair cable for each low-pair count application would require six outlets at the work area or zone box; leaving a total of 16 unused pairs! A more efficient solution would be to implement a cable-sharing approach whereby each work area or zone box would support the six services over two category 7A/class FA channels.

By this cable-sharing approach, we can reduce the number of cables physically installed into a building, thereby reducing the

“Having one supplier means fewer contractors and fewer visits, not only important at installation, but also in the long term operation of the site” size of containment systems and the number of patch panels and cabinets. This has obvious and potentially significant cost-saving benefits for the building owner.

Can worlds converge?

In summary, converged IP Ethernet networks provide many compelling benefits and facilitate intelligent, automated building systems with a centralised point of control.

Making buildings greener, convergence reduces materials and waste, resulting in more environmentally-conscious installation, and provides greater control of systems to optimise energy efficiency. With a focus on the future, the case for convergence is most convincing when considered over the longer term, with initial cap-ex advantages rapidly overtaken by the op-ex reductions and

green sustainability.

Furthermore, it’s an approach most likely to qualify for green technology incentives such as the BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) assessment system and the innovation technology credits proposed the GBTA (Green Building Technology Alliance), established by BICSI. The reasons for a converged IP Ethernet network are clear and increasingly significant, but the challenge may be considerable. Is it possible to share one network cabling system to run all the building’s services? Can shared responsibility deliver significant benefits to the organisation as a whole? In short, can facilities and IT work together on this? FM Lee Funnell has worked in the telecoms industry for almost 20 years and is the technical manager for Siemon EMEA

www.fm-world.co.uk

13/09/2012 17:15

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12/09/2012 13:06

FM CASE STUDY LED LIGHTING JAMES HARRIS

A LITTLE LIGHT MUSIC Three rooms at the Royal College of Music posed unusual challenges during a lighting refit. James Harris finds how LEDs solved the problem at the Grade-II listed building

he Royal College of Music (RCM) is situated opposite the Royal Albert Hall and is host to some of the most talented musicians in the country. Gustav Holst, Andrew Lloyd-Webber and John Williams are among the college’s illustrious alumni whose playing has at been heard in the college practice rooms throughout the institution’s 118-year existence.

Designed by Sir Arthur Blomfield in the gothic revival style, the current college site was opened in 1894. The red brick building is squeezed into a small area on Prince Consort Road in Kensington, within the confines of the Imperial College buildings.

Visitors are greeted by the iconic Blomfield façade, which leads on to the college library, a museum – situated in the basement – and the Parry Room,

ROYAL COLLAGE OF MUSIC/ALAMY

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used by the college for gala receptions and other special performances.

The Grade-II listed building, underwent a £5 million refurbishment project in 2009, and has been working with the Carbon Trust to lower its emissions. The goal was to reduce the site’s carbon footprint by 34 per cent by the year 2020, with 2006 levels as a baseline.

Lighting efficiency was identified as a key area for improvement.

“In 2009 and 2010 we started to look at ways to reduce our energy costs, 60 per cent of which was in lighting”, says Matthew Nicholl, the RCM’s building manager.

Lighting manufacturer Toshiba suggested the use of light emitting diode (LED) lamps, entirely replacing the existing incandescent bulbs.

With a capacity of 120, the Parry Room has ceilings that are 6.5 metres tall, meaning scaffolding must be deployed for even a single lightbulb failure.

Understandably, the longer life span of LED is particularly welcome here from a maintenance perspective. And so it’s proved.

Says Nicholl, “we haven’t yet had to change a bulb since they were installed here, saving a fortune on maintenance.”

The wood panelling inside the room meant that it was important the lighting used was not too ‘harsh’. The LEDs used provide an ambient setting to complement the dark panelling.

Other rooms posed problems, too. It was vital that the shadows cast over sheet music and instruments were minimised.

Also, the antique instruments and delicate sheet music in the

museum are very fragile, needing to be lit safely, since too much heat projected onto them could cause damage.

The reduced heat emitted from the LED bulbs has enabled the museum to be lit more efficiently and allowed light to be projected by uplighters directly onto hanging portraits.

Payback time Financially, Nicholls believes that the payback on the RCM’s investment will take just two years in the Parry Room, and five in the museum and library.

Replacing old corridor lamps has saved 5,000 kW per hour.

Around 26kg of carbon emissions have been saved per annum through the lighting project. In fact, RCM installed fewer LED lamps than there were original bulbs, and has reported a £6,000 www.fm-world.co.uk

13/09/2012 13:58

LED LIGHTING

Cove lighting was used in the basement library (near left); soft LED lighting complimented the wood panneling in the Parry Room (centre)

RCM’s basement museum in lights (below)

just two years ago, the event highlighted that within five years (2015) entire buildings could be completely lit by LED. A major concern in 2010 was the quality of such technology and a lack of serious investment in new lighting from the industry itself.

Martin Preston, sales manager at Lutron, suggested that “the flat-screen people like Samsung, Sharp, LG and Toshiba” would prove to be the major developers of LED in the years ahead.

Since then, there has been a marked improvement in the situation and a much wider awareness of LED’s potential.

David Clements, managing director of Future Designs, says that the technology is now ready, but that “they [LED lamps] are just too dear right now to offer the end-user a viable payback time.”

The right application?

per annum reduction in energy cost savings. The success of the RCM installation poses the question: why isn’t LED light flooding the market?

The trade-off is a classic one: a high initial financial investment reaping long-term benefits. In this case, low-energy bulbs with a longer lifespan leading to lower maintenance and replacement costs. But spending big on lighting, particularly one as new as LED, is seen as a risk. A charge of £20 per LED lamp is likely to dissuade budget holders from the purchase in exchange for the relatively small unit costs associated with traditional incandescent and fluorescent lamps.

RCM certainly thought the benefits outweighed the risks involved, investing over £15,000 into the project.

In April, IMS Research’s report www.fm-world.co.uk

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on the lighting market concluded that it will be a few years yet before LEDs become the country’s most popular lighting source. Defining the standard for an entire industry is what LED lighting needs to do, according to the report. IMS also noted that while the retail price of an LED lamp is falling, it is not showing a decrease significant enough to propel LEDs into widespread commercial and domestic use.

Two sides of the story In the July 1, 2010 edition of FM World, a roundtable debate focused on the energy costs attributed to lighting. Back then,

The Royal College of Music is a unique case. Here, applying LED lighting to the problem at hand has proved to be a sensible solution for which the time has come. But for other environments, most notably the general office, concerns over brightness tend to overshadow the potential for energy savings in an office, particularly in Britain where many rooms lack enough natural sunlight in the dim winter.

In the retail sector however, it’s a different story. Retailer Next recently invested in the installation of more than 100,000 LED lamps in a multi-million pound project, while 2012 also saw Capital Shopping Centres replacing original incandescent bulbs with LEDs. Clements

highlights the “predominant use of directional downlights” as the main reason why LEDs are starting to succeed in this kind of space.

‘When’ not ‘if’ The debate has progressed over the last few years, centring not on the ‘if’ but rather the ‘when’ of mass LED adoption.

The discussion has ebbed and flowed. In FM World’s 30 June 2011 edition, Jeanine Chrobak-Kando, business development manager at LED Verbatim, pinpointed “poor quality LED lamps” as the main threat to LED growth. With such products diluting the market, FMs are unlikely to be convinced enough of the case for LED to squeeze more from their alreadyconstrained budgets.

In fact, from a manufacturer’s point of view, the higher price is one of the few ways to prove that your LED lamp is better than the cheaper products on offer.

Manufacturers are now including longer guarantees or warranties with their products in an attempt to build trust in the product.

“The old saying goes ‘you get what you pay for’ – there is still some real rubbish being offered,” states Clements. “But LED technology is still moving at a fast pace.”

IMS sees growth in the deployment of LED continuing, with the next four or five years predicted as a ‘boom’ period as project pay-back can be calculated in less than a year.

Until then, it seems that the LED solution is being overshadowed by its initial outlay. We are just waiting to flick the switch. FM

“The success of the RCM installation poses the question: why isn’t LED lighting flooding the market?”

FM WORLD | 20 SEPTEMBER 2012 | 29

13/09/2012 13:59

FM MONITOR BERNIE BROOKS

LEGAL UPDATE

Bernie Brooks is co-founder of security and intelligence firm, DatPro

DATA PROTECT I O N ACT

here CCTV is concerned, facilities W managers are deemed to be ‘the data controllers’ for buildings they manage. They’re also liable for prosecution, writes Bernie Brooks Businesses that use CCTV must comply with the Data Protection Act (DPA). If you aren’t compliant, you’re breaking the law – it’s that simple. Most companies are already aware of the requirements of the DPA, with respect to the collection and use of personal data (for example, staff and supplier databases). Yet every business should be fully aware of the relevant parts of the DPA regarding CCTV. Strictly controlled Using CCTV to capture images of visitors to your premises or to monitor tenants and employees is strictly controlled under the DPA. Dependent on interpretation, the revised edition of the CCTV code of practice issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) contains some 70 legally enforceable standards that must be complied with. For example, all data controllers should, prior to installing any CCTV system, conduct (or have conducted on their behalf) an impact assessment. This is to ascertain the proposed CCTV system’s impact on people’s privacy, and to determine whether it is justified, and if so, how the system should be operated.

If the CCTV system that you are responsible for has not had an impact assessment, and the findings documented in writing, you should get it done now.

Many facilities managers have a wide range of responsibilities and 30 | 20 SEPTEMBER 2012 | FM WORLD

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often claim they don’t have time to get and stay compliant. Many believe that the CCTV installer ‘must have made the system complaint’. However, it is not up to the installer or your service company to make your system complaint. It is up to you, as the data controller, to ensure your system is managed and operated in full compliance and continues to be complaint on an ongoing basis.

If you are a data controller you have a number of options.

One solution may appear to be to simply turn the system off. But the reality is you may have spent a long time as well as a lot of money configuring your system and are happy with the results, and can’t see how you can do without it.

You could choose to tackle the compliance issues yourself: you will have to familiarise yourself with the act (and all its ramifications), as well as keeping abreast of further changes, such as technological developments.

If you ignore the act altogether, you are found contravening the Data Protection Act principles and don’t comply, the penalties for operating a CCTV system outside of the law can be severe – even if the system does not record.

A fine of up to £5,000 (for each offence) in a Magistrate’s Court and a fine with no upper limit in a Crown Court.

Data Controllers found guilty of an offence under the act can be fined up to £500,000 or face conviction in a Crown Court. In

August 2012 a business owner was prosecuted by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for failing to register his premises’ use of CCTV equipment.

Also, individuals who believe that they have suffered damage and distress as a consequence of a CCTV system can also seek unlimited compensation through the courts.

Criminals could walk free from court if an organisations fails to ensure that its CCTV system is not in compliance with the DPA, since the evidence gathered could be considered inadmissible in court.

Subject access request All individuals whose images are captured on CCTV, classified under the act as ‘personal data’, have a legal right to request a copy of those images under what is termed ‘a subject access request’.

Any such request must be responded to within 40 days, and any other individual captured on the footage requested must either give their permission for their images to be included, or must be pixilated out.

Insurance issues Insurance companies who insist on a working CCTV system to be installed as part of their policy cover (details of which should be included in your premium), if made aware, may decide to look deeper into a claim if the only evidence is the data/images captured on CCTV that is then found to be non-compliant; this could have a serious bearing on

the outcome of a claim.

It was commented on recently that the ICO is concerned that the CCTV and automatic numberplate recognition (ANPR) provisions in the Freedoms Bill are limited to police and local authorities, whereas the technology is widely used by others (in private car parks, for example), and in an potentially invasive way.

Many people make the same basic mistake when notifying and registering the purpose of use for their CCTV (including ANPR): invariably, this notification will not provide cover for all of the uses that the system will be used for, or may transpire in use.

Data processing The first of the eight principles of the act requires that you process personal data fairly and lawfully.

Data controllers must seek informed consent, normally done with signage in the correct location, size and, most importantly, wording, giving the correct details for which the data is to be processed, and how to contact the data controller or the representative of the data controller.

Simply putting up a sign that says ‘CCTV in operation’ in most cases is neither correct nor sufficient.

Failure to comply with all of the requirements of the DPA can have serious consequences; aside from fines and the fact that the recorded data may not be admissible in a court of law.

“Data controllers found guilty of an offence under the act can be fined up to £500,000 or face conviction” www.fm-world.co.uk

13/09/2012 14:41

FM MONITOR JOHN LANE

TECHNICAL

John Lane is a partner at Cundall Communications

BU ILD IN G AU TOM AT I O N SYST EM S OV ER I P

sing Internet Protocol as a backbone U of a building automation system is increasingly common. John Lane explains some of the complex issues that can emerge The Internet Protocol (IP) is the established standard for voice, data and video networks in buildings, and is increasingly being used as a backbone for building automation systems (BAS) as well as access control, CCTV, and intruder detection.

Organisations have a choice of operating a single IP network for business applications and building controls or having two separate IP networks, one for the business and one for the premises.

In both cases, connecting BAS to IP networks is proving more complicated than expected and leading to difficulties during commissioning.

Typically, the IP backbone is represented as a single line, which implies that any device that is plugged into a backbone data socket will communicate seamlessly with any other device on the backbone. In practice, the IP backbone is likely to be much more complicated with access and core switches, Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs) and Sub-Nets.

The starting point for BAS network design is for all of the components of a particular subsystem to be able to communicate with each other across the network. So if, for example, there is a building management system (BMS) server, it must be able to send and receive data packets to and from all of the BMS outstations. On a large site, there may be many access switches and the core switches will often www.fm-world.co.uk

31_Technical.sr.indd 31

be duplicated. This creates more than one route across the network, and the network will have the intelligence to use a secondary route if the main route has failed.

A problem can occur in IP networks where core switch A is used to route data packets from VLAN1 to VLAN2 and core switch B is used to route packets from VLAN2 to VLAN1. This is seen as good network practice since the core switches share the routing workload; but it may confuse a simple IP interface for a lighting control system.

Network designers working with corporate IT networks are used to dealing with large numbers of simple end devices such as phones, PCs and printers.

These rely on the network for everything, including the automatic allocation of network addresses, and do not attempt peer-to-peer communication across the network. Any apparent peer-to-peer communication such as two phones communicating is in reality provided by a voice server or similar central device.

to have a detailed understanding of their company’s IP interface devices and to fully understand how the site IP network has been configured. There is a serious shortage of BAS engineers with the necessary knowledge and experience.

Performance issues As well as configuration issues, there can be performance problems with BAS IP interface devices.

This is due to the sheer volume of data packets traversing a modern high performance data network.

Some of these data packets are associated with network management, such as where two routes exist, management packets are sent on both routes to check that they are both still working.

Other systems broadcast packets across the network to keep in touch with end points. There is a risk that all these data packets can swamp a simple BAS IP interface device.

If the BAS IP interface is a limiting factor it is important to design the IP network to minimise the number of irrelevant data packets that the BAS interface devices will have to deal with.

One approach to the network

design is to use Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs) with one VLAN for each system such as the BMS, lighting control, access control and CCTV. If set up correctly, each system will only see relevant data packets; so, for example, the lighting IP interface will only see data packets relating to lighting control. In smaller IP networks, typically covering a single building, the VLAN-per-system approach works reasonably well.

However, for a larger campus, best practice is to limit network traffic by using a combination of IP Layer-2 switching and IP Layer3 routing. Cisco and Johnston Controls have joined forces to provide a Cisco Validated Design – BAS over IP (BAS/IP) Design and Implementation Guide 15 Aug 2008 V 8.1.

The fact the guide mentioned above (available here: tinyurl. com/cvdbas2008) is over 100 pages long gives some indication of the complexity involved. Cisco’s validated design also has five layers of switches between end devices and servers, which may be appropriate for a large enterprise campus but may not be costeffective in smaller installations. FM

A typical example of IP providing a backbone Enterprise level

Complex systems Although BAS protocols such as BACnet have been specifically extended to interface with IP networks, this is an adaption of an earlier self-contained protocol. There is a danger that a combination of the two systems may be too complicated and will not work as expected. At the very least it requires BAS engineers

IP backbone

Building automation level

CCTV HVAC controls

Lighting controls

Access controls

Field level

FM WORLD | 20 SEPTEMBER 2012 | 31

13/09/2012 17:16

FM MONITOR BARRY SCHOLES

HOW TO…

Barry Scholes is the financial director and company secretary of Evac+Chair International

U SE EM ERG EN CY L I FT S FO R EVACUAT I O N S

mergency evacuations must be conducted swiftly and safely. Specialised lifts have their advantages, but can’t be used in every situation, explains Barry Scholes

E

An emergency evacuation may be prompted by a fire, explosion, chemical or biological attack, flooding, storm damage or earthquake. In the event of an evacuation, facilities managers need to act swiftly – all employees and on-site visitors need to be safely and rapidly ushered out; in the case of multi-storey buildings, this can be complicated.

Some situations may make it difficult or impossible for building occupants to safely exit via the stairs. Evacuation lifts are frequently the first choice in a tall building, but it’s important to understand when to use them, their limitations and what other options are available for everyone to evacuate safely, including those who may be mobility impaired.

2⁄

1⁄

Modern buildings, with large numbers of occupants, will probably have a sophisticated building management system (BMS) in place that is capable of communicating data to the facilities managers. The BMS will be designed for the needs of the building and should have a strategy in place for dealing with phased evacuation, prioritising those with walking difficulties.

This may involve moving between lifts, leaving the express lifts for the fire service.

Make the decision

The decision of whether to use the lift or not may be determined by a number of factors. In the event of a fire, the first consideration should be, where is the epicentre of the fire?

Specifically, is it contained in your building or elsewhere?

If the fire is identified within your building, the evacuation situation becomes dynamic, whereas clearance times and emergency escape plan methods can be more flexible in an emergency where the fire is nearby and not directly centred in your building.

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Plan ahead

A fire-escape plan should be made and renewed to ensure that alternative strategies can be used, such as using the stairs for an evacuation path. This may depend on whether the fire is fast or slow-spreading and whether smoke is contained.

Secondly, how many persons are expected to enter the lift and how many of those boarding are wheelchair users? Consideration of the maximum payload of the lift car is crucial, as it will indicate how many persons can be extracted in a single lift trip and may determine the methods needed for safe evacuation of everyone on each floor of the building.

3⁄

Calibrate the BMS

4⁄

Know the basics An evacuation lift,

when installed in a building, should fulfil the following criteria: Be clearly identified Be situated in a protected area ● Have at least two hours’ fire resistance for the lift doors and surrounding area ● Have independent switch controls ● Have a primary and exclusive power supply ● Have at least two hours’ fire-rated electrical supply and electrically operated apparatus ● Have at least a 400 kg load capacity ● Have a good communication system for both the occupant in the lift and outside ● Must be able to pass through a hazard zone eg smoke and high temperatures ● ●

5⁄

A lift’s limitations

It is important to consider that there will be certain types of emergencies in which lift evacuation would be inappropriate.

Such a case would be in the event of a gas release, where there is a gas escape, which is highly combustible, or during a biological gas attack that could spread due to windage. Also, lifts in some buildings may be affected by misalignment due to impact, high winds, or water erosion.

Additionally, less complex buildings may only have one lift which might be for general use only, and not designated for evacuation or as a fire-proof lift.

In that case, the warning ‘In the

event of fire, do not use lift’ remains the best and only advice.

FMs for which this scenario is a reality should be prepared with additional escape routes to guarantee that everyone, including those with varying levels of mobility, can evacuate safely and quickly.

6⁄

Know the alternatives

But if lifts are not an available escape choice, all is not lost – other safe exit solutions can be used that are appropriate for everyone including employees with mobility concerns.

Allowing for a walking speed of 0.82 meters per second, most 10-storey buildings can be evacuated in under three minutes.

Specialist evacuation equipment for the mobility-impaired makes it possible for those with mobility issues, including women in the final stages of pregnancy, the elderly and those with heart conditions, to exit safely during emergencies.

Very tall buildings require new, intelligent means of escape, such as lifts. For the vast majority of the population who work or visit buildings of 20 floors or less, or have a single lift service, use of the stairs will remain the best route to safety. Emergency evacuation equipment, such as evacuation chairs, should also be considered as a key component in regularlyupdated escape plans; these products successfully help those employees with mobility concerns evacuate easily and safely. FM

“Lifts in some buildings may be affected by misalignment due to impact, high winds, or water erosion” www.fm-world.co.uk

13/09/2012 13:59

FM MONITOR STANDARDS

STANDARDS

Stan Mitchell is chair of the ISO TC 267 Facilities Management Committee

B S EN 15221-7 P ER FO R M A N CE BEN CH M A R K I N G

ine years in development, BS EN N 15221-7 focuses on benchmarking.

Now, Stan Mitchell believes, at last the FM sector has a useful means for comparison The standard BS EN 15221-7 was the original objective of the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) TC 348 when it was established nine years ago. It has taken this long, not because of the time required to develop the standard itself, but due to the need to establish appropriate foundation criteria. This is essential in order to validate the benchmarking process – and make it a meaningful exercise in producing information and knowledge to improve performance.

The ultimate objective in undertaking benchmarking is often lost in the process itself; to paraphrase Lord Kelvin, “If you do not measure, you cannot improve”. Facilities management, in my opinion, is fundamentally all about that improvement. If we do not achieve that, then we are not realising the potential that most certainly exists, and therefore not really doing the FM job properly.

You may be asking yourself, following my comments above, why this standard was the objective of the efforts of CEN TC 348 over such a prolonged period.

Quite simply, until we as a profession are able to accurately measure what we do, and as a result measure the value that we bring to our organisations large and small, we will not achieve the recognition that we deserve.

And rightly so. www.fm-world.co.uk

33_Standards.indd 33

In all my years within the sector, it has been the most sought-after tool for the practitioner. To date, it has lacked a process and a credibility and a consistency that would ensure it could be used properly, and produce meaningful data and knowledge. This standard takes a major step toward achieving that.

You may also be asking yourself – why was it so long in the making? The answer is a combination of reasons, the main one being that in order to undertake any meaningful benchmarking, you first need to have consistency in both the criteria against which you are going to measure, and when attempting to do so across different cultures, countries and legislative frameworks. In other words, you also need to establish a methodology that takes this into account.

This thinking was responsible for the long gestation period, that, in part, generated the need for the four foundation standards: space, quality, taxonomy and process.

While these four standards did not quite achieve what was intended as foundation standards for benchmarking, in themselves they were valid pieces of work and certainly contributed to our ability to produce this benchmarking standard.

From a UK perspective, we were fortunate to have Dave

Wilson as convenor of the working group that delivered the standard. The group, combined with his own knowledge and experience, has provided a valuable document that provides a fundamental base upon which we can now start to collaborate and undertake useful benchmarking across sectors as well as geographic locations.

Definition Within the standard, ‘benchmarking’ is defined as the “process of comparing strategies, processes, performances and/or other entities against practices of the same nature, under the same circumstances and with similar measures”.

Potential impact Those of us already active within the sector already know that effective measurement has, to date, been almost impossible.

This standard, along with the other foundation standards, enables us to use common methodologies for the first time,and standard measurement criteria to do so.

It is intended that through its guidance, the FM sector as a whole will see the benefits of using the standard, and also the standard terminology and categorisation of the data. In time, this will lead to organisations of different types, sectors and geographies being

able to utilise the data collected, and to accurately assess and measure in a meaningful manner.

Benchmarking types Quantitative benchmarking relates to tangible data such as financial information, space utilisation statistics, or environmental data. Qualitative benchmarking, however, relates to intangible data which is more subjective, such as service standards (quality), stakeholder satisfaction and productivity, either within the FM function itself or the primary processes of the organisation that we serve.

It follows that a combination of both qualitative and quantitative data is most likely to be relevant and considered, where specific measurements relate to the examples provided.

The new standard contains a number of normative annexes that provide information relating to data collection, associated with performance, contextual, financial, spatial, environmental, service, and satisfaction.

They also provide normative information relating to inherent complications and risks as well as some benchmarking examples.

Through the adoption of effective benchmarking, we will not just enhance our ability as a professional discipline to measure our performance effectively, but enhance our ability to demonstrate it. FM

“Organisations of different types, sectors and geographies will able to utilise the data, and to compare themselves in a meaningful manner” FM WORLD | 20 SEPTEMBER 2012 | 33

13/09/2012 15:01

FM FMMONITOR SUPPLEMENT MARKET CATERING INTELLIGENCE

BY NAME IN HERE

INSIGHT

The figures on this page have been compiled from several sources and are intended as a guide to trends. FM World declines any responsibility for the use of this information.

ECONOMY

INDEX OF PRODUCTION

WASTE-MANAGEMENT REPORT

VAT rates: Standard rate – 20% (from 4 January 2011) Reduced rate – 5% Zero rate – this is not the same as exempt or outside the scope of VAT

UK-controlled waste collection and disposal services

Bank of England base rate: 0.5% as of 7 September 2011.

The previous change in bank rate was a reduction of 0.5 percentage points to 0.5% on 5 March 2009.

The seasonally adjusted index of production fell by 0.8 per cent in July 2012 compared with July 2011. This is the 16th consecutive monthly fall on the same month a year ago. The seasonally adjusted index of production rose by 2.9 per cent between June 2012 and July 2012, following a fall of 2.4 per cent between May 2012 and June 2012.

In the June 2012 Index of Production statistical bulletin, ONS highlighted the moving of the late May bank holiday into June and the additional bank holiday in June for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee as a likely contributing factor to the weakness seen in June 2012. As a result, ONS suggests readers use caution when interpreting movements involving June 2012.

Source: Bank of England (bankofengland.co.uk)

Source: ONS (www.ons.gov.uk)

Consumer/Retail Price Index CPI annual inflation stands at 2.6 per cent in July 2012, up from 2.4 per cent in June 2012.

The largest upward pressures on the change in the CPI rate came from transport (particularly air fares) and clothing & footwear.

RPI annual inflation stands at 3.2 per cent in July 2012, up from 2.8 per cent in June

Seasonally-adjusted output July 2012 compared to July 2011:

Source: HM Treasury (hmrc.gov.uk)

Source: ONS (www.ons.gov.uk)

EMPLOYMENT

MANUFACTURING: -0.5% MINING & QUARRYING: -2.4% ENERGY SUPPLY: +0.1% WATER & WASTE MANAGEMENT: -1.2%

12,000 11,000 10,000 9000 8000 2010

2011

2012 est

2013 Fcst

2014 Fcst

2015 Fcst

2016 Fcst

Data indicates that the market for the collection and disposal of controlled waste was valued at an estimated £8.9 billion in 2011.

Strong annual growth rates up until 2008 were underpinned by the implementation of EU directives, aimed at reducing the volumes of landfilled waste and increasing the levels of material recovery through recycling, composting and energy-from-waste.

Above all, the impact of the Landfill Tax escalator on landfill gate fees has made these alternative approaches more commercially attractive.

There remains a pressing need for the UK to improve waste recovery rates, particularly in the non-municipal sectors, and to develop waste treatment and recycling infrastructure.

Source: www.amaresearch.co.uk

National Minimum Wage CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY – NEW ORDERS

The following rates came into effect on 1 October 2011: Category of worker

Hourly rate from 1 Oct 2011

Aged 21 and above

£6.08

Aged 18 to 20 inclusive

£4.98

Aged under 18 (but above compulsory school age)

£3.68

Apprentice rate, for apprentices under 19 or 19 or over and in the first year of their apprenticeship

£2.60

34 | 20 SEPTEMBER 2012 | FM WORLD

34_Insight.indd 34

The total volume of all new construction orders in the second quarter of 2012 is estimated to have increased by 0.2 per cent compared with the first quarter of 2012, and is 11.1 per cent higher than the second quarter of 2011 in constant (2005) prices.

Compared with the first quarter of 2012, there was a large increase in public other new work, which grew by 31.5 per cent. However, there were decreases in infrastructure new work (20.4 per cent) and private industrial new work (13.3 per cent).

The volume of new orders for infrastructure is estimated to be 38.5 per cent higher in the second quarter of 2012 than in the same period one year earlier in constant (2005) prices, seasonally adjusted.

This series cannot be used to directly predict

future output in the construction sector, though it gives an indication of trends in the industry.

Source: ONS (www.ons.gov.uk)

PUBLIC NEW WORK, UP

INFRASTRUCTURE NEW WORK DOWN

31.5% ON Q1 2012 13.3% 20.4%

PRIVATE INDUSTRIAL NEW WORK DOWN

www.fm-world.co.uk

13/09/2012 14:00

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FM WORLD | 20 SEPTEMBER 2012 | 35

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11/09/2012 16:04

BIFM NEWS BIFM.ORG.UK

50 BIFM members attended the Home Counties event at Adobe’s new EMEA headquarters in Maidenhead in July this year

EVENT

The FM Event BIFM chairman Ismena Clout will be opening The FM Event, to be held at London Olympia.

The BIFM will then be hosting various sessions at the event.

Wednesday 10 October 10.15 - 10.30: Welcome address from Ismena Clout (main theatre) 13.15 - 14.15: Employability – the FM skill set (main theatre). What do organisations need from their FMs? Chaired by Liz Kentish, deputy chairman, BIFM. Thursday 11 October 10.30 – 11.15: ‘Vacant property within the building life-cycle’ (main theatre). Chaired by Ashley Rogers, chair of BIFM members’ council.

12.30 – 14.00: ’Overcoming barriers to sustainability’, BIFM sustainability Sig (networking hub). Chaired by Lucy Black, chair of the BIFM sustainability Sig 12.20 – 13.00: ‘The Inclusive workplace’ (main theatre). Hosted

by Julie Kortens, chairman of the Women in FM Sig. 14.30 – 16.00: ‘BIFM rising FMs – a career of choice’ (networking hub). Hosted by Claire Akin, deputy chair, Rising FMs Sig. If you will be at the event please make sure you come and see the BIFM team on stand E120. i Learn more and register for free at www.thefmevent.com

36 | 20 SEPTEMBER 2012 | FM WORLD

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BIFM AWARDS

HOME COUNTIES REGION

Last chance Adobe visit to book The BIFM Awards are now just weeks away, and very close to being a sell-out. With less than 100 of the 1,200 tickets available, if you are planning to attend you are advised to book your tickets or table as soon possible to avoid disappointment.

The ceremony takes place on Monday 8 October at London’s The Grosvenor House Hotel.

A limited number of 10-seat tables are available at £2,200+vat, 12-seat tables at £2,640+vat, and individual tickets are £220+vat The finalists for 2012 have been announced, and you can see all those in contention for a BIFM Award at www.bifm. org.uk/finalists2012. The BIFM wishes all our finalists good luck and would like to thank all those who entered, making 2012 the biggest and best awards to date.

Entries for the 2013 awards will open in January. i To confirm your place on 8 October, email awards@bifm.org.uk, call 0141 206 3717 or visit www.bifm. org.uk/awards2012

Headquartered in California, Adobe are well-known for creating PDFs and design software. So, another wacky West-Coast tech company with offices to match? Not really, as the 50 BIFM members attending the Home Counties event in July at Adobe’s new EMEA HQ in Maidenhead discovered.

A number of speakers, including Mark Cosh from SitexOrbis, addressed the guests.

“Adobe has changed from a company focused on document formats to one that is much more involved in providing creative solutions,” said Nigel Coxhead, EMEA facilities manager. The Adobe culture and its workplaces have been quite conservative but that is changing and the EMEA HQ is leading the way.

From innovative workplaces to protection of empty property, it’s all part of the FM’s remit and Mark Cosh, from vacant property specialists SitexOrbis, made the subject interesting.

“Vacant property is a very small part of most facilities managers’ portfolios, but takes up much of their time and causes the most pain,” he said. Cosh set out the

KEEP IN TOUCH » Network with the BIFM @ www.networkwithbifm.org.uk » Twitter @BIFM_UK » LinkedIn » facebook » YouTube » Flickr

issues facing those with empty space on their books – vandalism, arson, squatting, trespass, visits from ‘urban explorers’, metal theft and more.

Thanks to Adobe and to sponsor SitexOrbis, and congratulations to Debbie George, operations manager at Segro, who won a bottle of champagne in the SitexOrbis business-card raffle, and to Nigel Coxhead who also won a bottle of champagne in the event raffle. i To learn more about BIFM groups visit www.bifm.org.uk/groups

IRELAND REGION

Ireland conference There is still time to book for the BIFM Ireland region conference, ‘FM Impacting Organisations’, taking place on 16 November at the Belfast Waterfront.

Sessions include: ● ’One hundred years of health and safety – a Titanic journey’, with David Knott, safety & environmental manager, Belfast Harbour Commissioners ● A major refurbishment at the National Gallery of Ireland.

Reconciling a 19th century structure with 21st century demands, with Christiaan Clotworthy, head of security and facilities, National Gallery of Ireland ● Energy, home and work with Dr Michael Ferguson, managing www.fm-world.co.uk

13/09/2012 14:00

Please send your news items to communications@bifm.org.uk or call 0845 058 1356

Claire Akin is a volunteer on the BIFM Rising FMs special interest group

BIFM COMMENT VO LU N T E E R I N G F O R B I F M

began my career in FM at the age of 17 as a receptionist not having any experience of the industry. The support of a mentor helped me to work my way up from a receptionist to a facilities contract manager within four years and become recognised as of the ‘35 Under 35 Rising Stars’ at the age of 23 in 2006. I continued to work up within the industry and obtain qualifications. In 2010 I decided I wanted to give something back to the industry that had put so much time and effort into me, so I became a volunteer for the Rising FMs Sig. As a committee we meet up once a month and discuss relevant topics, brainstorm ideas for events and ideas for pushing FM a career of choice. We arrange various CPD events and cover topics related to the BIFM competencies. The events are made informative and interactive for our members so they have something to take away with them and hopefully adopt into their own roles and development. Although time-consuming putting all the pieces together, when I see the end result and receive positive feedback from our members, it makes it worthwhile. I personally enjoy helping members develop themselves within the industry, gain new skills, and I like networking with other members.

Volunteering has developed my personal skills and benefitted me in many ways.

My public speaking has seen me confidently speak to an audience of over 200 people.

My networking skills have improved and I am able to join in on debates and discussions with members and other FM professionals. I am regularly contacted by members for advice on training and development. I am regularly asked for my opinion and input for industry events from senior members within the industry. Volunteering has helped me become recognised as an industry team player whose input is valued. In 2011, I became the deputy chair of the committee and recently in 2012 I was voted as one of the ‘Rising Stars of FM’ (as featured in FM World).

If you are thinking of volunteering but are worried you may not be able to commit the time or concerned that you may not have enough to input, then please don’t let this put you off. You may have experience in a specialist discipline that would be advantageous to members or you may be a keen administrator who could be a committee secretary. You may want to open up your building for events or be a speaker at an event. Rising FMs recently introduced ‘Open Building Days’ where FMs can open their buildings to other members and talk about the specifics of their buildings and roles. We also encourage our members to take part in ‘About the Job’ sessions that are held during our events and give FMs the chance to speak about their roles, their current challenges and what they most enjoy. Volunteering in this way will gain you recognition, credit and can be placed on your CPD and CV.

I

director, Aramark Environmental Services ● TFM – The Channel 4 journey with Julie Kortens, head of corporate services at Channel 4 ● Are you a radiator or a vacuum cleaner? ‘Do you energise your teams or suck the life out of them?’, with Liz Kentish, the FM Coach BIFM members can attend for £120+vat or ¤180. i To book visit www.bifm.org.uk/ IC2012 or contact Sharon Dempster on 028 9023 2622 or by emails. dempster@hjmartin.co.uk

SOCIAL MEDIA

Follow BIFM Are you following BIFM on social media? Find and follow us on Twitter to get all the latest news as it happens – find us at ‘@BIFM_ UK’. You can also follow ThinkFM at ‘@ThinkFMbyBIFM’.

Catch a glimpse of all the BIFM activities on our Facebook page ‘The BIFM’ with all the latest images and videos.

Our LinkedIn group, ‘British Institute of Facilities Management’, now has nearly 10,000 members, so join today and connect with your fellow FMs. You can also get involved in the debates and discussions, which are posted daily.

www.fm-world.co.uk

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“YOU MAY HAVE EXPERIENCE IN A SPECIALIST DISCIPLINE THAT WOULD BE ADVANTAGEOUS TO MEMBERS”

i To learn more about volunteering for BIFM see all our groups at www.bifm.org.uk/ groups or email membership@bifm.org.uk

FM WORLD | 20 SEPTEMBER 2012 | 37

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BIFM NEWS BIFM.ORG.UK

BIFM MEMBERS

MEMBERSHIP

Corporate members

Monthly direct debits

The BIFM welcomed the following as corporate members in July:

The BIFM has recently seen an increase in the number of members requesting the option of paying their membership fee by monthly direct debit.

In recognition of this, the BIFM have introduced a monthly instalment payment option in addition to the existing annual direct debit option.

The monthly option is available to both new and renewing members to help them spread the cost of their subscription in the current economic climate.

Current members who choose this option will be able to pay monthly from their membership renewal date.

The new monthly option is subject to an administration charge of up to five per cent.

All monthly payments are also due for 12 months.

● Airedale Technical Services

Ltd – FM service suppliers, contractors ● B&M Waste Services – FM service suppliers, contractors ● Boots UK – end-user, in-house FM team ● Chubb Fire & Security Ltd – FM management, suppliers ● Connect Vending Ltd – FM service suppliers, contractors ● Devonshire Square Management – FM management, suppliers ● EST Energy Co Ltd – FM management, suppliers ● Excitech Ltd – FM management, suppliers ● Grosvenor Facilities Services – end-user, in-house FM team ● Nviro Limited – FM service suppliers, contractors The BIFM welcomed the following as corporate members in August: ● ERIKS UK – product supplier, provider of a specific product ● Amalgamated Lifts – FM service suppliers, contractors ● FMCS Ltd – FM service suppliers, contractors ● K-Mac Facilities Management Company Ltd – end-user, in-house FM team ● Metartec – FM service suppliers, contractors ● Mountjoy Ltd – FM service suppliers, contractors ● Nationwide Property Solutions Ltd – FM service suppliers, contractors ● Northern Light Stage and Technical Services Limited – FM service suppliers, contractors ● Third Sector Property – consultant, provider of advice and guidance i Learn more about about corporate membership at www.bifm.org.uk/ corporatemembership

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i For more information on the monthly instalments amount please visit www.bifm.org.uk/payment. For further details please contact the membership team on 0845 058 1358, or via membership@bifm.org.uk

GOOD PRACTICE GUIDES

GPGs Are you up to date on all the BIFM Good Practice Guides? These guides are free to all members and are an indispensable source of knowledge.

Titles in the series include: ● Managing Vacant

Property FM Software ● FM Procurement ● Project Financial Appraisal ● Refurbishing Office Interiors ● Managing Fire Safety ● Risk Management ● Business Continuity ● Selecting

i BIFM Members can access all the Good Practice Guides at www.bifm.org.uk/gpgs

BIFM TRAINING MEETING THE CHALLENGES OF CHANGE: HOW CAN LEARNING PROGRAMMES MAKE A DIFFERENCE? f only achieving change was simply a question of pressing the button on new processes. Whether it’s a question of streamlining or automating activities, re-structuring, or re-designing job roles, the potential benefits are considerable. However in these and countless other examples of organisational change, the most difficult challenges lie in engaging people and bringing them with you in what can often be a complicated journey.

‘Training’ is often identified as an important element in the change process, but it can take many different forms. Unless the approach is carefully integrated into the overall planning programmes may fail to deliver against expectations. Equipping staff with new skills and techniques is really only a starting point, because without a high degree of engagement and motivation individuals will often still under-perform. This can have a serious impact on key areas of the operation such as customer service, and nowhere is this more obvious than among frontline operational teams.

Often feeling undervalued and under growing pressure to maintain or increase the quality of service delivery, despite cuts in resources, frontline staff are nevertheless vital to the way many customers perceive the quality of FM provision. Conventional classroombased training may not work for many of these individuals – both in terms of the logistics of attending whole-day sessions or because ‘chalk and talk’ courses simply don’t fit their preferred learning styles. So a more tailored, blended approach which offers flexibility as well as a highly applied style of learning will often be more successful.

Equally challenging for many managers is the task of preparing staff for new job roles and responsibilities as part of the succession-planning process. Again it may be important to think beyond the initial skills improvement programme: how will the learning be applied, and how will its impact be assessed in terms of performance improvement?

In a fast-moving discipline such as FM, change is an integral part of the management process. Effective learning and development strategies are an essential way to underpin evolving structures and processes but require an increasing degree of creativity and ingenuity to ensure that they truly deliver the expected impact.

I

i For further information on how BIFM Training can help you with your current learning challenges, please contact us on 0207 242 4141 or via info@bifm-training. com. Alternatively please visit our website at www.bifmtraining.com for information on our consultancy services, in-house course delivery and tailored training programmes

www.fm-world.co.uk

13/09/2012 14:01

FM DIARY INDUSTRY EVENTS 2 October | The British Council for Offices (BCO) national awards dinner The awards provide public recognition for top-quality design and functionality and set a benchmark for excellence in workplaces. The programme acknowledges innovation and focuses external attention on examples of best practice.

Categories include ‘Best Commercial Workplace’.

Venue: JW Marriott Hotel, London Contact: To book, visit www.bcoawards.org.uk 8 October | BIFM Awards 2012 The BIFM Awards is the biggest and most influential networking event within the UK’s FM calendar, and gives national recognition to the leaders in our profession.

The night of the awards ceremony brings together the leaders of our sector with the winners and finalists, as well as high-profile guest presenters to celebrate excellence in the FM sector. With a 50 per cent increase in the number of entries (on 2011), all categories will be tightly contested. Only a small fraction of the 1,200 tickets remain, so book your place soon.

Venue: Grosvenor House hotel, London Contact: Guarantee a place by emailing awards@bifm.org.uk or calling 0141 206 3717 10–11 October | The CIBSE Conference & Exhibition The annual global meeting for the building services industry.

The exhibition welcomes a variety of professionals from consultant engineers to architects, property managers and contractors.

Venue: London Olympia Contact: Visit www. buildingservicesevent.com; for exhibiting opportunities, contact Josue Paulos at josue.paulos@ ubm.com or call 020 7955 3974

Send details of your event to editorial@fm–world.co.uk or call 020 7880 6229

10–11 October | The FM Event Formerly Total Workplace Management. Includes live debates and seminars, roundtable discussion forums, the Green FM trail, a networking hub and exhibitor stands.

Venue: London’s Olympia Contact: Visit www.thefmevent. com. For exhibiting opportunities, contact Fergus Bird at fergus.bird@ubm.com or call 020 7921 8860 18–19 October | FM Property & Energy 2012 Talks from various directors, including Helen Ohlsson, global FM at IKEA, Ian Dunning, global facilities director at Unilever, and Billy Davidson, property director at Vodafone.

Venue: Wokefield Park, Reading Contact: Email jasonawatar@ globalbusinessevents.co.uk or visit www.fmandpropertyevent.com 5-9 November | Workplace Week 2012 Convention on 8 November hosted by Microsoft in London.

It will challenge conventional thinking on organisations and the infrastructure that supports them.

All proceeds from the convention will be donated to Children in Need. Leading organisations and innovative workplaces will open their doors for short visits for 16 workplace professionals.

Venue: Microsoft, Victoria, London Contact: For more information, visit www.workplaceweek.com To host a workplace tour, please email hstenhouse@advancedworkplace.com

and construction. With 57,956 visiting professionals and leading companies including BT, Carillion, Cross Rail, Marks & Spencer, Skanska, Tesco and more.

Venue: ExCel, London Contact: To find out more, email gary.williams@ubm.com or visit www.ecobuild.co.uk BIFM SIG EVENTS 27 September | Fellows Forum Sig – Allen & Overy seminar A lunchtime seminar: ‘Break options – what to do and what not to do’, with a presentation by Sophie Schultz of Allen & Overy LLP and Adam Beck of DTZ. Venue: Allen & Overy LLP, One Bishops Square, London, E1 6AD Contact: Email Joanna LloydDavies at jld@joannalloyddavies. co.uk or call 07778 812 315 8 October | Risk & Business Continuity Management Sig – How business continuity plans influence insurance premiums Brian Sullivan of underwriters Thomas Miller discusses the risk-carrier’s view that underwriters absorb losses associated with insurance claims.

The event is free to BIFM members. Based on industry research into insurance claims data, this seminar will identify the specific best practices and how to present them to your insurer.

Venue: 4.30pm – 7pm at DCM Elton Lane, Sibson, Peterborough Contact: To book your place, visit bcpinsurance.eventbrite.co.uk INTERNATIONAL EVENTS

5-7 March 2013 | Ecobuild 2013 Ecobuild is the world’s biggest event for sustainable design, construction and the built environment, bringing together communities from across diverse sectors to learn, share, experience and discover the future of sustainable building

31 October – 2 November | IFMA’s World Workplace 2012 The largest annual conference for FM. Exhibitors and discussions including ‘Driving innovation’. Network and find out what others are doing – compare processes

and programmes with other professionals. A range of educational sessions on finance, technology and communication.

Venue: Henry B Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio, US Contact: Visit www. worldworkplace.org/2012 2-4 April 2013 | IFMA Facility Fusion conference & expo A high-level facilities management education, leadership training, industry-specific best practices and an all-inclusive expo.

Venue: J.W. Marriott, Los Angeles, USA Contact: For more information, visit www.ifmafacilityfusion.org IRELAND REGION 16 November | FM Impacting Organisations – Ireland region conference Including talks from David Knott, safety and environmental manager, Belfast Harbour Commissioners; Dr Michael Ferguson, managing director, Aramark Environmental Services; Julie Kortens, head of corporate services at Channel 4 Television; and Liz Kentish, The FM Coach.

Venue: Belfast Waterfront Contact: Call Sharon Dempster on 028 9023 2622. To book online, visit www.bifm.org.uk/bifm/ events/book/2502 SCOTTISH REGION 28 September | All About FM! Scotland region annual conference and exhibition Various speakers, including Alison Bond, director, The Halo Works and David Sharp, managing director, Workplace Law. Venue: Our Dynamic Earth, Holyrood Road, Edinburgh EH8 8AS Contact: Email Morag Brown at morag.brown@hcs-bi.co.uk or call 0141 646 3054

NEED SOME GOOD ADVICE? The Good Practice Guide to SELECTING FM SOFTWARE The BIFM publishes a series of good practice guides which are free of charge to all members. For a full list of titles or to download the guides, visit www.bifm.org.uk Non-members: call 020 7880 8543 to order your copy

www.fm-world.co.uk

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FM WORLD | 20 SEPTEMBER 2012 | 39

13/09/2012 14:55

300+ SENIOR ATTENDEES 40 DISCUSSION GROUPS 40 FMPE SPEAKERS 8 PANEL DEBATES LIMITED SPACES ENQUIRE NOW! TWO DAYS OF NETWORKING, EDUCATION, DEBATE’S AND BUSINESS GROWTH

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22/08/2012 11:57 10/09/2012 11:51

FM PEOPLE MOVERS & SHAKERS

BEHIND

THE JOB

NAME: Aidan Bell JOB TITLE: Managing director ORGANISATION: Aramark Workplace Solutions JOB DESCRIPTION: To operate Aramark’s facilities management business and develop the company’s integrated services proposition.

Services include cleaning, landscaping, switchboard and reception, and mechanical and electrical maintenance, currently delivered at more than 400 sites.

How did you get into facilities management and what attracted you to the industry?

I started in electrical project management, which then morphed into building services, and evolved into FM. The attraction is the variety – doing something I love with great people, and knowing you are making a real difference to the smooth-running of an organisation.

Which ‘FM myth’ would you most like to put an end to?

A lot of people think that FM is a thankless task – people expect a building to work well and give no thanks when it does, but a lot of flak if something goes wrong. That hasn’t been my experience; plenty of clients are happy and give praise when services are running smoothly.

What has been your biggest career challenge to date?

Meeting demands for continual cost-reduction and the expectation from some organisations of getting more for less.

My top perk at work is‌ I enjoy the fact that no two days are the same.

I can be at a client’s head office in Swindon on Monday and a factory in Toulouse on Tuesday.

I get to experience a range of environments.

If I wasn’t in facilities management, I’d probably be‌ An economist. I nearly studied economics at university in Dublin but chose electrical project management instead. If I’d chosen differently I might have ended up being a banker, perhaps not the best career choice given what’s happened in the past few years.

Any interesting tales to tell?

The phrase ‘bird’s eye view’ took on a whole new meaning on a pest control project I worked on for the waste giant Biffa. I had to evaluate different types of hawks on a range of sites and their breeding patterns. It was the most bizarre week of my working life and I learned far more about birds of prey than most people should ever need to know.

What single piece of advice would you give to a young facilities manager starting out?

Get your head around money. A good grounding in financial management will help you understand budgets and manage costs as well as operations.

Without it, your scope for career progression is likely to be limited.

How do you think facilities management has changed in the last five years?

Changing procurement patterns are seeing a range of services bundled into one contract for a single supplier, meaning that integrated services providers are in pole position to benefit.

Help us shape the next 125 years.

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Johnson Controls Global WorkPlace Solutions is a leading provider of facilities and commercial real estate management for many of the world’s largest companies. Our employees across the world have delivered more than $3 billion in savings for our customers over the last 10 years.

www.fm-world.co.uk

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We have opportunities in South Africa for facilities management and workplace professionals looking to develop their careers. If you would like to help us deliver innovative solutions and high-value support to our global clients please visit our website www.johnsoncontrols.com/careers to view current opportunities and register for future alerts.

Our Level 3 Value-Adding Supplier BBBEE status demonstrates our commitment to the socio-economic transformation of South Africa.

FM WORLD | 20 SEPTEMBER 2012 | 41

13/09/2012 14:10

Call Adam Potter on 020 7880 8543 or email adam.potter@fm-world.co.uk For full media information take a look at www.fm-world.co.uk/mediapack

FM NEWS

FM innovations ▼ MK Electric and Philips lighting team up Market leaders MK Electric and Philips have joined forces to offer a practical solution to overcome the industry’s long-standing issues in producing reliable LED lighting offerings that operate effectively with dimmable switches.

MK’s Design Service has produced a specialist dimmer that works with the Philips ‘Master’ LED product range, specifically 7W Master LED spot GU10 MV and 8W Master LED bulb DimTone.

The award-winning LED lamps can be paired with dimmers from two of MK Electric’s most popular ranges, Logic Plus – the classic, white plastic design – and Edge – the stylish, functional, slim-profile design. Both ranges are rated 8W-48W to operate effectively with the Master LED lamps.

W: www.mkelectric.co.uk and www.philips.co.uk/lighting

▲ Sercon cleans up at Loch Lomond

▲ AutoCAD training for FM Cadcoaching specialises in AutoCAD training and support, mainly in the construction and facilities management sectors.

Cadcoaching is able to help with relevant AutoCAD training of facilities staff and set-up of CAD standards. AutoCAD has emerged as a popular tool in facilities management over the past decade, and advantages can be gained through accurate record keeping and asset management on CAD floor plans.

Courses are suitably customised to help even the most basic of users to start using the programme with confidence. Companies who’s facilities staff we’ve trained include; Unison, Coca-Cola, Chaucer Insurance, Burberry and The British Museum.

Although based in London, we’re happy to undertake work anywhere in the UK. W: www.cadcoaching.co.uk

Sercon Support Services Ltd has secured a contract to clean the public conveniences throughout the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park, with the toilets spread across a number of locations including Balloch, Luss, Firkin, Balmaha Milarrochy and Rowardennan.

The one-year contract, which is valued at over £65,000pa. 2012 has proved to be a successful year for the company after securing five public sector contracts for cleaning and security services in the past six months, increasing the company’s public sector turnover to 26 per cent.

Included within the scope of requirement for this contract is the general toilet cleaning of all public conveniences throughout the National Park, which will be undertaken using the winter schedule.

T: 01294 217 600 W: www.serconltd.co.uk

▼ Alton Towers chooses Quartix Alton Towers Resort has opted for the Quartix system to track their 12 vehicles. Alton Towers has been using vehicle tracking for four years but decided to change suppliers.

The Quartix system ticked all the boxes, offering driver-style monitoring and flexible 12-month contracts. Chris Richbell, transport manager, was also happy to move away from the third-party leasing they had in the past: “Direct rental made it attractive, and the cost is great”.

The transportation team check the live tracking feature throughout the day so they can inform guests where vehicles are at any time, and be a step ahead if the drivers ever find themselves in traffic.

T: 0870 013 6663 W: www.quartix.co.uk

▲ OCS named family business of the year

▲ Wandsworth launces new dimension

Total facilities management provider OCS Group has been named Family Business of the Year at the prestigious Private Business Awards 2012.

The awards, sponsored by PwC and HSBC Private Bank, celebrate excellence in the non-quoted business sector.

The judges were impressed by OCS’s record of cash generation, a strategic approach to developing services in high-growth markets and its commitment to innovation and sustainability.

“The group has a five-year plan to expand revenues to £1.2billion. It is a very clear strategy, a longstanding, sustainable company and something that is relatively recession-proof – they’ve done very well,” said Charlie Hoffman, managing director of HSBC Private Bank and co-chair of the awards judging panel.

Wiring accessories specialist, The Wandsworth Group, has turned conventional design around with the introduction of a new circular plate range.

Drawing on the design that has characterised the Wandsworth range, it is based on the company’s Series 2 sockets and switches, using the same interiors with a circular plate. The innovation marks the first time that circular sockets and switches have been available in a range of finishes from any supplier in the UK. The new range is available in any of the the Wandsworth Series 2 finishes, including polished brass, super mirror stainless steel, antique bronze, satin silver and also satin stainless steel.

T: 0161 707 0992 E: clare@clarecomms.co.uk W: www.wandsworthgroup.com

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Call Carly Gregory on 020 7324 2755 or email jobs@fm-world.co.uk For full media information take a look at www.fm-world.co.uk/mediapack

jobs.fm-world.co.uk

FM New appoints 200912a.indd Sec1:43

Appointments

FM WORLD | 20 SEPTEMBER 2012 | 43

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ASSOCIATE FACILITIES MANAGER MANCHESTER

Workman LLP are the UK’s leading commercial property management specialist with of¿ces throughout the UK. With responsibility for the direct supervision of a small team of Regional Facilities Managers ensuring the delivery of FM services to a mixed portfolio of multi-let properties located in the North West and North East of the UK; the successful candidate will provide a ¿rst class, market leading service to our Clients and their Occupiers.

The individual will succeed in achieving the business plan objectives for facilities management services to the designated properties and ensure compliance in all aspects of Health and Safety, minimising risk to Workman’s clients and to the business.

Speci¿c duties will encompass among other requirements, responsibility for the provision of facility management services to the designated properties in accordance with Customer Agreements, Speci¿cations and KPI’s and the aptitude to lead, manage and motivate suppliers and contractors to deliver appropriate service levels and value for money.

In return for your dedicated and innovative service, Workman offer a competitive salary and bene¿ts package in keeping with its status as a market leader.

To apply for the role please send your CV and concise covering letter stating why you would be suitable for the role to recruitment@workman.co.uk specifying in the Subject line of the e-mail reference AFM - M by 29 October 2012.

For further information visit www.workman.co.uk Please be aware we will only respond to successful candidates.

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the

natural choice in FM recruitment

To find out how you can benefit from working with Eden Brown, contact us today on 0845 4 505 202. www.edenbrown.com

44 | 20 SEPTEMBER 2012 | FM WORLD

FM New appoints 200912a.indd Sec1:44

jobs.fm-world.co.uk

13/09/2012 15:12

Facilities Manager PO2 Point 35 - 38 (£32,532 - £35,055) | 35 hours per week | 52 weeks per year | Permanent We are looking for an experienced and enthusiastic Facilities Manager to Àll a full-time, varied and demanding role. The school is in the exciting position of undertaking a partial new build programme from March 2013.

The successful candidate will have overall responsibility for the strategic development, care and upkeep of Parliament Hill School’s buildings and grounds. He/ She will lead and manage an effective team of Site Staff who will provide an environment for outstanding learning and teaching, fulÀl the school’s strategic intentions and achieve the objectives of the School Development Plan.

The ideal person will be very competent at multi-tasking and prioritising, have impeccable attention to detail, a Áexible approach to duties and hours, excellent communication skills and written and spoken English and the ability to work with minimum supervision.

A Facilities Management degree qualiÀcation or relevant equivalent qualiÀcation is essential, as is experience of managing a large school site. Membership of a professional body such as BIFM is desirable.

Parliament Hill School is a highly acclaimed girls’ comprehensive school, providing an outstanding education for its students (Ofsted 2010). We are proud of our richly diverse and fully comprehensive school community. Students beneÀt from a mixed sixth form run jointly with William Ellis Boys’ School, within the larger La Swap Sixth Form Consortium. The school is committed to providing the highest quality of learning and teaching opportunities for students, as well as excellent continuous professional development programmes for all staff.

An application form and further information is available on the school’s website http://www.parliamenthill.camden.sch.uk/ or on e-mail via jobs@parliamenthill.camden.sch.uk or please contact HR on 0207 482 9850.

The closing date and time for applications is 1st October 2012 at midday and interviews are expected to be held on 8th October 2012. In order to respond to candidates as efÀciently as possible we would like to encourage applications and correspondence via email to the above address.

Parliament Hill School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful applicant’s appointment will be subject to satisfactory clearance by the Criminal Records Bureau.

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JOBS

WE CAN HELP YOU FIND

YOUR PERFECT JOB

JOBS BY EMAIL Be the first to receive your perfect job straight to your inbox. To sign up simply; • Enter your name and email address • Chose the sector, salary and location you would like to work within • Create up to 5 different tailor made alerts

CV UPLOAD Upload your CV and complete your jobseeker profile and increase your chances of being found for your perfect job. No need to go through hundreds of job ads, just fill in your profile and let employers do the work.

RECRUITING NOW:

Contact the sales team on 0207 324 2755 | www.fm-world.co.uk/jobs HPH_1.indd 1 HPH 200912.indd 1 jobs.fm-world.co.uk HPH_1.indd 1

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15/08/2012 15:39 15:02 13/09/2012 FM WORLD | 20 SEPTEMBER 2012 | 45 15/08/2012 15:02

13/09/2012 15:44

FINAL WORD NOTES FROM AROUND THE WORLD OF FM

NO 2

DAYS

"WHAT CONSTITUTES GOOD PRACTICE THE SAME WHEN RUNNING A HELPDESK?" THERE WAS A YOUNG FM FROM YORK… Former BIFM chairman Ian Broadbent continues to impress with his charity work, but his company Hallmark Cards's facilities management department is no less interesting. Ian's team have been "focused on making simple changes that make peoples' day on site better as well as adding some creativity – after all that’s what Hallmark is about". And as perhaps befits the greetings-card maker, the team has taken to writing limericks to impart crucial out-of-order warning information. Here's an example: "I’m sorry I’m unable to vend It’s driving me round the bend Facilities are aware And have arranged a repair And I’ll soon be back on the mend.

Thank you for your patience – the facilities team at Hallmark" Pretty good, isn't it? So good, in fact, that we think there must be other would-be poets out there who can attempt to match or possibly even better the Hallmark offering.

Now, at the outset we should point out that the limerick format can tend towards the bawdy, and even obscene. We won't have any truck with that. But if you can come up with a standard five-line limerick to describe your working day, a particular pet peeve or anything to do with your job in FM, we'll be happy to publish the best of them here.

Submissions to editorial@fm-world. co.uk please.

To start you off: "There was a receptionist, Ken/ Who was answering a helpdesk call when/Through the door walked a...

This question and its answers were sourced from the BIFM LinkedIn group. To take part in this or other discussions, join the group by logging into LinkedIn and searching for the group 'British Institute of Facilities Management'.

"We are soon to launch a new helpdesk for building maintenance where I work, and we have numerous sites, used for different things, that will be covered via the helpdesk. I was wondering if anyone could give advice on what we could expect from their own experiences?"

problem hasn't been fixed instantly when it's only a small fault.

Q

Alan Taylor The helpdesk needs to be carefully selected and reviewed as to how it operates and what it does, this must be from two perspectives.

How you want it to work for your operation – and whether it needs to link to your invoicing system, or others', and whether a timesheet record needs to be kept of work done to complete a task.

You need to be able to review and report on the progress and effectiveness of staff that respond to helpdesk requests.

Secondly, what do your customers want to see and receive from you in order to meet their

expectations? Set all these out in a document and test it until you have one that meets all your objectives.

Andy Dodson The person on the end of the phone must have enough technical knowledge to translate what the customer is saying into something a tradesman will understand. This way, he or she can ensure they turn up with the right equipment, know roughly what to expect, and what they have to do.

Clear prioritisation of faults is important, and ensuring that the person phoning understands that a dripping tap doesn't justify an emergency call out. I've had this on regular occasions where people bleat about why their minor

Gavin Spence Its all about ensuring that the people manning the phones understand and have a good understanding of who they are dealing with. You’re asking the person on the phone to make a judgement call there and then. You may even find the person manning the phone can give the correct guidance out to the field and thus reduce the need for call outs. A wealth of experience is built up and a resource of data collates; learn how to use this to support your business model. Also, identify the weaknesses and plan accordingly.

Nicola Lathbury There are several things to consider depending on whether you selfdeliver or use subcontractors, what you are contracted to deliver, and what you are looking to achieve.

You need to establish how you are assigning your calls to your contractors/engineers and set SLAs against them that are achievable and meet your client’s expectations.

Ensure your procedures and key questions are set up to allow for someone non-technical to be able to access the service from both client and the helpdesk perspective.

"We set out to reinforce the message that the awards are the pinnacle of measurement against one’s peers" Chair of judges Oliver Jones on his three-year plan for the BIFM Awards

IN THE NEXT ISSUE OUT 4 OCTOBER

ISTOCK

FM WORLD'S 200TH EDITION – WHAT'S REALLY CHANGED SINCE 2004? /// INDEMNITIES IN FM CONTRACTS /// LEGISLATION: COMMON COMMENCEMENT UPDATE /// BUILDING INFORMATION MODELLING – FORUM REPORT /// REVIEW: CORENET LONDON /// THE LATEST NEWS, ANALYSIS AND COMMENT

46 | 20 SEPTEMBER 2012 | FM WORLD

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O Debates O Seminars O Networking Sessions O Leading Suppliers O Round Tables

Moving forward with the FM Event Where the FM community meets to do business The FM Event is an invaluable source of information and education for those looking to network within the London and south-east based facilities management community. Round table forums, conference quality seminar debates, networking sessions, breakfast briefings and a world class exhibition combine to attract senior facilities and estates directors and managers. The FM Event provides a unique environment for facilities managers to share best practice and the most cost effective ways of keeping up to date with the latest products, technologies and innovations.

Register for FREE entry at www.thefmevent.com quoting code SPA1 In association with

Supporters include

Co-located with

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10-11 October 2012, Grand Hall, London Olympia

The FM Event is the only facilities management exhibition to be co-located with Building Services – The CIBSE Conference & Exhibition and Energy Solutions. These events are strategically co-located so FM Event exhibitors are able to meet Building Services and Energy Solutions delegates.

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WE’RE PUTTING OUR HEADS TOGETHER COLLINGWOOD HAS ACQUIRED HALERS LIGHTING, TO BE THE WORLD’S BEST LED LIGHTING COMPANY.

Collingwood Lighting has over 60 years experience in lighting, over 10 years in LED lighting design and manufacture, and over 4 years in the LED downlighting market.

Strengthening range | quality | service collingwoodlighting.com

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