FM World 10.4.14

THE MAGAZINE FOR THE BRITISH INSTITUTE OF FACILITIES MANAGEMENT | 10 APRIL 2014

FMW www.fm-world.co.uk

MAN OF ACTION How FM is conducted on the Isle of Man

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VOL 11 ISSUE 7 10 APRIL 2014

CONTENTS

17 | Happy landings?

20 | Keeping it clean

24 | Notes from a small island

NEWS

OPINION

FEATURES

06 Green offices equal a happy workforce 07 The ‘Internet of Things’ poses an IT challenge 08 Kennels at Royal Veterinary College, Hertfordshire 09 Think Tank: Catering: single service or bundled?

10 Business news: Graeme Davies on Cambian’s healthy interest in the care sector 11 Mears reports pre-tax rise in profits 12 In Focus: Lionel Prodgers, managing director of Agents4RM International

14 Roger Amos on managing a property portfolio 15 Five minutes with Deborah Rowland 46 No Two Days

28 | Raising the alarm

17

BIM View: FM’s place in the government soft landings process was the topic of a lively event at the QEII Conference Centre in London

20

A clean sweep: Cleanliness may be next to godliness – but are retail organisations getting the optimum service from their cleaning contractors?

24

Man alive: The Isle of Man is home to the oldest parliament in the world, but some of the FM issues it faces are entirely modern

28

Gone in 60 seconds: You hope never to use it, but there are many aspects to consider when choosing and installing a good evacuation system

MONITOR 33 Insight: Market intelligence 34 Legal: Felicity Gemson on the new TUPE rules 35 Technical: Guidance on asset management 36 Technical: Efficiency in fleet management 37 Technical: Testing small electrical equipment

REGULARS 38 41 42 43 44

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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: Herpreet Kaur Grewal ⁄ reporter: James Harris ⁄ sub editor: Deborah Shrewsbury ⁄ digital content executive: Hannah Whittaker ⁄ consultant art director: Mark Parry ⁄ art editor: Daniel Swainsbury

MARTIN READ EDITOR COMMENT

LEADER

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EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Simon Ball, business development manager, Interserve ⁄ Martin Bell, independent consultant / Lucy Jeynes, Larch Consulting / Nick Cook, managing director, Haywards ⁄ Rob Greenfield, group SHEQ director, GSH ⁄ Liz Kentish, managing director, Kentish and Co ⁄ 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, director of FM, Regent Street Direct ⁄ Jeremy Waud, managing director, Incentive FM ⁄ Jane Wiggins, FM tutor and author ⁄ Chris Wood, FM consultant Average net circulation 11,920 (Jul 12 – Jun 13) 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 Polestar Stones ISSN 1743 8845

BIFM ENQUIRIES

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he government’s Construction 2025 document, published last July, is a compelling read. In short, the government’s set of aspirations for the construction sector as it will look in just 11 years’ time involves halving the time it takes to conceive, project manage and construct a building, a reduction by 50 per cent of greenhouse emissions in the built environment, and the lowering of both construction and whole life cost of the government’s built assets by 33 per cent.

(How someone in 2025 will measure the whole life cost of a relatively new building constructed with these targets in mind but nowhere near reaching its end of life is a moot point.)

It has been said before but bears much repeating – none of this is going to be possible without facilities management’s involvement as a key player in the construction team. And, even more importantly than that, most will not be possible without facilities management taking a lead role in that team.

Everyone now knows the old chestnut – much more of a building’s total life cost is in its operation, not its construction. Up until even quite recently that truth was completely ignored, but in a remarkably short time it has become impossible to avoid. The government’s bold projections are based on addressing it, and the logic of both building information modelling (for measuring building performance) and soft landings (for new construction projects to learn from other buildings’ performance) is to set out a framework that obligates all parties to engage with it.

We can no doubt cut construction project times in half. And we can surely design in new technologies to help new buildings address carbon emissions targets. But the big prize remains in meeting that target of cutting whole life costs by a third. It will require efficiencies in operations that FM is surely best placed to control, the type of information that many architects have, until now, been rather less interested in.

Except that government’s GSL programme has forced their arm; they can’t ignore it any more. The construction chain is now entirely engaged in addressing operational performance in new design – but is facilities management stepping up to the plate?

At the “Joining the Dots” conference in London last week, Deborah Rowland, FM of the year and head of FM policy and strategy at the Cabinet Office, was damning in her criticism of the many FM service providers that are still, in her words, “sticking their heads in the sand” when it comes to BIM and GSL. This despite an informational tsunami over the past two years and the breakneck pace of development of new standards concerned with the maintaining and transferring of a building’s operational data, including the recently released PAS 1192-3.

There are signs that this credibility gap is starting to narrow, but it has taken – and is continuing to take –a long time for the FM sector to appreciate both the scale of the task and the opportunity in front of it.

FM will need to embrace changes to contract structures and other processes if it is to turn this opportunity into reality, and turning FM from the construction sector’s bit-part player into the conductor of the orchestra was never going to be easy. But people elsewhere in the construction chain are asking the questions; it’s time for FM, with a unified voice, to answer.

T

“The big prize remains in meeting that target of cutting whole life costs by a third”

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ENVIRONMENT

ALAMY

Green offices equal happy workers Paying greater attention to energy and water costs in an office can improve staff productivity and business performance, according to a new report.

‘Improving the Environmental Performance of Offices’, by the British Council for Offices, outlines the benefits of energyefficient offices and the positive impact they can have on employee productivity. It says that firms find it too easy to focus on staff costs – typically 90 per cent of business costs – and not the 1 per cent spent on energy and water. But if more attention and cost was directed towards the latter the improved energy efficiency could save as much as £50 per square metre, claim the report’s authors.

They suggest that occupant satisfaction is affected by the environmental performance of offices, and highlight the benefits of engaging staff when addressing energy-efficiency issues.

By doing this, businesses can gain a clear understanding of the features that are valued by employees as well as those that affect them negatively.

For example, a complaint about glare could lead to the lighting control system being recommissioned.

This sort of targeted investment, based on employee feedback, can transform productivity levels and return significant reductions in business costs, the report suggests.

Richard Kauntze, chief executive of the BCO, said: “This research shows that environmentally efficient offices have a positive impact on employee satisfaction, and as a result can lead to improved

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business performance. In order to reap the rewards, companies need to ensure that their offices are delivering energy efficiency.” ● The results of a survey of 2,000 office workers by polling organisation One Poll on behalf of heating and ventilation specialist Andrew Sykes found that working time lost by cold staff could be costing the UK economy more than £13 billion a year. More than 75 per cent of office workers polled found the temperature in their offices uncomfortable.

Only 24 per cent agreed that they enjoyed an ideal temperature.

Women wasted about 33 per cent more time (nine minutes

compared with 6.5 minutes) than men trying to acclimatise themselves to ‘to inadequate office conditions.’

According to the report’s authors, this means that an office of 100 people will see eight

hours lost each day owing to the temperature alone.

The full figure could be more like 18 hours – or according to the report’s authors, the equivalent of more than 2 per cent of staff members being absent.

BEST PRACTICE

RICS publishes FM case studies Case studies focusing on different aspects of FM including procurement, innovation, technology, sustainability, talent management and health and safety have been published by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) this month.

The six studies, developed by consultancy Workplace Law for RICS, provide practical examples of the best practice outlined in RICS’s Strategic Facilities Management (FM) Guidance Note and are aimed at demonstrating the benefits of strategic FM to business. They include areas such as fostering creativity at the BBC, ethical procurement at the co-operative, sustainable practice in the higher education sector, the importance of a good health and safety culture, harnessing technology at Emrill and talent management at Mitie Client Services.

BBC MediaCityUK is a case study

Johnny Dunford, global commercial property director at RICS, said: “Although focusing on a variety of different examples, the six case studies demonstrate many common themes to good workplace management and reflect the best practice theories outlined in our Strategic Facilities Management (FM) Guidance Note.

“Central to this is the

facilities team’s understanding of an organisation’s business objectives. It is only by having this understanding that facilities managers can take a professional approach to the workplace, ensuring facilities complement the corporate values and mission. The best examples of this are when the facilities team becomes part of the leadership function of the organisation, helping to shape and drive the business objectives.”

Other key themes include a professional understanding of the impact of FM to a company’s reputation, brand and performance, engagement with staff and the supply chain, the importance of measuring impact and outcomes and communication.

To download the full case study report and for more information, visit www.rics.org/fm www.fm-world.co.uk

03/04/2014 15:45

NEWS

BRIEFS FM firms get CSR scores

‘Internet of things’ to pose data centre challenge The increasing number of objects making up the Internet of Things (IoT) will have “a potentially transformational effect on the data centre market”, suggests a new report. The study, by analyst Gartner, says that the IoT – where everyday physical objects are connected to the internet and able to identify themselves to other devices – will generate massive quantities of data that will need to be processed and analysed in real time. The processing of large quantities of IoT data in real time will increase as a proportion of workloads of data centres.

This could result in new security problems for many industries because of increasing digitisation

and automation of the devices deployed across different areas of urban environments.

Gartner estimates that the IoT will include 26 billion units installed by 2020, and by that time IoT product and service suppliers will generate incremental revenues exceeding £180 million ($300 million), mostly in services.

There could also be a big impact on storage infrastructure, leading to demand for more capacity, something that will have to be addressed as data becomes more prevalent, says the research.

Joe Skorupa, vice-president of Gartner, said: “The IoT threatens to generate massive amounts of input data from sources that are

globally distributed. Transferring the entirety of that data to a single location for processing will not be technically and economically viable.” Skorupa further added that “organisations will be forced to aggregate data in multiple distributed mini data centres where initial processing can occur. Relevant data will then be forwarded to a central site for additional processing.”

This new architecture will present operations staff with significant challenges as they attempt to manage the entire environment as a “homogenous entity while being able to monitor and control individual locations”, the research claims.

BIM TECHNOLOGY

GETTY/PHOTOSHOT

BIM helps make savings for library revamp The use of building information modelling (BIM) techniques in the newly revamped Manchester Central Library building (right) has saved thousands of pounds.

John Eynon, director of Open Water Consulting, spoke at a BIM conference in London last month in which he presented figures showing how BIM models helped reduce the cost and time involved in service repairs compared with traditional methods.

By deploying BIM, issues like vent motor replacement could be conducted in a day compared with 28 days using traditional methods, said Eynon.

Other tasks, such as lamp replacement, public lift www.fm-world.co.uk

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repair, ceiling leaks, vertical interventions, glazed links, enhanced health and safety also took less time to deal with when carrying out modifications and repairs using the BIM model.

The estimated savings made run

into thousands of pounds, claimed Eynon.

“The scary thing about BIM is that when you do the return of investment figures you get a lot of numbers [that show savings].”

The real value of BIM is in its operational life cycle… We need to start talking about the effect it can have on the totex [the total life expenditure on an asset].”

The library reopened to the public this month after threeand-a-half years. Designed by E Vincent Harris, it first opened in 1934. Facilities in the newly refurbished building include a media lounge and the Archives+ Centre, which holds local historical data.

An annual corporate responsibility index completed by UK companies including FM providers Sodexo, ISS UK Ltd and Mitie has been published by a charity promoting responsible business.

Business in The Community (BiTC) launched the index to help companies systematically measure, manage and integrate responsible business practice into their mainstream operations.

In the index Sodexo scored twoand-a-half stars out of five, with ISS UK Ltd scoring three, and Rentokil Initial plc getting two stars.

Mitie received a “platinum big tick 2013”, which means an extra distinction in CSR. The index has been designed to get tougher each year; in 2014, average scores for all participants fell by 5 per cent compared with the previous year.

CIRIA launches group A group bringing together some of the largest UK providers from the transport and utilities sectors was founded recently.

The construction industry research and information association (CIRIA) launched the National Infrastructure Client Leadership Group to build on its work in asset management and resilience.

The group aims to facilitate cross-sector dialogue between clients to identify common challenges and opportunities and to provide a shared platform for engagement in industry leadership activities.

It also aims to identify needs and opportunities for new infrastructure-focused CIRIA activities.

GSH wins Yorkshire deal FM services provider GSH Group has been awarded a five-year contract with the Yorkshire Building Society (YBS).

This is the first time in its history that YBS has opted for a single supplier to manage its entire estate. GSH will provide technical services across the client’s entire UK property portfolio of more than 250 premises. Work will cover all retail and office buildings as well as support for four data centres.

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PROJECT OF THE

FORTNIGHT NEWS BULLETIN

FM’s inaugural ball supports cancer charity

KENNELS AT ROYAL VETERINARY COLLEGE, HERTFORDSHIRE REPAIRS & MAINTENANCE: Novus VALUE: £25,000

Novus is top dog at college Repairs and maintenance specialist Novus has remodelled and refurbished kennels at the Royal Veterinary College’s Hertfordshire Campus (RVC), creating a modern indoor facility for animal patients by constructing six state-of-the-art canine rooms.

Previously, the ward was only outdoor kennels and a roof, but Novus comprehensively redesigned and constructed the building, where the college will now care for dogs awaiting treatment and in recovery.

Over four weeks, Novus’s team constructed new outside walls, fitted windows and roof windows and divided the building into six canine rooms. It also installed lighting, fitted stainless steel cage doors, installed new sockets and ensured correct ventilation.

Heating was also installed, along with new flooring and individual monitoring machines, while complete interior decoration was also carried out. Heavy-duty safety flooring was installed throughout the building to give a hygienic solution to maintaining and cleaning the kennels and surrounding areas. The flooring systems that Novus laid at the college combine hygiene, durability and performance, providing a seamless surface that is ideal for environments where cleanliness is a vital requirement. The flooring contains antimicrobial agents that inhibit the growth of MRSA, and also has slip-resistance properties that are ideal for environments where liquids are present.

The building was designed to be maintenance-free, hygienic and easy to clean, according to Novus. The result is a comfortable environment for staff to work in and for the dogs undergoing veterinary care.

The work means the college can now carry out more canine treatments, provide improved care for the animals and offer increased flexibility on where they can stay.

Tony Ronayne, operations manager of the project at Novus, said: “This project has showcased the comprehensive range of high-quality property refurbishment and building maintenance services that we offer.

We planned our work after consultations with the client, and kept in constant contact with them throughout the project.”

Robert Vaughan, project surveyor at the RVC, said: “Bearing in mind that the refurbishment project was undertaken in a wing of the RVC’s busy college hospital, Novus completed the works in a professional, polite and efficient manner, keeping disruption to an absolute minimum.”

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The FM industry’s first ball has raised over £22,000 for charity. More than 400 people from the industry, including companies and bodies like Mayflower, Acorn Maintenance, Skanska, Sodexo, Norland, Morphose, RICS and BIFM, attended.

The money was raised for Macmillan Cancer Support through a charity auction. The charity said the amount could fund a Macmillan clinical nurse specialist, a large information centre and a family support worker for a whole month.

Lynn Hyder at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “These three services provide a diverse range of help and support to people affected by cancer and will help to ensure that even more people receive support at a time and in a way that is right for them.”

Jeremy Waud, managing director at Incentive FM Group, said: “The idea was to hold an industry-wide fun, black-tie evening in London without a direct affiliation to any other industry trade bodies or media organisations.

There were no event sponsors – this was an event held by the industry for the industry and its chosen charity.”

New standards for blind cord safety New safety standards for internal window blinds in homes, public buildings and commercial premises have been published.

The three new standards for internal window blinds were developed in response to a request from the European Commission. CEN, the European Committee for Standardisation, then compiled the standards.

Among the changes made include a greater variety of blinds covered by the standards and specific test methods that can be used to verify that a window blind conforms to requirements relating to “protection from strangulation”.

Other changes include greater details of which safety devices can be used to reduce the risk of accidents involving window blinds.

All internal window blinds sold or professionally installed must meet the standards, which apply to both UK manufactured and imported products.

The new standards come as a result of continued campaigning by the British Blind and Shutter Association (BBSA) and its work with the UK government and UK standards bodies to improve window blind safety.

Nelson Watt, president of the BBSA, said: “Anyone involved in the design and management of buildings where internal blinds are fitted should be aware of these new requirements and take the necessary steps to ensure compliance.”

‘Business failing young people’, says research Most young people in Britain do not think the economic recovery will improve their chances of finding a job and want the business community to do more to support them, says a survey.

The research, carried out by Veolia Environnement and charity Business in the Community (BITC), suggests that only 1 per cent of the businesses surveyed are doing all they can to support the career prospects of young people seeking employment.

Only 8 per cent of young people think that business is doing all it can to support their job prospects by engaging them from school to work.

Other findings showed that 77 per cent of businesses surveyed said they engage with young people through work experience, but less than 37 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds say they have benefited from work placements.

Businesses say they find it hard to reach young people in school, citing barriers such as trouble establishing a relationship with the right contact, time pressure on teachers and a lack of structure.

The research comes after last month’s Budget in which Chancellor George Osborne said he was setting aside £85 million in both 2014-15 and 2015-16 for employers to provide more than 100,000 apprenticeships. The government also said it would provide £20 million over two years to support apprenticeships up to postgraduate level. www.fm-world.co.uk

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THINK TANK

WE ASKED 100 FMS…

Depends on the client 50%

TFM/ bundled deal 3%

Outsourcing of catering — single service or component in a total FM arrangement?

Catering is a function key to organisational performance and is, as BIFM chief executive Gareth Tancred says, one that “comes with a high emotional quotient”.

The selection of catering provider – and management of the subsequent supplier relationship – is perhaps more deserving of a “hands on” approach. And it’s a market constantly changing as end-user customers respond to what they see on offer in the high street.

Should catering be run by dedicated organisations? Does bundling catering with other services automatically lead to a less engaged catering function?

In our latest poll, 47 per cent said that they would consider catering as part of a single service, but just 3 per cent said they would outsource as part of a bundled arrangement.

One respondent remarked that bundling catering “generally offers little in continuing management or financial advantage to a client”, adding that catering and hospitality is too specialised and, apart from vending provision, “not beneficially integrated with other services”.

Another put in that “catering is specialist, client-facing, subjective and complex. I am sceptical about it being bundled.”

Single service 47%

Correspondents pointed out that some organisations began as caterers before becoming larger TFM players, but at the same time many FM providers have relatively little experience in directly delivering catering and so experience difficulty managing it for the client.

One FM said: “The best route for a client with a TFM noncatering background arrangement is to use their TFM provider’s catering consultancy to advise on selection, commercial deal and appointment of a caterer but then directly manage it themselves.”

This kind of arrangement should also include clauses in the

caterer’s and TFM’s contracts that they are to act in a co-operative manner towards each other, another respondent added.

If a client needs help with checking tricky catering invoices or any other extra support there are specialist consultancies that can provide first-class financial advice, said one respondent.

The BIFM’s leaders forum event, ‘Serving up FM: The Catering Challenge’, discusses the issues in more detail (see news story below).

Join the FM World Think Tank LinkedIn group by visiting www.tinyurl.com/fmwthinktank

SHUTTERSTOCK

Catering choice a question of client priority, claims report Catering is a more emotional purchase than other facilities services and has an important part to play in employee morale and wellbeing, according to a new report arising from a leadership forum event held recently by the BIFM. Choice of catering provision depends entirely on client need; if the client wants it as a commodity then it would work “perfectly well in an integrated FM model”. But if the client wants specialist expertise and flexibility, a standalone caterer is likely to offer the best solution, claims the report.

An integrated FM solution,however, can contribute more than the specialist caterer operating by itself, it adds.

The report also notes that www.fm-world.co.uk

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large corporations with very large contracts may choose TFM but smaller clients still wanted the personal touch that a singleservice caterer can provide.

It also points out that catering has “lifted the quality of many FM providers”.

Catering has also been a very

customer-focused industry, making it agile and responsive to customer needs. In contrast, the report states, FM services have grown out of the construction sector, where end-user customer focus was not top priority.

FM providers invariably have to adapt to client needs but there are different ways of responding to clients, the report states. Some are not interested in how catering is badged – whether it is total, integrated FM or single service supply – but they expect it to be a specialist service, and what is really important to them is the sense that the FM provider they’re working with is giving them the best possible advice.

Many clients remain openminded about whether catering

should be procured as a standalone service or as part of a bundled solution.

So much depends on whether the IFM market can demonstrate it has the quality of staff within its grasp to deliver the services to the standard that customers want, according to the report.

Gareth Tancred, CEO of BIFM, said: “The pros and cons of catering as a single service or as part of a TFM/bundled solution are currently exercising some of the best minds in the sector.

“In such a fiercely contested market, strengthening the total client offer by bolting on a catering function can create a real competitive edge.”

‘Serving up FM: The catering challenge’ can be found here: tinyurl.com/bifmcatering FM WORLD | 10 APRIL 2014 | 09

03/04/2014 18:12

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ANALYSIS

Cambian takes healthy interest in caring sector GRAEME DAVIES newsdesk@fm-world.co.uk

In the wake of increased investor confidence in the economy, new companies have been coming to London’s market in their droves during the opening quarter.

One of the most interesting proposed offerings is Cambian Healthcare, a private provider of outsourced services to the government in health and related sectors.

Cambian’s listing, with private equity owner GI Partners seeking a partial exit from its investment, illustrates the growing confidence in this segment. The company itself is a compelling prospect, given its mix of business comprising specialist behavioural health services ranging from specialist schools for children with special education needs to residential and daycare facilities for adults

with learning difficulties.

Alongside long-term contracts to provide these services, and the potential to expand where shrinking budgets force health authorities to scale back provision, investors can also take comfort in the fact that Cambian, founded 10 years ago, has built up a significant bricks-andmortar asset base that underpins the investment proposition. Its freehold portfolio of 249 homes is valued at around £577 million.

Cambian is only looking for £20 million in fresh money from investors, which compared with some recent floats is modest.

But it suggests that the company is already very well established and confident of funding growth from its own cash generation.

Cambian’s swift emergence shows how many of our health and social care services have already been shifted to the private

Contract wins

NEW BUSINESS Serco has signed a contract worth £70 million to provide a range of business process and contact centre services for Lincolnshire County Council. The deal is expected to provide savings of more than £14 million over five years. Serco will provide a wide range of customerfacing and back-office functions including finance, HR and ICT. G4S Integrated Services has won a £3.9 million contract to provide Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust with domestic cleaning, portering and catering support. Under the three-year agreement G4S will deliver services to 34 sites across Peterborough and Cambridgeshire. Further locations are likely to be added. Cleaning will 10 | 10 APRIL 2014 | FM WORLD

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be provided across the contract, with additional portering services and catering support at some specific sites.

Salisbury Cathedral has extended its contract with Levy Restaurants UK in a £6 million deal. Levy Restaurants will provide catering services for a further six years, taking the partnership with the cathedral into its second decade.

The caterer is a part of Compass Group UK & Ireland. The contract extension follows a refurbishment project that has transformed the look and feel of the cathedral’s refectory restaurant.

Balfour Beatty has awarded Servest Group a contract to provide security services to the Crossrail project. The two-year deal will see Servest Security

being responsible for CCTV, manned guarding, and mobile patrols at the Plumstead to Abbeywood two-mile route in south-east London.

National maintenance specialist Lovell has been awarded a £32.8 million contract to provide FM services to a major sheltered housing development and improvement project in North Tyneside. The consortium, Solutions 4 North Tyneside (S4NT), which awarded the contract, is undertaking the £300 million Quality Homes for Older People initiative with North Tyneside Council.

Lovell will offer “comprehensive facilities management services” for sheltered housing accommodation across North Tyneside, including schemes in Wallsend, Cullercoats, Whitley Bay and Seaton Burn over a 28-year period.

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) has chosen Carillion to provide £200 million worth of support services. The support services firm will supply FM and estate transformational services in the five-year deal with NUH, which includes Queen’s Medical Centre and Nottingham City Hospital.

sector. Cambian works for 140 different local authorities and, as the largest provider of services in education, mental health and learning disabilities, it is well positioned to pick up more work as it is outsourced.

The creep of private operators into healthcare provision has also been seen from the FM side, most notably in last year’s acquisition of Advantage Healthcare by Interserve. This added to Interserve’s existing contracts in healthcare construction and FM services by giving it a frontline health service provision capability too. And in late 2012, Mitie also enhanced its presence in the sector by buying the Enara domiciliary care business for £110 million.

As pressure increases on health trusts to keep patients at home as long as possible, domiciliary care is a fast-growing business to be in. Another company that has expanded into home care services in recent years is Mears Group. It started as a social housing developer but branched out into associated services, where it was able to leverage on its existing relationships with local authorities.

By concentrating on services that are non-negotiable for local authorities, the likes of Mears, Mitie, Interserve and Cambian should have a certain amount of resilience. Also the more diversified players have the backing of deep pockets and a wider business while Cambian has solid asset backing from its freehold estate. This gives it a stronger chance of survival than Southern Cross Healthcare, which crumbled under the weight of debts accrued during the building of its primarily leasehold estate.

Graeme Davies writes for Investors Chronicle

www.fm-world.co.uk

03/04/2014 14:22

Care group Mears reports a pre-tax rise in profits Social housing maintenance provider Mears Group has reported a pre-tax profit rise of 26 per cent to £36.6 million.

It had a revenue increase of 32 per cent from £679.5 million in 2012 to £898.2 million in 2013.

It also reported that it had new contract wins worth an excess of £500 million. This included social housing awards of £420 million compared with £380 mliion in 2012. Care contracts totalled £96 million compared with £63 million in 2012.

In 2012 it also acquired social housing maintenance company Morrison to focus more on social and housing care. The current results indicate this has been a successful move.

David Miles, chief executive of Mears Group, said: “Revenue visibility, order book and the bid pipeline all remain strong.

David Miles sees long-term opportunities

“Our social housing business has long been recognised as the market leader in terms of operational performance and customer satisfaction. I believe that the opportunities for us in social housing remain very strong.

BUSINESS BRIEFS

“In care, as a robust, highquality provider at the forefront of change in the sector, we remain very well placed strategically to take advantage of the long-term opportunities.

“The ageing population and the fundamental desire of people to stay in their own homes remain the foundations for this sector,” added Miles.

Mears provides care for more than 29,000 people across the UK and is currently involved in partnering arrangements with more than 70 local authorities, arm’s length management organisations and housing associations.

The company provides rapid response and planned maintenance services, delivering more than 6,000 repairs every day to a portfolio of more than a million homes across the UK.

SHUTTERSTOCK

MoD and US forces seek bids for £350m air bases job Contractors are being invited to bid for provision of building and facilities management at UK air bases used by the US military.

Offered by a partnership of the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and the United States Visiting Forces (USVF), the contract is thought to be worth £70 million a year and an estimated £350 million over five years. It includes an option to extend for another five years. It is likely to be awarded by spring 2016, and services should start by late 2016.

Works involve maintenance and repair services on all UK military sites occupied by USVF – RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, RAF Alconbury www.fm-world.co.uk

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Bids for works must be in by 14 May

and RAF Molesworth in Cambridgeshire, RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire, RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, and RAF Menwith Hill in Yorkshire.

Works include a 24/7 emergency helpdesk, pest control, maintenance of housing, hospitals

and utilities infrastructure, snow and ice clearance, grounds maintenance and a refuse collection service.

DIO is now inviting expressions of interest and will hold an industry day in April at the Defence Academy at Shrivenham in Oxfordshire to explain the procurement process to interested contractors and supply chain businesses. This will outline the scope of the USVF prime contract and other aspects of working for the MoD/USVF. A contract advert and prequalification questionnaire (PQQ) are on the Defence Contracts Online website. Tenderers should enter a PQQ return to express interest by noon on 14 May.

Bilfinger seals Tanzania deal Bilfinger Europa Facility Management is to deliver services to international oilfield support services company ASCO in Tanzania in a deal worth over £3 million.

The three-year contract will see Bilfinger Europa’s team deliver mechanical and electrical maintenance, building maintenance, cleaning, hygiene, housekeeping, helpdesk and security management at a fully operational port in Mtwara supporting the oil and gas sector.

Skanska expands Construction and support services firm Skanska has made two key appointments as a part of the expansion of its facilities management business.

Jane Sansome moves from the firm’s infrastructure development business, which specialises in public private partnerships, to take up a new post of business director for Skanska’s facilities maintenance business.

Matthew Inskip, currently project director for facilities services at St Bartholomew’s and the Royal London hospitals, is being promoted to the position of operations director for Skanska’s facilities services business.

Mitie renews rail deal Support services provider Mitie has had its contract with Network Rail renewed.

The deal, worth in excess of £75 million over a fiveyear period, will see Mitie continue to deliver fabric and engineering maintenance, energy management, security, cleaning, mailroom and couriers, helpdesk, waste and pest services across Network Rail’s UK portfolio.

FM WORLD | 10 APRIL 2014 | 11

03/04/2014 14:22

FM BUSINESS IN FOCUS

THE ISSUE: The challenge of running an FM business consultancy across multiple international boundaries THE INTERVIEWEE: Lionel Prodgers, managing director of Agents4RM International

Talking to the outside world International FM service provider OCS recently invested in international FM consultancy Agents4RM to establish a global professional services business for the FM and built environment sector. From its Dubai base, under managing director Lionel Prodgers, it will provide a broad range of professional services for emerging markets in the Middle East, Asian and south-east Asia as well as to mature FM markets in the UK, Europe and the Americas.

It helps that OCS has 40 offices in different locations.

“OCS’s reach makes it a lot easier because the way has been paved. It’s difficult when small independent consultants do the same, so following in their trail is helpful to us and [it] will continue,” says Prodgers.

“What clients are falling down on is lack of skills and knowledge,” he says, pointing to the growing need for clients to understand how to manage information as an asset with the increasing use of BIM. “Training is required across many levels and areas, particularly health and safety, sustainability and environmental issues. There’s a lack of international FM consultants with true global experience.”

Key targets for the venture 12 | 10 APRIL 2014 | FM WORLD

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in emerging markets include commercial and retail, residential, healthcare and education.

Agents4RM will also set up a bureau for any organisation needing support in managing information about its assets.

The service is being piloted in the commercial and healthcare sectors in Mumbai, India, and in business parks in Romania.

Culture shock Such a venture is not without its challenges, specifically because of culture, employment conditions and legislation.

In parts of the Middle East there are schemes that favour employment of indigenous people that can hinder operations, he says. There’s the “Qatarisation” programme of Qatar or the “Saudisation” planning in Saudi Arabia, for example, where the ratio of local employees to expat workers is set to rise year on year.

“Or, seemingly at a whim, a government may just block, without notice, a specific nationality from being granted work permits to control the total number of expats from a particular country. The challenge then for service providers is that those individuals cost more to employ and have better benefits, but often don’t want to do the

menial tasks that expat labour is employed to do,” he adds.

The cost of training staff that may return home after two years is also a disincentive for companies in the Middle East.

“The problem manifests itself in a workforce that is difficult to motivate and poorer quality of service - unless significant steps are taken to overcome these challenges,” says Prodgers.

Another problem is that the term facilities management can be misused. In the Middle East FM describes property management applied in residential blocks – not how it would be understood in Europe.

“Terms such as Total Facilities Management are also used loosely, where, in reality, little integration of service offering or management has been achieved.”

He says better communication is needed as well as a willingness for providers to talk more “to the outside world”. “We remain too much of an internal market.”

Another pπroblem FM service providers could face in a Middle Eastern market is a lack of appreciation of what it costs to run a building and its services.

“There are well-publicised incidences where the cost of services is so high that tenants or apartment owners find it

difficult to meet the expense and are being excluded from their properties by having their access cards blocked until they pay their dues,” says Prodgers. “That said, landlords appear to believe that tenants should bear the cost of base building remedial works just because the developers failed to adequately control construction work or properly commission services on handover.”

The Middle East Facility Management Association (MEFMA) is, however, generating awareness across the region, even though it is based in and centres on the United Arab Emirates.

“What’s equally interesting is the number of informal networks that have emerged through social media. As independent bodies, they are not bound by structural or subscription issues, which in itself is a barrier to the legal establishment of institutes and associations in the form familiar to the UK,” says Prodgers.

Fledgling groups The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Chartered Institute of Building are also present in the region.

And other fledging FM groups are also sprouting up in Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain.

“I think this is a natural development in tandem with growing maturity in a market,” says Prodger. “The same can be seen in Nigeria and other African countries.”

Prodgers says it‘s a myth that the Middle East is looking overseas for leading-edge practice.

“The FM market is fragmented by each country and its individual infrastructure investment and state of development.” But he agrees that what is developed in the UK and US is often copied in the Middle East. “But I don’t see a drive or yearning for any consolidated market looking for a preference from another country.” www.fm-world.co.uk

03/04/2014 15:46

Legally, you need to be licensed to play music at work.

You probably haven’t thought much about it. You’ve just got music on for your staff or customers. But did you know you legally need permission from the music’s copyright owners if you play music, TV or radio aloud at work? But don’t worry, to get that permission you simply need a licence from PRS for Music* (and in most cases, one from PPL** too). PRS for Music is a membership organisation that acts on behalf of songwriters and composers to ensure they’re paid for the use of their work. So if you have music playing, ask PRS for Music how you become licensed to listen today.

Contact PRS for Music on 0800 694 7344 or at prsformusic.com/musicatwork *PRS for Music licences cover the vast majority of music originating from the UK and all over the world. However, if you play music that is outside of PRS for Music’s control, you may need an additional licence from the relevant copyright owner(s). You will require a TV licence as well if you are using a TV in your premises. You do not need a licence from PRS for Music in the unlikely event that all the music you play is out of copyright or is not controlled by PRS for Music. **PPL collects and distributes royalties on behalf of record companies and performers. Further info at ppluk.com. All music licences are required under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 which stipulates you must gain the permission of the copyright owner if you play music in public (anywhere outside the home environment).

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03/04/2014 15:21

FM OPINION THE DIARY COLUMN ROGER AMOS

“ASBESTOS AND WATER HYGIENE ARE GREAT EXAMPLES OF THE CRITICAL INTERDEPENDENCY BETWEEN THE FM TEAM AND THE PREMISES MANAGER”

NHS Trust

Roger Amos is head of property and HR shared services at the London Borough of Ealing

M ANAG IN G A P RO P ERT Y P O RT FO L I O

acilities management is integral to its F organisation, and the reliance between FM and other parts of the organisation for property compliance is a great example of this Having moved house, I no longer endure the M4 twice a day.

But not all my thinking time is lost as I now have the 65 bus instead for my thoughts. Apart from wondering what the bloke next to me is listening to on his headphones, here’s the latest one.

Ealing Council’s property portfolio contains a wide range of buildings including offices, schools, libraries, leisure centres and daycare centres of varying type, age and condition.

Managing such a broad range of buildings is not easy and it’s vital that FM ensure that they understand and fulfil their own responsibilities, and ensure that their customers are aware of theirs.

Any good textbook will set out the requirements for property compliance and there are wellestablished standards to support the detail in order to develop comprehensive PPM schedules, but this alone does not guarantee property compliance. Take two of

FM University Consultant Estates

the big six headings – asbestos and water hygiene – they are great examples of the critical interdependency between the FM team and the premises manager (not always the same person). The facilities manager may well ensure that the asbestos management plan is up to date with a copy on site, but there is also a huge reliance on the premises manager to provide training to a basic level and that it is complied with. And the premises manager also must ensure that whoever is responsible for the asbestos management plan is told immediately of any changes to it.

The same goes for water hygiene; the FM may ensure that the water risk assessment is current, but the

premises manager or building occupiers must log risks.

There must be clear communication between the FM team, the premises manager, building users, corporate health & safety and any external contractors there.

A good FM will also manage expectation while helping others to make certain that gaps between each are closed.

Underpinning this is a databank of detailed, accurate data, everything from a clear matrix of sites and those responsible down to good condition survey data and asset registers to verify the PPM regimes are correct.

By the way, it was Coldplay.

BEST OF THE WEB Views and comments from across the web Impact of design on efficient FM (BIFM group) Richard Monk: Any

vaguely competent architect can design a building that looks good on day 1. But it takes a great team to create a building that will look good, be efficient to operate and be fit for purpose after 10, 20 or 30 years.

If you really want to be the very best at what you or your teams do, then you need and have 14 | I0 APRIL 2014 | FM WORLD

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to prove to be a real difference (BIFM group) Nicola Lathbury: I think

some companies miss the value that can be added from listening to their people on the front line.

There is a great deal of day-to-day intelligence, which is often missed. We need to open the lines of communication more, not just with clients but also with frontline staff.

Phillip Reed: The problem with excelling at FM is that if you are doing your job right, then generally

no one knows you even exist.. it’s only when things go wrong that you get a phone call. To be the best you must listen to your staff and stakeholders to find out what isn’t quite right, or can be improved on and focus your resources on these areas. Only then do you really get the – unfortunately rare – appreciation that comes with the job.

I am interested to hear from anyone who has

used drop-in gases to replace R22 in your HVAC systems – any negative effects from using it? (BIFM group) Joe Finn: We tried drop-

ins. I would advise against them. They reduce the life of the rest of the kit and are a short-term solution.

Stephen Finch: When you weigh up the possible risk of component failure in the short term I’d suggest it’s not worth the risk. I have adopted another solution of replacing both the front and back end whilst

leaving the pipe work, ducting etc in place.

Adrian CrawfordMcKellar: A month on and

everything still seems to be running fine on MO29.

We looked at replacing the units at both ends, but were also advised that the pipework may have to be replaced as the AC engineer thought the new gas may run at higher pressure. In the event the pressure it runs at is slightly lower than R22. Again, it’s early days with the drop-in gas, but it looks promising. www.fm-world.co.uk

03/04/2014 09:42

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

BEST OF THE

FMWORLD BLOGS Workspaces and the next-generation workforce Chris Kane, smartspacesandplaces.com I contributed to a conference on the next-generation workforce. The organisers wanted me to share my experiences on what it takes to create an agile and creative working environment. The audience comprised people from HR. It struck me that we are all travelling the same road – towards supporting the business. The brief was “supporting the business to build agility by harnessing the physical workplace to get the best from the next-generation workforce”. I asked Caroline Waters (formerly BT’s director of people & policy) to join me. Coming from HR and CRE/facilities, where performing within silos remains the order of the day, we discussed what it takes to create a flexible working environment. The common challenges: Staying ahead of the business, managing wider business changes, and coping with the digital revolution. We have seen social media shape political ideology by empowering consumers and are seeing the collision of multiple generations at work in an always-connected world.

The next focus is changing mindset. CRE/FM and HR professionals honed their skills on producing high-spec commercial workspaces or HR tools and systems. The principle was “location, location, location”. The commercial property industry clings to the belief that a company’s most valuable assets are bricks and mortar rather than people. The shift to mobility has raised a new challenge. The third focus is collaboration. We must evolve from the focus on the three tribes of asset/transaction management, facility management and design construction management. A workplace is no longer a cost centre but a profit centre. We need to engage with HR and IT. People and places are a company’s most valuable assets; only by developing them will you discover that the integrated whole is more than the sum of the discrete parts.

Read the article in full at www.tinyurl.com/o4txq72

The only thing that matters we don’t measure Advancedworkplace.com Organisations are the coming together of the combined endeavours of large populations of people. People design things, buy things, create things, sell things, invest in things. People can be effective, motivated, energised committed and happy or they can be ineffective, miserable and unmotivated. If the former, they work slickly, collaborating with others, giving their ideas and energy working together for the common good putting in 110 per cent. If the latter, people struggle to overcome barriers to work, poor technology and poor working conditions. They are poorly motivated, keeping their ideas to themselves, feeling unloved.

Companies do not measure the effectiveness or energy of their people. The closest they get is the annual employee opinion survey. We measure everything else: Workplace efficiency, cost per head, energy consumption and CO2 generation. But nobody measures or takes responsibility for the effectiveness or vitality of the people assets in the business. or responsibility for defining, delivering and co-ordinating things so that people have their best day at work, every day.

We need a director of people effectiveness on the board who sets up KPI’s associated with the effectiveness of people, promotes good working practices, fosters collaboration heightens awareness of professional productivity techniques and co-ordinates the endeavours of IT, RE, FM and HR. So the only thing that really matters in organisations – the effectiveness of people – is the only thing we don’t measure.

Bizarre isn’t it.

Read the article in full at www.tinyurl.com/pavxaqm

www.fm-world.co.uk

15_Opinion.indd 15

FIVE MINUTES WITH NAME: Deborah Rowland JOB TITLE: Head of Facilities Management, Government Property Unit

At the 2013 RICS BIM conference there was very little talk of FM’s involvement in building information modelling (BIM) and government soft landings (GSL). At this year’s event, everyone was talking about it.

It’s quite frustrating that many in the FM industry, as much as I would really like them to see the benefits, are still sticking their heads in the sand when it comes to GSL. I don’t think the FM mindset is changing quickly enough. There’s still a problem with many FM providers who don’t think BIM and GSL is going to happen to them. But most will come up against it one way or another. Isn’t it better to be involved from the beginning? This is the whole point of GSL – being involved in projects, asking questions, challenging project details.

Many people think that soft landings is only an issue for new builds – but it’s increasingly about the whole estate. For us in government it will increasingly be used across our existing estate when departments undergo refurbishment projects.

I don’t think private sector organisations will want to use BIM across their whole estate – although some are thinking about how they can do just that. But we’ll see more private sector organisations using BIM as and when they need to.

Events like this (GSL ‘Joining the Dots’ – see p.17) help in communicating to FM providers.

We want to speak in their language. This event was primarily targeting the FM audience, talking about it from their perspective.

Outcomes are key to BIM and GSL. It’s all about functionality and effectiveness; what are the key measures we’re setting out to address, be they reoffending rates, patient care, etc.

PETE SEARLE

,

FM WORLD | 10 APRIL 2014 | 15

03/04/2014 14:23

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p16_FMW100414.indd 2

03/04/2014 15:20

FM EVENT

GOVERNMENT SOFT LANDINGS

STANDING ON THE BIM CLIFF?

Deborah Rowland: “GSL and BIM go together”

One of the themes addressed at a Government Soft Landings conference in Westminster last week was how building information modelling (BIM) should be mandated for organisations in the FM sector

R

epresentatives of interested parties from across the construction and facilities management spectrum gathered last week for ‘Government Soft Landings: Joining the Dots’ at the QEII conference centre in Westminster to hear speakers exploring how to bring facilities and asset management together, connecting asset data, commissioning, training, collaboration and postoccupancy evaluation.

The event, supported by the Cabinet Office, the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills and the construction and FM business BAM, was perhaps unusual in focusing specifically on FM’s involvement in the BIM/ GSL chain. Certainly, there is no shortage of BIM-related events elsewhere across the spectrum of construction professions. www.fm-world.co.uk

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Themes under discussion included the need for FM contractors to engage more fully with the rest of their construction project partners and for postoccupancy evaluation to be as much about the evaluation of data from sensors as it is surveying of building users.

It’s an objective of the government’s construction strategy to align the construction and design sectors with those that use, operate and maintain the buildings. Deborah Rowland, head of facilities management

policy and strategy at the Cabinet Office, started the day by emphasising that it was important to acknowledge that “GSL and BIM go together”.

Rowland was followed by the government’s chief construction adviser, Peter Hansford, who pointed out that GSL would be an obligation in all new central government projects by 2016.

“The ongoing maintenance and operational cost of a building or asset far outweighs the original capital cost of construction,” he said. “GSL identifies the

“There’s a responsibility on FMs to go out there and learn new things. We have to ‘lean in’ a bit and learn some processes as well as promote our own part in the chain”

need for this to be recognised through early engagement in the design process; in this way, GSL contributes to the government’s cost agenda.” Hansford claimed GSL was on its way to being embedded into the procedures of government departments along with BIM.

Time to get involved Kath Fontana, managing director of BAM FM, spoke about how BIM and soft landings would lead to ‘a better user experience.’

Over the next five years, she said, everyone in FM would need to get their heads around BIM and how to use it – something which would require the sector to take the initiative, said Fontana.

“We have to recognise that FM has to change too, both through contract and process changes,” she said. “There’s a responsibility FM WORLD | 10 APRIL 2014 | 17

03/04/2014 18:22

FM EVENT

GOVERNMENT SOFT LANDINGS

on FMs to go out there and learn new things. We have to ‘lean in’ a bit and learn some processes as well as promote our own part in the chain.”

Architect Paul Fletcher put forward the view that “almost every other aspect of our life is about service now; the aeronautical industry doesn’t buy planes, it buys service. We need a thorough systems approach to understand the impact we have on outcomes.”

Fletcher, presenting as part of the morning Pecha Kucha session, said that all involved in construction should “stop thinking as a construction industry and start thinking as a built environment services industry. If you always think in terms of construction, it’s always going to be about buildings.”

Networking At the tail end of the event, Deborah Rowland announced that the government was planning to integrate GSL clauses into the facilities management contracting model that is still out to procurement.

Later, Rowland told FM World: “GSL is part of the BIM Level 2 mandate for all government construction new build and refurbishment projects – so it’s in that package which is mandated for 2016. We are also currently working on how we embed GSL into the new FM Contract model and into future construction frameworks to ensure that GSL is supported. The model will go through procurement this year, so we’re working on that now.”

Earlier in the day, BAM’s Kath Fontana had called on government to mandate BIM for FMs to encourage them to use it otherwise there was a threat that FM would “fall off the BIM cliff”.

Mike Packham, representing the BIFM and speaking about the part played by training in BIM 18 | 10 APRIL 2014 | FM WORLD

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“We are currently working on how we embed GSL into the new FM Contract model and into future construction frameworks to ensure GSL is supported” and GSL, agreed that BIM should be made mandatory for FMs. He told delegates: “If the government mandates BIM for FM that will give it the push it needs.”

Ed Baldwin, a partner at built asset consultancy EC Harris, said FM was far behind other sectors in this regard and

needed “to up their game”.

“We are in an immature FM market and an under-invested practitioner base,” said Baldwin.

“The market is reluctant to make significant investment required in terms of software purchase,” he pointed out.

But he said that the use of a BIM-integrated CAFM system would enable FMs to meet the client need for better real time information flow and standardisation of operational data. Baldwin added that BIM had until now only focused on design and build but that the integrated BIM FM market ”was just emerging”.

“The need to innovate and continuously improve is vital to the success of the facilities management industry.

Organisations will need to exercise a degree of vision in seeing the benefits that BIM should bring.”

David Philp, head of the BIM Task Group, envisioned the future for BIM and GSL. He said the BIM level 2 framework that was launched last month provided information on how to use BIM, such as visualisation and lifecycle solution testing at preconstruction stage, among other benefits.

Philp said this meant in the future with Level 3 BIM it may well be possible for cost models to be quickly derived from the BIM model through the use of new costing interfaces. Given the increasing digitisation of tools and technology, Philp also suggested the need for FM to have new role models for a digital generation.

He also proposed the idea that flying robots could be used to carry out BIM work while receiving commands wirelessly from a local control room.

Delegates also heard how BIMs would reduce the risk of poor operational data transfer when client organisations move from one FM contractor to another.

“Every three years, FM contracts turn over and operational data held by the outgoing contractor is returned to the client,” said Kath Fontana, managing director of BAM FM. “I would be amazed if someone with the incoming FM contractor didn’t point out the risks involved in that data set.”

The incoming contractor will then want to do a re-survey of that data, said Fontana, invariably leading to a higher contract price.

In a show of hands, Fontana was also able to get the vast majority of delegates to accept that they did not have complete confidence in their asset data.

With the need for property asset management ‘champions’ also discussed, FM’s role in maintaining BIMs and promoting GSL should be pivotal. It just needs the FM sector to ensure that it happens. www.fm-world.co.uk

03/04/2014 18:26

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03/04/2014 15:22

FM FEATURE

CLEANING IN RETAIL

DAVID PURDY

A CLEAN SWEEP

Are retail organisations getting the best from their cleaning contractor – or is service supplier size a guide to performance?

David Purdy offers the smaller contractor’s perspective

20 | 10 APRIL 2014 | FM WORLD

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www.fm-world.co.uk

03/04/2014 14:23

CLEANING IN RETAIL

C

leaning is one of the barometers of service in facilities. But in retail it is much more important than that. For a high street retailer – to whom protection of its brand image is paramount – the perception of quality and great service is measured not just by the hygiene standards of the toilets, but the entire retail experience.

That is why within the retail sector cleaning is central to success – it is not just another box to be ticked within a range of soft services provided by major support services organisations.

That’s the theory, and it’s the argument put forward by the specialist cleaning companies. But often clients looking for a competitive price and many of the larger service providers do not buy into that model. Indeed, some people on the client side and supply side will see cleaning as a service that is strictly controlled in terms of time allocated per square metre, or determined by the nature of an environment or space to be cleaned. There is often little connection between the nature of that service, how it is provided, and the people doing the cleaning or the impact upon the ultimate end user – the shopper.

This is in part because of the prevalence of some procurement specialists and the basic desire to drive down costs, but it is also because there is a disconnection between what cleaning in retail is about and the result. And one of the main reasons for this is an obsession with technology.

The cleaning sector has been seduced by the idea of solely using technological data to measure performance and so has drifted away from what cleaning is all about – physical cleaning of a customer’s property or asset by real people. Using technology to manage the services provided makes sense, but the desire to measure productivity and effectiveness has begun to obscure the actual service being provided.

People, not data Store managers, even the floor staff within the larger department store, and their consumers do not care about the service agreement and time allocated for each task – they simply want a clean, spotless environment in which to shop that shows off the retailer’s brand to the best effect.

Therefore the real focus of management should be on the people delivering the cleaning – not the systems and processes assessing www.fm-world.co.uk

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their work. After all, it is a human being that delivers the service and although technology has a part to play, that is what managers should be concentrating on – not solely on data. But there is a strong risk that customers (that is, the retailers buying the services of an FM or cleaning specialist) and service providers are only measuring performance from their desks (often through no fault of their own) through technology. Not enough attention is being paid at a site level to get the full picture of service delivery. Suppliers need to be hands-on with their cleaning teams, and for that they need the necessary budget in order to have the freedom to do so.

This is potentially a problem for those service providers seeking to offer a complete range of soft and hard services. In contracts of a certain size, the danger is that for the larger service provider, the client and their respective stores become just another contract to manage; there is no special relationship in place.

“The cleaning sector has been seduced by the idea of solely using technological data to measure performance”

Service targets Below, say, £10 million a contract can cease to grab the attention of senior management, leaving disempowered field staff to fend for themselves.

The bigger FM players need the larger contracts to maintain revenue growth and replace lost work – their customers are happy to pay for what they perceive as a competent service at a cheaper price than a specialist competitor, backed by the guarantees offered by the larger brand name.

But the sheer size of service provider and the nature of the contracts make achieving the agreed service targets very difficult without an element of compromise.

All too often that compromise is about people and the result is an impact on quality. The bigger players may be overly reliant on technology and this has removed the personal touch. The relationship with individual team members, many of whom will often be waking up at 4am, is not close enough.

These are the frontline staff; they are fundamentally the most important assets to any support services company. But many organisations are not managing the relationships with their people effectively.

The cleaning sector needs to return to a people-focused industry and make sure that it has the right culture in place to foster better people management and encourage the right behaviours FM WORLD | 10 APRIL 2014 | 21

03/04/2014 14:23

FM FEATURE

CLEANING IN RETAIL

to ensure excellent customer service. That means investment in people – including field management, whose responsibilities and portfolios have grown as they have become ever more pressed for time– and not technology.

Cleaning in the retail sector is a specialist job.

The end user, the shopper, is the real customer. It might be a truism, but the shopper is always king and the cleaning teams and management need to truly realise this. That means working hand in glove; ideally, the cleaning team must have a relationship not just with their immediate managers and directors, but also a connection with the store managers and their respective shop floor teams.

They must have knowledge of the retail brand, its style, its methods and how it wants its property and merchandise to be perceived.

To an extent this requires a personal service – one that a service supplier’s size can work against.

A personal service demands flexibility, with people on the shop floor allowed to take the initiative.

That means speed of response is vital; small service providers could have the edge over the bigger names in the support services sector. Indeed, to some of the big players a retail contract could be just a number – one that might have to fit within their established delivery structures – and not a brand requiring a bespoke solution.

Retail cleaning requires an approach that focuses on people, culture and behaviours and that leaves room for on-site decision-making and empowered field management – not dominated by corporate box-ticking processes that could be more concerned with costs and margins rather than on focused long-term value. None of this happens overnight. It evolves over time as a result of a commitment to developing a positive, engaging and self-motivational business culture. The crucial element is developing team spirit, which also means keeping the team familiar, fairly compact and supportive of each other. Once that is in place a supplier can quickly establish a rapport with a customer that grows into a

DAVID PURDY

mutually beneficial business relationship.

When it is done right it also allows the cleaning teams to have a more positive relationship with the employees of the stores the teams are working in.

This is important because it directly impacts on the culture and the environment in which they operate.

But this will not happen unless cleaning suppliers’ people enjoy a dynamic, positive and open relationship that encourages a flow of ideas and fosters initiatives that allow them to go beyond the contractual terms of service without a second thought. None of this can happen if the contracts are wrapped up in neat parcels of technological measurement processes that don’t allow any freedom of thinking or engagement with the retailer and its customers. FM David Purdy is retail director of Office & General Group

“The real focus of management should be on the people delivering the cleaning”

It can be too easy to cut down on people and rely on technology 22 | 10 APRIL 2014 | FM WORLD

20-22 cleaning.indd 22

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03/04/2014 14:24

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03/04/2014 15:23

FM FEATURE

ISLE OF MAN

MARTIN READ

MAN

ALIVE REX

The Isle of Man may have the oldest parliament in the world, but some of the FM issues it faces are entirely modern, as Martin Read and Sam Rafferty explain

Known as the ‘Wedding Cake’ this government building is home to the island’s parliament – The House of Keys and the Legislative Council.

Situated in the centre of Douglas, it is typical of many contracts on the island in that FM is handled by three long-established local businesses.

Soft services are currently provided by Strand Facility Services, hard services by Stuart Clague Services (SCS) and some alarm/security systems by G4S.

24 | 10 APRIL 2014 | FM WORLD

24-27 Isle of Man.indd 24

www.fm-world.co.uk

03/04/2014 17:56

ISLE OF MAN

A

lthough they do not reside in the United Kingdom and are not part the European Union, inhabitants of the Isle of Man are still British citizens. The island is a Crown dependency with an independent administration, with a population of 86,000 covering the island’s 572 sq km. Its parliament, the High Court of Tynwald, is the oldest in the world.

Most of the island’s commercial office property is to be found in the capital, Douglas. A majority of the island’s commercial warehouse and industrial space is also situated on the periphery of the capital, although small industrial estates can be found across the island.

As with the other channel islands, the finance sector plays a significant part in the business community on the Isle of Man, with the traditional area for financial services situated in

FM QUICK FACTS

86,000 572 SQ km 1,000,000 SQ FT POPULATION

SIZE

OFFICE ACCOMMODATION

www.fm-world.co.uk

24-27 Isle of Man.indd 25

At Athol Street, Douglas, around wh which a number of commercial pr properties, government offices an and retailers are situated. As well as finance, recent campaigns to at attract business to the island ha have resulted in business clu clusters for aviation, aerospace, ee-business and e-gaming, fil film production and clean te technologies.

The aerospace cluster already ha has 21 members and a laser op optic assembly, designed and m manufactured on the island, is cu currently on the Curiosity Rover on Mars. Similarly, parts designed an and manufactured on the Isle of Man are in every Boeing 787 Dr Dreamliner and Airbus A380 and th the island is host to a number of global satellite companies.

M More than 200 engineering and m manufacturing companies can be fo found on the island.

F FM provision “We have an interesting mix of co commercial property here on the isl island,” says Stuart McCudden, m managing director, G4S Secure So Solutions (Isle of Man) Ltd. “S “Security fit-outs and IT / te telecoms in modern buildings wi stud partition walls are with str straightforward; but similar jobs in buildings with 18in stone walls an historical architecture are a and di different kettle of fish.”

Service supply ranges from ba back-office and business process ou outsourcing through to the ty typical range of soft and hard se services.

Tim Groves is a director of Black Grace Cowley, which pr provides commercial property se services across the island. His fir buys in M&E, cleaning, firm he health & safety inspection, su surveying and security services.

W While they look to avoid putting all of their FM service eggs in on basket, Groves says that one in recent years companies like hi have moved more work his to locally-based multi-service FM WORLD | 10 APRIL 2014 | 25

03/04/2014 17:56

FM FEATURE

ISLE OF MAN

providers at the expense of single service providers.

Says Cowley: “We’ve reduced the number of contractors we work with because, as managing agents, we’re always looking at value for money. With the economic downturn, our workload has increased as our clients demand that every penny we spend is scrutinised to the nth degree, whether that’s achieved through savings on call-out fees or putting multiple services into one package.”

As with the Channel Islands, FM provision on the Isle of Man suffers from certain disadvantages. Parts and equipment supply can be affected when bad weather forces aircraft or ferry cancellations, although express courier and freight suppliers on the island mean that transit times are rarely an issue. Parts and stock inventories are smaller and so lead times can be longer than would be experienced in the UK. Access to sufficient skilled or experienced employees can also be an issue, particularly when the market is buoyant.

But with effective planning and communication these are not insurmountable issues; in the main, businesses in the local supply chain maintain good relations with each other.

Island life “It’s the nature of island life that we frequently work closely with our competitors,” says John Hellowell, chairman of the Strand Group. “There are longstanding relationships between competitors here and a healthy respect for each other.”

Businesses providing services on the island usually have longheld relationships with their customers and try their best to make for smooth transitions when UK companies win contracts that include island 26 | 10 APRIL 2014 | FM WORLD

24-27 Isle of Man.indd 26

MARTIN READ

properties. Issues of tight margins, and contractors asked to service contracts on lower rates are as prevalent here as they are in the UK.

FM providers “We consider that the FM industry on the island is healthy and still developing,” says the managing director of Strand Facility Services, John Hellowell.

The company recently invested in the building of a corporate headquarters on the island. Says Hellowell: “It’s testament to our confidence in our business, our workforce and to the Isle of Man”.

Mitie, ISS, Sodexo and Capita are also among the large UK FM providers active on the island in various forms, either delivering services directly or through local suppliers as subcontractors.

Several UK players have come and gone from the island over the years, their presence often dictated by the need to service a UK contract where a branch office or associate company of that contract is on the island.

When the contract is lost, the UK contractor usually leaves.

There are relatively few single-service providers in mainstream FM as the market has moved towards multiple service provision. Multiple service providers include Prospero and Stewart Clague Services, both of which have benefited from companies like Black Grace Cowley moving to multi-service providers. In turn, single-service suppliers are becoming more specialist, targeting vertical markets such as lift maintenance, pest control and energy management.

Trends in contracts Alan Clague of Stewart Clague Services says that one area of his business that has grown in recent years – mission critical

data centres – has led to changes in how such clients’ demands are managed. “These are time-critical contracts and we can’t just wait for an engineer to fly in from the UK,” says Clague. “We have to use locally trained engineers in-house to offer the very quick response needed.”

The FM contract in place with the Isle of Man Steam Packet’s passenger ferries is particularly unusual. Daily trips between the island and the UK mean that passenger areas on the ferries have to be cleaned between sailings. Sometimes, cleaning

teams have up to an hour to fit in with the boat’s turnaround; on other occasions it can be considerably less depending on the weather. The cleanliness of the ship is an important factor in making a good impression – not just for the Steam Packet Company, but also for the Isle of Man as a whole, it being often the first impression on newcomers and visitors to the island. Strand Facilities Services is the incumbent service provider.

Worker regulations TUPE does not exist on the Isle www.fm-world.co.uk

03/04/2014 17:56

ISLE OF MAN

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company (above), now in its 180th year, is the world’s oldest continuously operating passenger shipping company

“Issues of tight margins and contractors asked to continue servicing contracts but on lower rates are as prevalent here as they are in the UK”

contract out to a local company.

In another incident, a UK business advertised in the local media for staff to service its newly won contract, only for staff to find at the end of the first month that their salaries had been deducted UK PAYE. Established local providers know the market well, know the companies, the buildings and have all the local contacts and relationships. Although unable to influence the offisland decision-making when contracts move between the major UK players, they offer a simple, local subcontracting solution.

Networking of Man. A UK-based company cannot employ people on the island through a UK company – an Isle of Man business is required. There is also no PAYE, and the Isle of Man operates a work permit system. Those wishing to work but not classified as an Isle of Man worker require a work permit before starting employment or self-employment on the island. Employers are in a position to employ individuals from within the European Economic Area who are not Isle of Man workers, provided that there are no suitable Isle of Man workers available to fill those specific roles.

This lack of TUPE legislation and the work permit requirements need to be clearly understood in order to avoid falling foul of Manx legislation – something easily overlooked by off-island suppliers.

Recent incidents on the island include an incoming contractor demanding TUPE information from its predecessor so that staff could be briefed and incorporated into the new structure. Once the new contracter fully understood what was required it decided to www.fm-world.co.uk

24-27 Isle of Man.indd 27

Most networking between FM professionals on the island is informal, either experienced through the course of work or on a social basis. Suppliers have common customers and work in collaboration with other suppliers on jobs. In many cases, suppliers co-exist with their competitors within the same buildings.

The market is too small for operators to fall out with each other and a professional and respectful relationship exists between most suppliers.

“Despite offering competing services, G4S will often provide the security in a building that a competitor will clean and vice versa,” says G4S’s McCudden.

“Electrical contractors will often install cable for security and IT contractors. These relationships are built on the back of informal networks and mutual respect.”

As the market develops, a formal structure for FM professionals may evolve, but like most things on the island, friendship, respect and collaboration form the bedrock of relationships, both professional and personal. FM FM WORLD | 10 APRIL 2014 | 27

03/04/2014 17:57

EVACUATION SYSTEMS

ADAM BERNSTEIN

IKON

FM FEATURE

28 | 10 APRIL 2014 | FM WORLD

28-31 evacuation.indd 28

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03/04/2014 17:50

EVACUATION SYSTEMS

IN 60 SECONDS New European standards and legislation are among the issues that need to be considered when specifying the most effective evacuation solution for a building, as Adam Bernstein reports

www.fm-world.co.uk

28-31 evacuation.indd 29

E

vacuating people from a building is a complex operation requiring the input of specialists from initial consultation and design stage through to commissioning and continuing building management. But only when it is used in anger can the effectiveness of alarm systems be truly evaluated. So what should FMs be aware of when specifying?

Klaxon Signals’ Clym Brown says it is vital to assess the nature and importance of the messages, the type of personnel for whom the messages are intended; and the environment that the system will be installed in. His company differentiates notification system types into three application areas – fire safety, mass notification systems and industrial signalling.

“Each requires a different approach and mindset, and it is equally as important for facilities managers and end users to understand the different

ph philosophies and constraints of ea each system type,” he says.

It is imperative that there is no am ambiguity in messages or system pe performance requirements. No on one fire safety element works in iso isolation.

Paul Pope, business innovation ma manager EMEA for Apollo Fire De Detectors, says fire detection and ala alarm systems do provide one me method for the early warning an and evacuation strategy to begin – ““but before this, a lot of work ha has to be undertaken to ensure th that all elements come together so that all occupants are given th the best possible chance to exit th the premises safely and quickly un under a number of scenarios”.

British Standard BS5839 Part 1 iis the basic requirement for all fir fire systems.

Jim Spowart, senior ap applications engineer at Eaton’s Fir Fire Systems Business, says: “The ma main requirement is to detect a fire f at an early stage to give th the maximum available time to en enable safe evacuation.”

There are five elements of the sta standard’s requirement: 1: Effective and early detection; 2: A method of raising the alarm eit either by automatic or manual de devices; 3: A method of alerting oc occupants, a similar sound au audible throughout the building wi fixed minimum sound with ou outputs; 4: Clearly defined, protected and un unobstructed escape routes; and 5: A clear evacuation plan.

“Fire alarm systems must be ab to warn all occupants of the able ne for evacuation, assuming need th the recipients have no that sy system knowledge nor have any sp specialist training,” says Brown.

“T “These markets are highly reg regulated, defining both product an system performance and and en ensuring that fire systems behave an operate consistently in terms and of detection and evacuation.”

Part of the equation means m making sure that the fire de detection system operates th fire protection measures the co correctly according to the ev evacuation strategy. For Po such considerations Pope, in include simultaneous or ph phased evacuation, closing fire co containment doors, grounding lif to a safe area relative to lifts th fire, fire and smoke damper the co control.

Everybody out E Le Legislation has led to fire and se security systems with capability be beyond that of a basic audible wa warning. To comply with the Di Disability Discrimination Act (D (DDA) 1995 a sounder can now no longer be used in isolation but mu must be used in conjunction with ab beacon. To evacuate everyone fro from a building, duty holders ne need to signal effectively using lig light as well as sound.

Brown and Pope point to sta standards – as well as legislation – as having made a difference in pr product design. A new European fir fire system standard, EN54-23, ca came into force on 31 December 20 2013 and it recognises new re requirements and specifies th the minimum performance re requirements for Visual Alarm De Devices (VADs), removing any am ambiguity regarding the light ou output requirements or system de design parameters involved with us using light to evacuate buildings.

The aim of EN54-23 is to en enable manufacturers to design, pr produce and have certified VADs to a specified visual coverage an and mounting position to en ensure that any person with a he hearing impairment – physical, en environmental or equipment re related – is notified in the event of a fire. “In these situations, au audible alarms – sounders – are no not considered to be effective as the only primary means of wa warning device,” says Pope.

FM WORLD | 10 APRIL 2014 | 29

03/04/2014 17:50

ALAMY

FM FEATURE

EVACUATION SOLUTIONS

The standard specifies the minimum requirements for VADs, providing performance criteria and test methods in a uniform and consistent way.

VADs are particularly useful in areas such as hotels, hospitals, and shopping centres, says Pope, adding that following a site/risk assessment VADs should be positioned wherever hearing-impaired people may be unaccompanied, such as bathrooms, toilets and bedrooms.

EN54 will have big implications for product selection and system design, says Brown. And in the context of EN54-23, generating sufficient light output to meet the new requirements has required advancements in light technology that has increased device costs.

Spowart echoes this, noting that recent changes to EN54 have also prompted changes to panels, power supplies and sounders.

“The challenge created from the introduction of VADs under EN54-23 has been an increased current draw on devices.

Previously, manufacturers had been gradually reducing the amount of current through a variety of efficiency savings aimed at reducing the size of backup battery or providing a longer standby period for the same battery capacity.”

More importantly, most conventional and addressable fire alarm systems are dependent on low current devices, allowing numerous system components to be added onto a single loop, where one wire connects all devices to the control panel.

Brown says this saves time and cost in wiring, reducing the number of power supplies and aiding installation and commissioning. But EN54-23 demands devices that require additional power to comply with the new light output and system coverage requirements.

30 | 10 APRIL 2014 | FM WORLD

28-31 evacuation.indd 30

ADAM BERNSTEIN

One consideration when specifying is that, as Spowart says, most manufacturers use their own communications protocol so only their equipment will work on their panels. “For these applications ease of installation, costs and reliability are the choices of the installer.”

Mass notification With ever greater numbers of people comes the greater need to devise more efficient methods of evacuation with “mass notification systems” and signalling solutions for large complexes (see FM World, 1 November 2013). Spowart believes that the most effective method of carrying out a mass evacuation is by use of voice commands. “Research has proven that in an emergency people will react without confusion or panic if they receive a clear, intelligible message.”

A well-implemented system, says Spowart, can be used to direct people away from the source of danger or, indeed, to tell them to remain in their current position and await further instructions.

However, systems can be multi-purposed. Most large enclosed areas such as shopping centres, football grounds and theatres already use public address systems for announcements. These can be used to convey safety messages.

But, says Spowart, if this is the case, then fire-rated cable (FP200 type) must be specified for the speaker circuits. He adds that the use of speakers for fire safety messaging is regulated by BS5839 Part 8, which indicates the type of speakers, sound pressure levels and intelligibility.

This means that the terminal blocks (usually ceramic) need to be able to withstand a similar temperature for a similar duration to that of the interconnecting

cable (fire rated 830ºC – PH30 standard cables/930ºC PH120 enhanced cables) and recessed ceiling loudspeakers (when used) need to be fitted with a protective, non-combustible fire dome capable of withstanding a temperature of 850ºC. “Each solution must be bespoke for the location and environment.

It’s not a case of applying standard products in a standard configuration,” says Brown.

Mass notification system design generally falls into four discrete stages: 1: Strategic assessment:

Initial enquiries are assessed for mass notification suitability to ensure that the aims of system performance are clearly defined.

2: Physical location study: The properties of the application site, taking into account its size and location, population density, special factors and communication requirements.

3: Acoustic analysis: A background acoustic survey is conducted and major sound path restrictions identified, leading to the development of a sound plan based on a computer simulation.

4: Solution design: Different designs are computer modelled

“A pre-recorded message facility could be useful to people who do not speak English as a first language as messages could be broadcast in several languages”

www.fm-world.co.uk

03/04/2014 17:51

EVACUATION SYSTEMS

and evaluated. Procurement specifications are then produced.

Part of the modelling process involves inputting the physical dimensions of the site and modelling all elements that affect sound propagation, including outbuildings, terrain, and other environmental factors. Also, by taking on-site background ambient noise readings and including them in the model system, designers can assess performance based on volume differentials and message intelligibility.

Industrial signalling While fire and mass notification are obvious targets for notification systems, industrial signalling applications can take many forms. Brown details how they can notify that a machine is operating, automate production and indicate that a room is occupied – “what will be interesting for industrial markets is the potential effect EN54-23 may have on product selection and availability.,” he says.

But products used for generic industrial applications are derived from products aimed at the fire market that have been adapted to industrial use by converting to work with AC-based power supplies.

External areas also require protection. Consider that in the case of educational establishments, large industrial and Control of Major Accident Hazards sites the duty to protect extends not only to site personnel or students outside the buildings, but also members of the public.

Systems need sirens that use a clear voice and tone signal communication above local background noise across a wide area. These must be supported with beacons, display messageboards and GSM messaging facilities.

Brown says it can be argued www.fm-world.co.uk

28-31 evacuation.indd 31

that for people working in a facility – and those contracted to it – only a simple tone warning signal is required as they will have been trained in the appropriate response.

But the general public will not recognise the meaning of the signal. And there may be more than one form of incident to be communicated. Examples of this include warning of a fire – when people are required to remain outside buildings – and incidents when terrorism is involved and staff need to stay inside in a ‘lockdown’. It is important to be able to be able to use a public address system or a large-screen display for messaging in a fastchanging situation.

“A pre-recorded message facility could be useful to communicate to people who do not speak English as a first language, or at all, as the messages could be broadcast in several languages,” says Brown.

But one issue creates more difficulty and confusion in open-air, wide-area signalling: No national standards apply to a certain signal type and its meaning, so the general public and visitors to a site cannot automatically recognise it or understand the meaning of the signal and react accordingly.

Brown says that this extends to site personnel whose site adjoins another facility where a particular warning signal heard on either side means different things on the two sites.

Each installation needs its own bespoke evaluation and set-up as the building layouts, the audio paths, the people to be communicated to and the hazards specific to that building all differ.

There is, therefore, no ‘one-sizefits-all’ solution. Buyers need to seek good advice, involve the professionals and buy according to the standards that exist; there really is no other way out. FM

ESCAPE EQUALITY

FIRE SAFETY LEGISLATION The The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 played a key role in developing the fire industry.

Employers, organisations and businesses must now have fire procedures in place that take account of the requirements of the DDA, including warning systems catering for both the hearing and visually impaired.

The act was extended by the Disability Discrimination (NI) Order 2006. But, says Eaton’s Fire Systems Business’s Jim Spowart, there are other laws and codes of practice to bear in mind such as Building Regulations Approved Document M, covering disabled access to and use of buildings while Section M1 includes schools, maintained schools and purpose-built student accommodation; the Building Regulations Approved Document B (Fire Safety) Volume 2, Section 4 covering designs for vertical escapes in buildings other than flats, all commercial buildings and housing association properties; and British Standard 8300:2009, covering the provision of disabled facilities within a building.

There’s also the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO). It says the responsibility for fire safety lies with employers, who have a duty to safeguard all who use their premises, including those in the immediate vicinity. In essence, the RRO requires any person who exercises control over premises to take reasonable steps to make sure occupants can escape safely if fire breaks out. The RRO was made under the Regulatory Reform Act 2001 and combines previous fire safety law into a single piece of law.

Although a fire risk assessment was necessary under previous legislation, the RRO requires the responsible person to make a suitable assessment of the risks to identify the general fire precautions needed. The RRO is enforced by county fire and rescue services, who can offer informal advice on improving fire safety provisions, issue a Notification of Deficiencies advising of shortfalls on fire safety provisions, issue an Enforcement Notice detailing requirements and setting timescales, and issue an Alterations Notice if required to prevent changes to provisions already in force.

But, says Spowart: “It’s the power to issue a prohibition or restriction notice to restrict use of all or part of a building or their ability to bring prosecutions through the courts for persistent or extreme noncompliance that should concern duty holders the most.

“These policies have not only forced employer accountability, they’ve have changed the way the fire industry has developed. Technology has moved on from the simple fire bell and is making use of combined sounder-beacon technology and pre-recorded voice messaging.”

FM WORLD | 10 APRIL 2014 | 31

03/04/2014 17:51

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FM MONITOR MARKET INTELLIGENCE

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.

SOURCE: OFFICE FOR NATIONAL STATISTICS

ECONOMY

CYCLING TO WORK – 2011 CENSUS ANALYSIS

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

LONDON 2001

2011

77,000

155,000

OVERALL CYCLING TO WORK RATES WERE HIGHEST FOR

INCREASES IN NUMBERS CYCLING IN OTHER CITIES BETWEEN 2001 AND 2011

Source: HM Treasury (hmrc.gov.uk)

Bank of England base rate: 0.5% as of 9 January 2014.

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

IN 2011, 741,000 WORKING RESIDENTS AGED 16 TO 74 CYCLED TO WORK IN ENGLAND AND WALES. THIS WAS AN INCREASE OF 90,000 COMPARED WITH 2001. AS A PROPORTION OF WORKING RESIDENTS, THE SHARE CYCLING TO WORK WAS UNCHANGED AT 2.8%

OVERALL, RESIDENTS WERE TWICE AS LIKELY TO CYCLE TO WORK IN 2011 IF THEY LIVED IN AN URBAN AREA AS OPPOSED TO A RURAL AREA

MALE WORKERS LIVING IN URBAN AREAS BRISTOL

MANCHESTER

94%

83%

WORKERS OF BOTH SEXES AGED 30 TO 34

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

Category of worker

Hourly rate from 1 Oct 2013

Aged 21 and above

£6.31

Aged 18 to 20 inclusive

£5.03

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

£2.65

PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYMENT

PRIVATE SECTOR EMPLOYMENT ROSE BY

264,000, TO 24.684 MILLION – AGAIN, THIS WAS ACCOUNTED FOR BY THE ROYAL MAIL’S TRANSFER TO THE PRIVATE SECTOR.

25,000 LOWER THAN IN THE Q3 OF 2013.

UK DATA CENTRE CONSTRUCTION MARKET REPORT 2014-2018

1.00

0.50

203,000 LOWER THAN IN THE LAST QUARTER OF 2012, AND WORKERS IN PRIVATE SECTOR EMPLOYMENT NUMBER

662,000 HIGHER THAN AT Q4 2012.

SOURCE: OFFICE FOR NATIONAL STATISTICS

2016 FCST

2015 FCST

0.00

TOTAL PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYMENT STANDS AT

2014 FCST

TO 5.507 MILLION IN Q4 OF 2013 – A CHANGE ALMOST ENTIRELY DOWN TO THE PRIVATISATION OF ROYAL MAIL IN OCTOBER.

1.50

2013 EST

159,000

EMPLOYMENT IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT, AT 2.389 MILLION, IS NOW

DATA CENTRES

2012

TOTAL UK PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYMENT FELL BY

AND WORKERS IN ELEMENTARY AND PROFESSIONAL OCCUPATIONS

2011

National Minimum Wage NOTE: The following rates came into effect on 1 October 2013:

80%

2010

EMPLOYMENT

SHEFFIELD

81%

2009

(www.ons.gov.uk)

X2

NEWCASTLE

VALUE - £BN

Consumer Price Index (CPI): The Consumer Price Index (CPI) annual inflation grew by 2.0% in the year to December 2013, down from 2.1% in November. The largest contributions to the fall in the rate came from food and nonalcoholic drinks. The overall price increase for gas and electricity was slightly larger than the rises a year earlier resulting in a small upward contribution to inflation. Source:

The market for data centre construction grew to about £1.1bn in 2013, rallying after the economic downturn affected key customer sectors. This was down to a growing interest in cloud computing coupled with better business confidence and the government and some private businesses revealing plans to shift data centre estates to fewer, but more efficient centres. Demand among technology, media and content providers, is expected to carry on this growth. Between 2014 and 2016 the market will fall in value terms, but by 2017 build levels should rise again, reaching £1,016m by 2018.

SOURCE: AMA RESEARCH

www.fm-world.co.uk

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FM WORLD | 10 APRIL 2014 | 33

03/04/2014 09:42

FM MONITOR FELICITY GEMSON

LEGAL UPDATE

Felicity Gemson senior professional support lawyer, Allen & Overy

N EW TU PE – WH AT DO YO U N EED TO K N OW ?

mended TUPE regulations came A into effect on 31 January. Here, Felicity Gemson highlights some of the main changes as they affect FMs

The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE) protect employees in the event of a transfer of business or service provision changes by providing for the transfer of their employment from one party to another. The result of a government review of TUPE is more a “tinkered-with” version of the legislation than the radical revamp that was originally expected.

Application of TUPE to FM contracts The service provision change rules, which bring most service provision changes (that is outsourcing, insourcing and retendering exercises) within the scope of TUPE, have been retained. This is likely to be broadly welcomed in the FM sector as it continues to give parties certainty and predictability when negotiating contracts.

TUPE rules have, however, been amended in line with existing case law to clarify that a service provision change will only occur if the activities carried out by the new provider are fundamentally the same as the activities carried out by the previous provider. In practice, this is unlikely to reduce arguments as to whether TUPE applies where FM services will be provided in 34 | 10 APRIL 2014 | FM WORLD

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a different way, as Employment Tribunals will continue to analyse the nature and significance of differences in each particular case.

Changes to terms and conditions TUPE rules restrict the ability of FMs to make changes to the employment terms of incoming staff, or to harmonise them with those of their own staff following a TUPE transfer. The European Union Acquired Rights Directive (ARD) and related EU case law, which must be followed by TUPE, leave little room for manoeuvre here in providing that even consensual contractual changes are ineffective if they are by reason of a TUPE transfer itself.

TUPE rules have been amended to give new service providers some additional flexibility.

Collectively bargained terms can be renegotiated one year after the transfer, even if the reason for the change is the transfer, provided that the change is no less favourable overall to employees.

Changes will also be permitted where the sole or principal reason for them is an “economic, technical or organisational reason entailing changes in the workforce” (ETO reason) and provided that by the employee agrees to them. Or changes can be made if they are permitted by the contract of employment.

These routes will not provide

the flexibility that is needed, not least because UK case law has interpreted “ETO reason” narrowly, and it is unclear how tribunals would view detrimental contractual changes. In practice, incoming FMs may continue to take a pragmatic view of the risks of changing terms, and manage the risk of a challenge by ensuring that staff are happy and better off overall.

Dismissals The ARD and TUPE recognise that dismissals will not be automatically unfair where they take place for an ETO reason.

Amendments confirm that a change in workplace location, which would constitute a “place of work” redundancy under the Employment Rights Act 1996, will now be considered an ETO reason. So where staff are needed at different premises following TUPE transfers, any dismissals on account of their refusal to relocate would not be automatically unfair, although it would still be necessary to contend with ordinary dismissal protection when managing the dismissal process.

A proposal by the government to allow outgoing providers to rely on incoming providers’ future business needs to justify pretransfer dismissals was dropped from the final TUPE. Post-transfer redundancy dismissals therefore continue to be the safest option for incoming FMs, albeit with the downside of delay, additional cost and uncertainty for staff.

In part to mitigate the impact of prolonged staff uncertainty, there have been separate changes to legislation on collective redundancy consultation, which mean that where an

incoming provider elects to start consultation pre-transfer and the outgoing provider agrees, that pre-transfer consultation will count for the purposes of their compliance with the rules. As this would entail giving new FMs early access to the workforce, outgoing FMs may wish to negotiate appropriate indemnity protection, and there is sense from both parties’ perspectives in having a code of conduct in place to identify how the process will be run.

Other changes For transfers taking place on or after 1 May, outgoing FMs will have to provide the required statutory employee liability information about transferring staff sooner (28 days rather than 14 days before the transfer).

Other changes include a right that will enable FMs with fewer than 10 employees to inform and consult directly with employees affected by transfers taking place on or after 31 July where there is no recognised union or existing employee representatives.

Overall impact New TUPE rules are likely to entail minimal changes to the way in which FMs negotiate, prepare for and conduct TUPE transactions.

The complex questions remain, such as whether TUPE applies where services are performed in a different way and what changes are permitted.

Coupled with the uncertainty raised by some of the new changes, we can be confident that this will continue to be fertile ground for litigation – and yet more case law. FM www.fm-world.co.uk

03/04/2014 11:23

FM MONITOR PETER SCUDERI AND ALASTAIR JACKSON

STANDARDS ISO 55000 — ASS ET M A NAGEM EN T Peter Scuderi and Alastair Jackson, associate directors at Arup

he introduction of ISO 55000 as a replacement for PAS 55 makes this a good time to assess the structure of an organisation’s asset management strategy, suggest Peter Scuderi and Alastair Jackson

T

If this is the first you’ve heard of ISO 55000, you are probably not alone. But even if the January launch of the new international standards framework for asset management passed you by, it would be a mistake to think that it isn’t relevant.

In essence, ISO 55000 creates a framework for all of the elements that organisations need in place to manage their assets effectively and economically. The framework includes areas such as: ● The

nature and purpose of the organisation; ● Its operating context; ● Financial constraints and regulatory requirements; and ● The needs and expectations of the organisation and its shareholders.

Over time, companies may want to achieve certification to prove that their management systems meet best practice.

Where is it from?

Not so long ago asset management was largely a tactical discipline, focused on tasks like maintenance and renewal of assets like buildings, roads, bridges and rail infrastructure. It relied heavily on the experience and the professional judgment of people who knew the tangible assets inside out.

Today, asset management www.fm-world.co.uk

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much more strategic, relying on business strategy, KPIs and sophisticated IT tools to assess assets’ performance.

But businesses can’t ignore the people aspect of asset management. Those involved need to be experienced, show sound professional judgment and get behind the aims of the business’s strategy.

Asset management can help you to find the right balance between three crucial business drivers – cost, risk and performance. If you need to reduce cost, for example, you need to understand the level of risk you’re taking and the impact it has on performance.

By developing a fully integrated asset management strategy, you align your strategic direction with what is happening on the ground in your company.

Who’s doing it?

Within the regulated utilities – such as rail, energy, water, and gas – asset management is now a well-established part of business processes. Regulators like asset management because it provides them with clarity on business spending and a framework for testing whether investments are delivering as expected.

A good example is the water industry, an early adopter of strategic asset management that has enjoyed real performance and

efficiency gains as a result. The recent high levels of rainfall also point to another useful aspect of asset management – once you have your assets assessed, valued and documented you can then interrogate the performance of those assets based upon a number of different scenarios.

In the water industry’s case, many of its assets are designed around the threshold of one-in50-year rainfall levels. With the increase in rainfall– perhaps to 1-in-200-year levels – there’s a clear decision-making framework to act upon.

Outside of the regulated industries strategic asset management is increasing, although take-up is closely related to each company’s commercial drivers.

Sounds easy, but…

To properly implement asset management, companies must make sure it is embedded across the whole of the business, beginning with their people and without exception.

Too frequently, business leaders think that with the right processes and right software, the programme will take care

of itself. Companies must give people enough time to become familiar with technical asset management tools before they are implemented, as well as incorporating their needs within the system.

Theory meets practice Business leaders need to understand that the strategy is more than a piece of software and the sole responsibility of the IT department. Many large organisations go through cycles every five or six years of doing something new, which then often fails. One long-standing client of ours had delivered an asset management project successfully, but there was no evidence of it being embedded in the business.

Why? Because the business had not made sure that there was a “people imperative” to keep the work current.

We also know of businesses that have gone to the market saying they wanted an asset management solution. But they approach suppliers with no strategy in place, no register of assets, no condition reports, and no asset management plans.

ABOUT ISO 55000 ISO 55000 is the result of work between the Institute of Asset Management and the British Standards Institute to make Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 55 a formal international standard through the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO).

ISO 55000 replaces PAS 55, and is based on the 28 elements contained in PAS 55, part 1 and part 2.

ISO 55000 comprises three modules: ● ISO 55000 - Overview, principles and terminology ● ISO 55001 - Requirements ● ISO 55002 - Guidelines for applying ISO 55001 These modules form a management system for asset management, and are marketed as the first global standards for governance in asset management

FM WORLD | 10 APRIL 2014 | 35

03/04/2014 11:23

FM MONITOR GILES MARGERISON

HOW TO...

Giles Margerison is director UK & Ireland, TomTom Business Solutions

EF F ICIEN CY IN FL EET M A NAGEM EN T

oor management of an organisation’s fleet can result in high fuel and vehicle maintenance costs as well as increased insurance premiums. Giles Margerison considers how modern GPS tracking technology can help tackle the problem

P

FM advisers at professional services firm Deloitte have highlighted how “workforce efficiency continues to be an issue for many FM companies due to inflexibility, lack of good quality logistical information and the tools and skills to manage a more efficient workforce”.

In particular, managing a mobile workforce can be a challenging affair unless companies gain proper insight into the activities of their employees out on the road.

A boost to the bottom line Fuel is a variable overhead and it is possible to minimise the cost burden by tackling fuel efficiency across a company fleet. A reduction in fuel bills represents direct bottom-line savings; savings that may otherwise have to be recovered through an increase in revenue or through budget cuts elsewhere.

Appropriate technology is now widely regarded as being one of the most logical options for relieving cost pressures at the pump. Better navigation alone can lead to a 10 per cent reduction in fuel consumption, but greater financial rewards can be enjoyed by companies that 36 | 10 APRIL 2014 | FM WORLD

36_HowTo.indd 36

improve the performance of their drivers. Zenith Hygiene Group, for example, saved £222,660 on fuel over a year by implementing an incentivised scheme for the improvement of driver behaviour across its 119-strong fleet.

Average vehicle mpg during this time soared from 26 to 43.

Fleet management technology can be used to tap into vehicle diagnostics and provide in-depth analysis into each employee’s driving style, based on key elements of safe and efficient driving. Measuring fuel consumption can be a litmus test to highlight problems in other areas, such as speeding, idling, and even harsh steering or braking.

With such insights, staff can then be rewarded for good performance and training targeted at those who require it most. Employees can even be helped to correct poor driving style on the move with real-time feedback on driving style through their in-vehicle navigation devices.

Incentive schemes are not necessarily expensive. One company saved up to £200,000 on diesel in a year by buying a £20 trophy and engraving it with “Driver of the Month”.

Better road risk management Where employees are encouraged to drive in a more considered fashion, improved driver performance will also result in higher safety standards.

Employers are required by law to exhibit a duty of care to staff and the data gleaned from monitoring driver performance can prove invaluable in this respect, providing evidence that efforts to address risk factors are proving successful.

Inevitably, companies that also improve their risk profile may be rewarded with significant insurance savings. Zenith Hygiene Group saw its premiums cut by £78,000 over two years by being able to demonstrate a reduction in risk to its insurer.

Plotting a smarter route to optimum efficiency Traffic is frequently regarded as a major barrier to efficient company performance. Improved routing, however, is reliant upon using intelligence gathered from the road.

Advanced fleet management technology can draw upon historic road use and live traffic data to generate accurate timings for every journey, taking account of the best available route, time of day and congestion.

This allows companies to plan their workflow to maximise productivity.

Furthermore, the most appropriate mobile workers can be dispatched based on who will be quicker, rather than simply who is closest to the customer.

At Sanctuary Maintenance, for example, technology has enabled staff at its customer service

centre to pinpoint the exact location of engineers at any given time, dispatch the correct operative to each job and know exactly when they arrive.

Putting green back on the agenda And then there is the bigger picture. By making sure that employees spend less time on the road and use less fuel, FM businesses can help to put green issues back on the agenda.

In addition to its fuel savings, Zenith Hygiene Group also reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 598 tonnes a year.

Companies should consider the overall impact their activities make on the environment and make a concerted effort to address this, especially as an increasing number of companies are actively looking to employ businesses that demonstrate a commitment to sustainability.

A combination of improved routing and smarter scheduling will drastically reduce the mileage covered by company vehicles and better driver behaviour will guarantee optimal efficiency on the road.

Fleet management technology can then report back on factors such as carbon dioxide emissions to help monitor trends and the setting of environmental KPIs. It is easy to focus on fleet management technology as “Big Brother” monitoring technology, but the telematic data is also used to defend drivers in cases of complaints of poor driving.

But an even greater benefit is securing the safety of the organisation’s drivers.

There is no greater benefit than a driver arriving home safely at night. FM www.fm-world.co.uk

03/04/2014 15:46

FM MONITOR

TECHNICAL TESTIN G OF PO RTA BL E EL ECT R I CA L EQU IPM EN T IN LOW- R I S K EN V I RO N M EN T S

ow often should the safety of small electrical appliances be checked? Here, we explain the background to the HSE’s guidance

H

Regulation 4(2) of The Electricity at Work Regulations (1989) requires all systems to be maintained to prevent danger as far as is practicable, but there are no specific requirements on how such maintenance should be carried out – or how often.

In 2012 the HSE revised its guidance leaflet INDG236(rev2) Maintaining Portable Electric Equipment In Low-Risk Environments on how often portable appliances in offices and shops must be tested. This guidance was revised in 2013 and is now issued as INDG236(rev3).

In March 2011, Chris Grayling, then Minister of State for Employment, set up an independent review to consider “the scope for reducing the burden of health and safety regulation on business, while maintaining the progress made in health and safety outcomes”.

IMAGE SOURCE

Wide interpretation This review was chaired by Professor Ragnar Löfstedt, director of the King’s Centre for Risk Management, King’s College, London. In November 2011, his report, Reclaiming Health And Safety For All: An Independent Review Of Health And Safety Legislation, was presented to Parliament.

In his foreword Löfstedt concluded that, in general, there was no case for radically www.fm-world.co.uk

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Regulations 1989 (EWR) was highlighted as an example of a regulation that is applied too widely and disproportionately.

In particular, the report criticised the widespread practice on portable appliances. “… Many businesses are having portable appliances, such as kettles and microwaves, tested annually, which is both costly and of questionable value. Furthermore, it has been indicated that businesses are going further and applying testing to all electrical equipment, not just to items that are truly portable.”

Stop over-compliance

altering current health and safety legislation, that the existing regulatory requirements were broadly right and there was evidence to suggest that proportionate risk management could make good business sense.

But he added that there were several factors “that drive businesses to go beyond what the regulations require and beyond what is proportionate”.

“The problem lies less with the regulations and more with the way they are interpreted and applied. In some cases this is caused by inconsistent enforcement by regulators and in others by the influences of third parties that promote the generation of unnecessary paperwork and a focus on health and safety activities that go above and beyond the regulatory requirements,” he said.

The Electricity At Work

The report acknowledged that the HSE had sought to redress the widely held misconception that EWR required portable appliances to be tested annually when its publication Maintaining Portable Electric Equipment In Offices And Other Low-Risk Environments (INDG236) was reissued in April 2011. But Löfstedt still recommended that the HSE should further clarify the requirement for portable appliance testing to stop overcompliance and send the message to all stakeholder groups.

The government accepted the recommendations in the report, and on 28 November 2011 the HSE said it welcomed the review and the reforms recommended.

On 2 May 2012, launching its revised guidance on portable appliance testing as INDG 236 (Rev2), the HSE estimated that unnecessary safety testing of portable electrical appliances is costing office-based businesses around £30 million a year. HSE chair Judith Hackett said: “We know that low-risk companies

are being misled over what the law requires when it comes to maintaining portable electrical appliances... HSE has always advocated a proportionate, riskbased approach to maintenance.”

There are three levels of testing that are used to determine whether a portable appliance remains suitable for use: ● Basic user checks; ● Formal visual inspection; and ● Combined inspection and testing.

INDG236 (rev3) provides suggested initial intervals for checking portable electrical equipment in low-risk places, such as offices, shops, areas within hotels and care homes.

Where the duty holder decides that combined inspection and testing is required, the interval between such inspection and testing should be based on the risk to the user of the equipment.

Where the risk of damage to the equipment, its lead or plug is considered to be high and the equipment is handheld, an interval of between one and two years is suitable. Where the risk is lower – as with infrequently moved items such as vending machines or photocopiers, the interval between inspections might be up to five years.

The duty holder should review the results of user checks, formal visual inspections and combined inspection and testing and, based on these, adjust the periods for inspections and testing accordingly. FM Further information can be found on the HSE website at www.hse.gov.uk/ electricity/faq-portable-appliancetesting.htm.

The original article issued by the Electrical Safety Council (issue 28 of Switched On) can be downloaded at www.esc.org.uk/industry/newsand-campaigns/switched-on/

FM WORLD | 10 APRIL 2014 | 37

03/04/2014 14:27

BIFM NEWS BIFM.ORG.UK

BIFM London region boat trip takes place this year on 2 July on HMS Belfast THINKFM

ThinkFM, the BIFM conference, takes place next month on 13 May. If you are planning to attend but have not yet booked your tickets, you should secure your place as soon as possible at www.thinkfm. com/book.

Focusing on ‘The workplace and beyond: Facilities management’s impact on business, the economy and society’, the programme includes: ● Daisy McAndrew former economics editor for ITV News, will be hosting ThinkFM; ● Peter Cheese, CEO, CIPD: ‘Trends in the workplace and working environment; ● Professor John Hinks, global head of innovation, Zurich CRE&FM: ‘Productivity is dead, long live productivity’; ● Lord Redesdale, CEO, Energy Managers Association: ‘Will an expertise in energy be the difference between winning or losing an FM contract?’; ● Chris Kane, CEO, BBC Commercial Projects: ‘A new direction for FM: Raising the game to support the workplace of the future’; ● Nicholas Holgate, joint chief executive, London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham and Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea: ‘The impact of FM on local services, and how this affects wider society’; and ● Max Farrell, partner, Farrells and Bev Burgess, associate director, Workplace Law: ‘The Farrell Review: the contribution of architecture to the UK economy’. ● Oona King, House of Lords and Channel 4, will also be speaking at ThinkFM i Book now at www.thinkfm.com/ book. BIFM members benefit from savings on the delegate rate – paying just £349 plus VAT for the conference, breakfast networking session and early-evening drinks reception.

38 | 10 APRIL 2014 | FM WORLD

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SHUTTERSTOCK

Last call

Thanks to sponsors:

Electrosonic Electrosonic provides a full range of flexible audio-visual and videoconferencing service solutions to the corporate, education, retail and control room markets. Its dedicated service team provides a 24 x 7 x 365 solution including on-site staff, emergency call-outs, remote monitoring, a full portfolio of managed services, upgrades, loans and a projector lamp replacement programme. www.electrosonic.co.uk/ av-service-solutions

Ward Security Our job is to provide you, your employees and your assets with the best protection possible, leaving

you to focus on your own field of expertise. We provide a complete range of services from key holding, security guarding and reception, through property monitoring, using WIDS and CCTV, to explosives and narcotics search dog teams. www.ward-security.co.uk

BIFM AWARDS

Helistrat Working in close partnership with its customers, Helistrat develops sustainable business environments by delivering innovative, managed programmes. By re-engineering processes and procedures we facilitate longer-term strategic planning and business-driven results. Helistrat’s contract management lets you to focus on your core business, while working in a close partnership with us ensures that you are always in control. www.helistrat.co.uk

● Excellence in Customer Service ● Excellence in Product Development ● Facilities Manager of the Year ● FM Excellence in a Major Project ● FM Service Provider of the Year ● Impact on Organisation and Workplace ● In-House FM Team of the Year ● Innovation in the Use of Technology and Systems ● Learning and Career

Only three weeks to go There are now only three weeks until the BIFM Awards entry deadline (2 May), so now is the time that you must think about submitting your entries in the following categories:

www.fm-world.co.uk

03/04/2014 09:43

Please send your news items to communications@bifm.org.uk or call +44 (0)1279 712 620

Development ● Profound Impact ● Rising Talent in Facilities Management (new for 2014) ● Sustainability and Environmental Impact i Enter now – don’t miss your chance to shine in 2014. Visit www.bifm.org.uk/awards 2014 for full entry details or alternatively, contact the BIFM Awards team at awards@bifm.org.uk or on +44 (0) 1279 712 640.

Entries close 2 May 2014, FM of the Year closes 27 June.

BIFM LONDON REGION

Book for the boat trip Bookings are open for the BIFM London region boat trip, the jewel in the crown of the region’s networking programme, which takes place this year on the evening of 2 July on HMS Belfast.

Tickets to the event, sponsored

by Sodexo, Class 1 Personnel, Wilmott Dixon Interiors and Lancaster Cleaning, cost £30 each and entry includes one drink, a hot-and-cold buffet and entertainment. All proceeds go to the two BIFM’s chairman’s charities – Breast Cancer Care and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.

Last year the event raised more than £4,000 for the charities.

“Many thanks to Sodexo, Class 1 Personnel, Lancaster Cleaning and Willmott Dixon Interiors for supporting this charity event,” said Jason Cousins, chairman of the BIFM London region.

“We appreciate their support and look forward to hosting a superb event on 2 July.”

Tickets are limited and will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis, although they are limited to five for each organisation only. i Confirm your ticket(s) at www.regonline.com/ bifmlondonboattrip

www.fm-world.co.uk

38-40_BIFM news.indd 39

BIFM COMMENT

Chris Moriarty, head of insight and corporate affairs, BIFM

FINDING OUR VOICE

hen BIFM launched its new vision in October a central theme was becoming the authoritative voice of facilities management. I took my role at the institute at the beginning of February, charged with putting in place the model that will allow us to achieve that.

Many organisations talk about “having a voice” or giving an industry or sector a voice, but sometimes it’s not clear exactly what this means.

It can be interpreted in many ways whether it is media coverage, lobbying, thought leadership or surveys; in reality it is all of these things.

My view is that if an organisation is to become the authoritative voice then it needs to be able to deliver on all of the component parts and ensure they are dovetailed with each other rather than working in isolation, which is often the case. The work that we carry out in our research projects should help us develop a view that, in turn, should fuel our conversations when talking to key stakeholders such as government departments and the media.

Given the complexity of this model it is not something that can be developed overnight, and much work will be required to get us there. But the reward is great. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, an organisation that does this very well, is speaking at ThinkFM this year.

Through its “voice” activity it has, over time, ensured that HR professionals and the wider business community know that it is the organisation to go to if you need anything related to that profession.

Yes, that comes through its qualifications and CPD offering but its voice contributes significantly to that view. We read about what it is championing in the media, we hear about how it has taken that to government and we see it in its practical guidance documents and development products. In my short time at BIFM I’ve met a number of people who are keen for their profession to have a voice and we intend to provide that as their professional body. The work has already begun and will continue over the coming months, with some outputs in the pipeline already, which I hope will show that we are starting to convert our intent into action.

There are some huge debates in our industry and some emerging trends that we need to investigate. My role is to produce the work that will assess, analyse and challenge these and their impact on business, the economy and wider society. Many have already offered their support, and I’m sure many more will, and I hope that we are able to provide the content that can keep the debate moving and can help forge a path for our profession as we demonstrate its broader impact. @ChrisMoriarty3

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“IN MY SHORT TIME AT BIFM I’VE MET A NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE KEEN FOR THEIR PROFESSION TO HAVE A VOICE AND WE INTEND TO PROVIDE THAT AS THEIR PROFESSIONAL BODY”

FM WORLD | 10 APRIL 2014 | 39

03/04/2014 09:43

BIFM NEWS BIFM.ORG.UK

BIFM LONDON REGION

Supply chain insights at London Region meeting More than 60 BIFM London members gathered at the London headquarters of ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) on 4 March to hear about two different aspects of the client-supplier relationship.

Tim Hoiles, chief of operations at supplier information management (SIM) specialist Trade Interchange, described its partnership with Sodexo, which has so far seen SIM solutions implemented in nine countries. Sodexo faced challenges in gathering data and keeping it up to date. He set out the top four challenges in vendor governance: Risk to brand, lack of visibility, information silos, and administration.

Chief technical officer Mike Edmunds said Trade Interchange’s solution to these challenges is for suppliers to input information directly with the client, which has a dashboard showing it the status of all suppliers.

FM service provider Servest’s head of procurement, Stuart Wright, shared his experience of negotiating with suppliers. He explained that there are five key stages: Planning, opening, testing, reaching a deal and summarising.

Wright stressed the importance of knowing your area, understanding both your objectives and those of your supplier, your targets and what you are prepared to “trade” to achieve them.

He also spoke about the importance of establishing an agenda, setting time frames and maintaining control of the meeting.

Wright highlighted the benefits of 40 | 10 APRIL 2014 | FM WORLD

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asking open questions, not taking positions on things that aren’t important, making controlled concessions and, most importantly, making sure of a shared understanding and agreement.

BIFM London Region thanks ACCA for hosting the event and sponsors Trade Interchange and Servest. i Learn more about all BIFM groups at www.bifm.org.uk/groups.

BIFM IN IRELAND

Croke Park seminar On 31 March BIFM members of the Ireland region South branch came to Croke Park for a free seminar on “The Challenge of Sustainability in FM”. It was hosted by the Centre for the Modern Environment in association with BIFM. Gareth Tancred, CEO, BIFM, opened the event by detailing the institute’s plans for 2014. Alan Gallagher, head of operations at Croke Park, then gave a talk on standard ISO20121 (sustainable event management) and how Croke Park works to the standard.

The theme was continued by Sunil Shah, BIFM SIG Sustainability, MD Acclaro Advisory, who gave a talk on how to rate FM companies using a sustainability index.

Dr Michael Ferguson, MD of Aramark Environmental Services, talked on sustainability, with case studies of retrofitting historical buildings in Ireland.

Sam Pickering, head of energy & sustainability, CBRE EMEA, then gave his take on the client view of sustainability. After a discussion, delegates were treated to an FM Tour of Croke Park before a buffet lunch and the closing networking session. BIFM thanks sponsor Aramark for its support. i Learn more about BIFM in Ireland at www.bifm.org.uk/ireland.

BIFM TRAINING DISPELLING THE MYSTERY OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN FM

cross all industries, understanding the opportunities to be gained from using information technology is often problematic; specialists seem to guard the discipline and control the use of systems within their organisations.

But this no longer has to be the case for FMs attending our new information technology course aimed specifically at facilities professionals, ensuring that the BIFM Training programme remains ahead of the industry and reflects the development needs and plans of our delegates. We dispel the mystery around system selection and use in the facilities market, enabling attendees to understand how to turn data into valuable information that they can use in their FM roles.

Over the two days we will create a trajectory that takes you from the basics of information technology, exploring data quality and manipulation, information publication, system hosting including Cloud, and on to system selection and implementation. You will become a better user of data and learn how to collect, analyse and publish meaningful information. The course also explains how to select and implement systems with regard to requirement specifications, security and legislation, as well as factors and lessons for successful systems implementations and delivery of their required outcomes.

Ultimately, proficiency with information technology will allow the FM to play a greater part in their organisation’s strategic IT planning.

The programme has been designed and produced together with Maxwell Segal – previously group innovations director at GSH (a leading provider of technology-driven facilities and energy management solutions) and founder and chairman of the UK and Ireland Maximo user group. Maxwell has a wealth of experience in selecting and implementing systems in a service provider facilities management setting and currently is working for various clients – troubleshooting enterprise asset management systems, evaluating facilities management systems and assisting organisations to make sure their systems meet their expectations and objectives. He is also currently working with an IBM Maximo business partner as business development manager.

The course will be interactive and will, BIFM Training is sure, prove to be an excellent addition to its wide range of excellent courses.

A

i Information and knowledge management, 20-21 May 2014, Central London. Fees to attend are £695+VAT for BIFM members or £835+VAT non-members. For a detailed programme or to register your place, please call 020 7404 4440, email info@bifm-training.co.uk or visit www.bifmtraining.com

www.fm-world.co.uk

03/04/2014 11:35

FM DIARY INDUSTRY EVENTS 13 May | ThinkFM 2014 – the workplace and beyond Speakers at the ThinkFM conference will include Professor John Hinks, global head of innovation, CRE and FM, Zurich Insurance; Lord Redesdale, CEO at the Energy Managers Association; and Nicholas Holgate, joint chief executive, London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham and Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea.

Venue: Kings Place, London N1 9AG Contact: www.thinkfm.com 14-16 May | British Council for Offices annual conference The 2014 Conference will focus on discovering new ways to create modern and innovative work environments. Speakers include Richard Kauntze, chief executive at the BCO, Isabel Oakeshott, political editor at The Sunday Times, Dr Gerard Lyons, chief economic adviser to the Mayor of London, and Martin Vander Weyer, business editor at The Spectator.

Venue: ICC, Birmingham Contact: Visit www.bco.org.uk 17-19 June | Facilities Show 2014 – 15 years at the heart of the FM industry Organised in association with the BIFM, Facilities Show has established itself as the top meeting place for the industry. Opportunities to connect with peers and colleagues, see solutions from more than 400 suppliers and gain insight from influential industry experts.

Venue: ExCeL London, 1 Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock, London E16 1XL Contact: Visit facilitiesshow.com 17-19 September | IFMA World Workplace The largest, most long-standing and respected annual conference and exposition for FM and related professions. Each year offers a new experience, addressing challenges and strategies that are universal to every facility type, shape and size.

Venue: New Orleans, LA, US Contact: Visit www.ifma.org

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

Contact: Chris Robins at chris.robins@specsavers.com

Contact: Richard Keane at richard.b.keane@cummins.com

HOME COUNTIES REGION

15 May | Driving the sustainability agenda in FM An annual sustainability event focusing on how FM can drive the sustainability agenda. Richard Cairns of Everton FC will discuss sustainability practices adopted at Goodison Park and their training facilities. The Sustainability SIG will discuss the green credentials of the re-use of office furniture.

Venue: Co-operative Group, Angel Square, Manchester M60 OAG Contact: Mark Whittaker at mark.a.whittaker@integral.co.uk

15 May | Regional AGM and SAS case study From 5.30pm. Annual general meeting, followed by a presentation on the benefits of LED lighting, an update on FM activity at SAS, including a new London office and a hospitality award win.

Venue: SAS UK, Wittington House, Henley Road, Marlow SL7 2EB Contact: Ann Inman at ann@echomarketing.co.uk 28 May | Miss Representation From 5.30pm. A screening of the 2011 documentary followed by a panel discussion and networking.

Venue: SAS UK, Wittington House, Henley Road, Marlow SL7 2EB Contact: Ashleigh Brown at ashbrownconsulting@gmail.com IRELAND REGION The following events are being organised by the northern branch.

Exact dates and times will be published nearer the time of each event. ● HMS Caroline, the last surviving

war ship from the Battle of Jutland, Belfast, May ● Ulster Rugby ground, Ravenhill, Belfast, June ● Ikea, Belfast, June ● Bangor Grammer School, Bangor, County Down, August ● Belfast City Hall, Belfast, Autumn ● The Mac Theatre, Belfast, Autumn LONDON REGION 2 July | London boat trip From 6.30pm. Tickets cost £30 and include one drink, food and entertainment. All proceeds go to the BIFM chairman’s charities Breast Cancer Care and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.

Sponsored by Class 1 Personnel, Wilmott Dixon Interiors and Lancaster Cleaning.

Venue: HMS Belfast Contact: Book tickets at www. regonline.com/bifmlondonboattrip

CHANNEL ISLANDS REGION

29 May | Careers Fair A chance to understand the potential careers paths, training and education within the industry.

Venue: Sheffield Hallam University Contact: Sue Gott at sgott2@hallmark.com 3 June | Merseyside networking group summer event The BIFM Award-winning team at Liverpool Edge Hill University will be hosting a summer event at the campus, discussing how they deliver FM service through their in-house team and will also provide a tour of the campus.

Venue: Edge Hill University, St Helen’s Rd, Ormskirk, Lancashire L39 4QP Contact: Don Searle at donsearle@c22.co.uk SCOTLAND REGION 16 May | Understanding BS11000: Collaborative business relationships N.B. Cost per person is £22.50 + VAT for members and £27.50 + VAT for non-members.

BS 11000 shows you how to eliminate the known pitfalls of poor communication.

An introductory workshop to provide an overview of how BS11000 is being used across several case studies to develop contracting relationships.

Venue: Hilton Strathclyde Hotel, Phoenix Crescent, Strathclyde Business Park, Bellshill, ML4 3JQ Contact: Visit tinyurl.com/phxbpjr or email Julie.jackson@jci.com

NORTH REGION 14 May | Quarterly training day – sustainability More details to be announced soon.

Venue: Specsavers Training Room, La Villaize, St Andrews, Guernsey 41 | 27www.fm-world.co.uk FEBRUARY 2014 | FM WORLD

41_Diary.indd 41

SOUTH REGION 24 April | West Yorkshire networking event Details TBC. Venue: TBC.

30 April | Benchmarking: Tool or torture?

A debate on benchmarking.

Why do so few organisations use benchmarking tools?

Venue: Chichester – TBA Contact: Email Ian Fielder at ian.r.fielder@gmail.com 28 May | People in FM and sustainability A day to help understand issues around training, education, HR and sustainability. ‘Surgery’ sessions will also be available to book with Hays recruitment consultants.

Venue: Pall Europe, Unit 5, Harbour Gate Business Park, Southampton Road, Portsmouth PO6 4BQ Contact: Ian Fielder at 07795 181009 18 June | Health and Safety – Electrical and mechanical non-intrusive testing Two of the UK’s leading companies in non-intrusive testing explained the benefits and risks.

Venue: Southampton – TBA Contact: Email Ian Fielder at ian.r.fielder@gmail.com or call 07795 181009 SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS 30 April | Workplace – The organisation, its strategy and the big picture Sponsored by Bene Plc & Boxx Projects Ltd. The event is designed to provide delegates with a toolkit of knowledge on workplace change. Speakers TBC Venue: Bene Plc, 47-53 St John Street EC1M 4AN Contact: Tony Knight at tony.knight@boxxprojects.com 6 May | Women in FM – Effective workplace tools Condeco’s Andrew Howells is to speak about the benefits of having effective workplace tools.

Venue: TBC. Contact: Jackie Furey at wifm@bifm.org.uk 7 May | Risk and business continuity – Fire safety management Produced by BIFM and the Institute of Fire Safety Management. From 2pm. Speakers include James Lavendar from the British Research Establishment, Nick Coombe from the London Fire Brigade and Dr Peter Mansi at Fire Investigations UK. Venue: BACB, 8-10 Mansion House Place, London EC4N 8BJ. Contact: Steve Dance at steve1dance@btinternet.com FM WORLD | 10 APRIL 2014 | 41 www.fm-world.co.uk

03/04/2014 11:23

Call Jack Shuard on 020 7880 8543 or email jack.shuard@fm-world.co.uk For full media information take a look at www.fm-world.co.uk/mediapack

FM innovations ▼ OCS Chair celebrates 35th anniversary

▲ Take control with Ostara The Ostara Systems facilities management software solution has been developed to help you take control of your FM and maintenance function. Ostara increases visibility and aids decision-making through real-time reporting and helps to reduce costs through built-in control and validation processes.

The software is a web-enabled solution providing accesses through contractor and client portals and a multi-platform mobile application that increases communication and efficiency and helps manage SLA responses. Ostara provides a process for managing risk, giving you full control and visibility of your statutory compliance levels.

As an end-to-end solution, Ostara increases staff awareness, competency, cross-functional coordination and provides a process for continuous improvement in quality. Managing both internal and external resource with automations to suit your business processes, the flexibility of the Ostara System supports a variety of FM models.

In February Peter Armitage, group chairman of international total facilities management provider OCS, celebrated 35 years with the company.

‘Thirty-five years ago OCS was a collection of over 100 small to medium-sized companies,” commented Peter. ‘Most of the businesses were UK-based and operating autonomously. Today, we are an international group operating in 40 different countries with unified business practices and drawing on centralised back-of-house resources.

“I believe the group will continue to grow, securing a solid future for our staff and the family shareholders who have always shown enormous loyalty over the years. What makes us stand out from our competitors are our strong family values.”

W: www.ocs.co.uk

▲ Toshiba AC shortlisted for five awards Toshiba Air Conditioning, a division of Toshiba Carrier UK, has been shortlisted for five awards in the Cooling Industry Awards 2013.

The accolades include a shortlisting in the Air Conditioning Product of the Year category for the company’s recently launched SHRM-i three-pipe heat recovery air conditioning system. It is believed to be the most efficient VRF system in the market at part-load conditions. Toshiba’s refrigerant leak prevention and management systems have also been shortlisted in the same category. The technology, which attracts BREEAM points, is being adopted by a growing list of national end users who are keen to eliminate the possibility of refrigerant leaks from their buildings.

T: 0870 843 0333 W: www.toshiba-aircon.co.uk

▼ Another win for LCC LCC Support Services has won its fourth Golden Service Award, this year for cleaning excellence at the Grand Arcade shopping mall in Cambridge. The award was received by Lawrence Tew, LCC’s key account director, and director of operations Paul Lunn.

LCC has been winning Golden Service Awards for 20 years in a range of sectors including Offices, Use of Technology and Education. Winning client sites are SmithKline Beecham and the Cambridge College. LCC has also won for its exclusive IBMS client management technology system.

T: 01865 865549 E: peter@prman.org.uk

▲ Opale Launches Progressive Relationship Advancement (PRA) ▲ Jangro training expands Jangro, the UK’s largest network of independent janitorial supply companies with 41 member companies across the UK, is once again leading the way in products and compliance within the industry.

This is not only with its range of 4,000 products, but its popular eLearning suite of training modules called Jangro LMS (Learning Management Solution).

Last year Jangro produced eight modules, which included COSHH, Health and Safety, Colour Coding and Infection Control, Carpet Care, Kitchen Hygiene and Floor Care, ‘Introduction to Equipment’ and Washrooms. Throughout the Jangro LMS modules there are handy reference guides and downloads that include COSHH, Risk assessments and Product Usage Guides and other area specific information.

T: 0845 458 5223 E: enquiries@jangrohq.net W: www.jangro.net

42 | 10 APRIL 2014 | FM WORLD

42_Products.indd 42

Opale Management services has launched Progressive Relationship Advancement (PRA), a new process for initiating and repairing long-term FM outsourced contracts. After completing two years of engagement and research with multiple clients and suppliers, testing their findings with the BIFM, Opale identified a requirement for a different procurement and change methodology that sets the foundation for FM contracts that last beyond 10 years.

It has now deployed their approach with clients and is already seeing success in repairing troubled relationships and shortly will be using this thinking in initial tender engagements.

MD Neil Longley said: “There needs to be a better foundation on which to build longer-term FM relationships; a different approach that releases the market desire to have long-term relationships that suit the client’s need within the limitations of more traditional engagement processes. PRA process does that with success.”

www.fm-world.co.uk

03/04/2014 14:27

FM PEOPLE MOVERS & SHAKERS

BEHIND

DATA

THE JOB NAME: Tom Billington JOB TITLE: Property and facilities manager ORGANISATION: Durham Cathedral JOB DESCRIPTION: To manage all aspects of maintenance and major works at the cathedral and its surrounding buildings

TOM BILLINGTON

TOPIC TRENDS If you could give away one of your responsibilities to an unsuspecting colleague, what would it be?

Personal IT gripes, without a doubt.

If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be?

For FMs to seek, or be sought out for more involvement in the design stages of fit-outs and refurbishments. All of the projects I have worked on went a lot better when we included the clients FM or maintenance managers.

What attracted you to the job?

Any interesting tales to tell?

I like a challenge. Carrying out works on a scheduled monument and in Grade 1 listed buildings every day presents just that. That, coupled with the fact that we are an integral part of the UNESCO World Heritage site brings a lot of pride with the work.

I could talk about interesting tales all day but I’ve limited space.

My top perk at work is…

If I wasn’t in facilities management, I’d probably be…

My background is in construction management. I enjoy projects I can really get my teeth into, but above all I crave efficiency. No matter how well you design a building, it will not be perfect for the end user. I believe that is where we as FMs come in. We tweak and change what’s already there to make it what is truly needed. I believe that we are the construction industry’s troubleshooters.

What’s been your career high point to date?

Early on in our days at the London Olympic Park, my team was formally recognised for efficiency and professional practices. It was quite a major job to manage considering my experience, so it was nice to be told I was on the right track.

What has been your biggest career challenge to date?

Trying to bring a historic monument’s building management systems into the new millennium. I’ll let you know how it pans out. www.fm-world.co.uk

43_Behind the job.indd 43

Ensuring compliance with legislation

8

8

AVERAGE

TOM BILLINGTON

Introducing/ working with new forms of IT

4

7

In the armed forces. I went to a military college for aspiring officers.

I see amazing views of the building no one else can.

I am based in a building that is important to a great many YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE ... people. It is almost 1,000 years old, and parts of its construction “Trying to bring a historic were the first of their kind in monument’s building management the world. It’s a phenomenal systems into the new millennium. place to work and incredibly diverse. Not many people can I’ll let you know how it pans out. ” say that. And I get a discount on scones in the restaurant.

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

OUR INTERVIEWEE RATES THE IMPORTANCE OF CURRENT FM TOPICS OUT OF 10. THE ‘AVERAGE’ SCORE (IN GREEN) IS TAKEN FROM OTHER RECENT INTERVIEWEES.

Which “FM myth” would you most like to put an end to?

That health and safety is a burden and detrimental to efficient working. It’s not.

I worked on the London Olympic Park for nearly four years and our sites had to be impeccable and the deadlines were near impossible. We made every single one.

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

Working on energy-efficiency initiatives

7 9

Adapting to flexible working

5 4

I think it is becoming more apparent that FMs are professionals with a very exact yet vastly broad skill set that can benefit the running of any business.

And how will it change in the next five years?

I think awareness of the industry will continue to rise and gain more respect. I am also hoping that BIFM continues down the path of obtaining a Royal Charter.

Maintaining service levels while cutting costs

8 10

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

Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box. I think if you want to improve a process on your site don’t be afraid to start from scratch.

Do your friends understand what facilities management is?

Adapting FM to changing corporate circumstances

7

2

Not really. I describe it as “operational and building project management”. That never seems to help.

FM WORLD | 10 APRIL 2014 | 43

03/04/2014 11:36

Appointments

Call the sales team 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

PLAN YOUR NEXT MOVE

on the move New features available through your smartphone See the latest job listings View all the jobs from the website Search or browse to find the right opportunities Create and update your live email job alerts View jobs directly from your email alerts Save and apply for jobs Save jobs to your profile Email jobs to yourself or friends Apply for the right jobs first using your saved CV Keep track of all your jobseeking activity

Go to www.fm-world.co.uk/jobs 44 | 10 APRIL 2014 | FM WORLD

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jobs.fm-world.co.uk

03/04/2014 11:29

London FM opportunities Assistant Building Services Manager/Asset Manager London • £35-45,000 We represent a European Asset Manager experiencing an extended period of growth. A newly created position has arisen to oversee the delivery of hard services across a large and very diverse site made up of high-end residential, commercial, retail as well as other facilities to name a few. Reporting to the Building Services Manager, you will be able to demonstrate management of maintenance or trade staff and will have delivered on-site PPM schedules across another high-end comparable site Ref: Dbr256011

Operations Manager (Data Centre) London • ÂŁ75,000 Our client is one of the world’s leading data centre providers and is looking to recruit an Operations Manager for its London site. As the Operations Manager, you will be responsible for the overall operational management of the London data centre that includes: health and safety, operational continuity, facilities management, delivery of service to SLAs agreed with customers, the management of contractors and the fulďŹ lment of added value services to customers. The Operations Manager will run a team of 9 people and must have a formal engineering qualiďŹ cation and proven record of a similar role within data centres.

Ref: Croj252641

Offices globally www.cobaltrecruitment.com Please apply for any of the above roles by emailing apply@cobaltrecruitment.com or call 0207 478 2500 to speak with Claudio Rojas or David Bremner quoting the relevant reference number.

The power of people

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Deputy Director of Estates

ÂŁ60,000-ÂŁ70,000 Banding Under Review

jobs.fm-world.co.uk

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Finegreen associates FM WORLD | 10 APRIL 2014 | 45

03/04/2014 11:29

FINAL WORD

NOTES FROM AROUND THE WORLD OF FM

NO 2

DAYS

THE SAME

LIGHT GRILLED

SHUTTERSTOCK/GETTY

It sounds like a bad joke. The latest 'big service provider, bad contract' story involves the Metropolitan Police, which has apparently paid up to £100 to their maintenance provider to change a light bulb.

The capital’s police force is charged £100 for “urgent” bulb replacements and £26 in “nonurgent” cases.

The figures emerged when lawyer Jessica Learmond-Criqui requested the figures. LearmondCruiqui is also chairman of the Frognal and Fitzjohn’s Safer Neighbourhoods Panel, which is criticising the Met’s decision to close Hampstead police station in north-west London.

The fees are said to vary depending on the position of the fixing and the type of light used.

According to figures published in January, there has been a 16,000 fall in the number of active police officers since 2010.

Jonathan Isaby, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, called for an end to “poorly negotiated” contracts that result in ”inflated costs for ordinary tasks”.

PAPERING OVER THE CRACKS Maintaining a Grade-II listed building comes with its own challenges. Permission is needed to make any significant changes to the building, and as these are typically older buildings, repair works can be costly, particularly if the structure has been left to decay over time through poor maintenance.

This is exactly what happened at the Apollo Theatre in London's West End. Last December a part of the ceiling collapsed during a performance of The Curious Incident Of The Dog in the NightTime, injuring 76 people.

In a statement last month Westminster Borough Council said that the cause of the collapse was because of the deterioration of cloth and plaster ties holding up timber frames.

The materials – a combination of hessian wadding and plaster of Paris – had been in place since the theatre opened in 1901.

The Theatres Trust has recommended that regular checks should be made on all plasterwork ceilings.

“Many (theatres) have also been strengthened

with the use of steel ties,” said the trust in a statement. The issue is not a new phenomenon – the Home Office produced a document entitled Recommendations on Safety in Cinemas 1955 after concerns about dangerous ceilings.

The document read: “Ceilings shall be in such a condition as not to cause a danger to persons visiting the premises”.

Nearly 60 years on, this is still relevant today.

IN WITH THE OUTCOMES Architect Paul Fletcher was his usual “breath of fresh air” at last week’s ‘Joining the Dots’ conference on Government Soft Landings in London (see p.17).

You can rely on Fletcher to get people thinking about the real value of process activities like BIM and GSL, and perhaps most intriguing this time out was his suggestion that buildings are, in fact, not what we should be considering at all. Rather, clients should “stop buying buildings! It’s the definition of madness. Instead, buy the outcomes you want”.

“Almost every other aspect of our life is about service now,” he continued. “The aeronautical industry doesn't buy planes, it buys service.”

We need a thorough systems approach to

understand the impact we have on outcomes.”

Fletcher, presenting as part of the morning Pecha Kucha session, said that all involved in construction should “stop thinking as a construction industry and start thinking as an built environment services industry. If you always think in terms of construction, it’ll always be be about buildings.”

And BIM as a panacea for building performance measurement? Not exactly. “BIM is just the digitising of what we get wrong,” he continued. “We see performance gaps emerging in buildings that were initially awarded BREAMM status. So designers, people like me, we get it wrong.”

What‘s badly needed is much more systems thinking, he concluded.

IN THE NEXT ISSUE OUT 24 APRIL

CASE STUDY: WESTFIELD STRATFORD SHOPPING CENTRE /// FM WORLD SALARY SURVEY 2014 /// BUILDING DESIGN: FRANCIS CRICK INSTITUTE /// PEST CONTROL /// WIND TURBINES /// PEST CONTROL – DO WE REALLY NEED PESTICIDES? /// ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND BUSINESS ANALYSIS

46 | 10 APRIL 2014 | FM WORLD

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www.fm-world.co.uk

03/04/2014 17:40

Uniting the facilities management industry

Register at facilitiesshow.com /FMWorld

17-19 June 2014, ExCeL London

15 years at the heart of the facilities management industry As the role of the facilities management professional evolves, keeping up to date with the latest legislation, issues and challenges across a range of disciplines is essential. Facilities Show is dedicated to bringing you together with suppliers and specialists to share knowledge, debate current issues and find best-fit solutions and products for your organisation’s needs.

#FACSHOW @Facilities_Show

Organised by

Maintenance

p47_FMW100414.indd 47

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IT

Safety

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