FM World 2011-07-14

THE MAGAZINE FOR THE BRITISH INSTITUTE OF FACILITIES MANAGEMENT | 14 JULY 2011

FMWorld www.fm-world.co.uk

THE BIG STAGE Showtime for FM at the Wales Millennium Centre

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VOL 8 ISSUE 14 14 JULY 2011

CONTENTS

6 | Bribery Act

14 | NeoCon

16 | Wales Millennium Centre

NEWS

OPINION

FEATURES

6 Shake up as Bribery Act comes into force in the UK 7 Newcastle-Upon-Tyne sitting on geothermal energy source 8 Project of the Fortnight: Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales 9 FM 100 poll: what would most boost the public image of FM? 10 Business news: Graeme Davies analyses the trend for UK firms to invest overseas 11 Sodexo eyes local government contracts 14 A report on Chicago furniture show NeoCon from John Fogarty

12 Diary of a facilities manager: David Walker’s regular look at the daily challenges he faces in his working life 13 Five minutes with Simon Esner, UK sales director, BaxterStorey 46 Felicity Messing

MONITOR 31 Technical: Choosing fire resistant equipment for your doors 32 Legal: How far can you go in checking new employees’ records?

34 How to: preventing pest problems is better than cure

26 | Drinking water

16

The big stage: Martin Read finds that FMs at the iconic Wales Millennium Centre are stepping into the limelight, to meet audiences and visitors

20

Disability procurement: The quest to specify offices with disability-friendly facilities begins at the procurement stage, finds Susan Scott-Parker

26

Drinking water: Deciding how to hydrate employees involves considering hygiene, cost and sustainability

28

Office Depot: Centralising best practice in FM across a broad property portfolio has allowed Office Depot to reap the rewards, by Altaf Lorgat

REGULARS 36 BIFM news 41 People & Jobs 43 Appointments For exclusive online content including blogs, videos and daily news updates

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

MARTIN READ EDITOR COMMENT

LEADER

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

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Simon Ball, business development manager, Interserve ⁄Jason Choy, director, Persus⁄ Ismena Clout, energy consultant, powerPerfector ⁄ Nick Cook, managing director, Haywards ⁄ Rob Greenfield, director for health, safety, environmental and quality, Sodexo ⁄ Anne Lennox Martin, FM consultant ⁄ Peter McLennan, joint course director, MSc Facility Environment and Management, University College London ⁄ Lionel Prodgers, principal, Agents4FM ⁄ Chris Stoddart, general manager, Heron Tower ⁄ Jeremy Waud, managing director, Incentive FM ⁄ Jane Wiggins, FM Tutor and author ⁄ Chris Wood, senior associate at Advanced Workplace Associates

Average net circulation 11, 654 (Jul 09 – Jun 10) FM World magazine is produced using paper derived from sustainable sources; the ink used is vegetable based; 85 per cent of other solvents used in the production process are recycled © FM World is published on behalf of the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM)

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

BIFM ENQUIRIES

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

www.fm-world.co.uk

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ack in the eighties, a popular brand of washing powder was advertised as being capable of getting your clothes ‘whiter than white’. I never quite got that. Surely, white IS white? I know there’s ‘off-white’ and a myriad variations for wall paint (apple blossom, egg shell, magnolia, somewhat garlic, etc.) But ‘whiter than white’? That’s like saying something is ‘very unique’, ‘completely dead’ or ‘more than alive’.

It’s hype, of course, and the world’s full of it. But ‘whiter than white’ breaks the cardinal rule of being an impossible claim, which is why I could never take it seriously. Today’s marketers are more aware of how ludicrous such claims look. Instead, they use more subtle words with less certain definitions — ‘best’ and ‘great’, for example.

In FM, benchmarking allows us to define what constitutes a ‘great’ level of service provision.

A ‘good’ service can, with an increase in budget, be made ‘great’. Similarly, a ‘better’ service is one that can be upgraded to ‘best’ in class. All of which is fine, but my question is — what’s wrong with good old fashioned right and wrong?

There are always budgetary reasons for not accepting the optimum service option, but that shouldn’t prevent us from declaring it the right solution. Not good, great, better or best — just right. After all, any other choice is certain to involve an element of compromise. And like whiter than white, you can never be righter than right — but you can be wrong. Call a service ‘best’ and it confirms the existence of other, potentially acceptable service levels. By contrast, call it ‘right’ and everything else is automatically a certain shade of ‘wrong’.

Now, let’s be clear; greatness has its place. At the recent BIFM Members’ Day, the Co-Operative Group’s Workspace Services team gave a superb presentation detailing what they’d done over the past two years to transform what their clients — the Co-Operative Group’s workforce — think of, and expect from their FM provider. This includes an evolving programme of improvement entitled (and you’re probably ahead of me here) ‘Good2Great’.

It’s been a whirlwind two years for the Co-Operative Workspace team, and their story is an inspirational one. The FM team now operates its own three year plan and is seen by the Co-Operative board as a key part of the group’s management of operational risk. Part of the process involves a benchmarking exercise in which clients rate elements of the FM service as basic, good or great. ‘Good2Great’ comes from the team’s plan to highlight to the board what the optimum service level would need to be, and what it would cost.

This use of ‘great’ is absolutely fine —it’s when the options are presented upwards to the board that I question the terminology. And of course, I’m being entirely impractical. Suboptimal solutions will always need to be offered, and you can’t go around calling them ‘not quite right’. Still, I’d like to see more emphasis on what’s right, highlighting the compromises implicit in other, middling service levels. In fact, I think it’s a great idea.

B

“There are always budgetary reasons for not accepting the optimum service option, but that shouldn’t prevent us from declaring it the right solution. Not good, great, better or best — just right. ”

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BRIBERY ACT

Bribery Act swings into full force Britain’s new Bribery Act, which came into force 1 July, means companies face prosecution for the first time if they fail to prevent staff or agents based anywhere in the world from offering bribes to gain business contracts.

The act revamps and updates existing anti-corruption legislation.

But companies remain worryingly unprepared for the new act, according to research.

A survey of 100 business leaders with responsibility for information management found that more than a third (36 per cent) of respondents were unaware of the forthcoming legislation.

Also, 30 per cent said their company did not have adequate procedures in place to prevent bribery from occurring, according to the research completed by Coleman Parks on behalf of Iron Mountain, a provider of information management systems.

Less than half (48 per cent) of respondents understood the implications of failing to adhere to the new act – despite widespread media coverage of the new legislation and its implications for business.

Technology has a vital part to play in helping companies to introduce, manage and communicate effective anti-corruption controls.

However, the research found that more than a quarter (27 per cent) of respondents did not appreciate how IT could help them to protect their business, particularly from fraudulent expense claims.

It makes it a criminal offence to 06 | 14 JULY 2011 | FM WORLD

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give or receive a bribe in the public and private sectors and introduces a corporate offence of failing to prevent bribery.

ISTOCK

DAVID ARMINAS newsdesk@fm-world.co.uk

Bribery Act: cracking down

The legislation will clamp down on domestic corporate hospitality designed to gain favour with customers and officials. Prudent businesses will keep records of hospitality their staff receive and hand out.

They will also think hard about splashing out on lavish events that could be interpreted as a bribe.

Britain has become the first country to ban commonplace “facilitation” payments made by companies or their agents to foreign officials to speed up business decisions.

Some experts have argued the new law could put British companies at a disadvantage as it goes further than similar legislation in other jurisdictions.

Under UK law, bribes offered to public and private officials or executives will be illegal.

Newcastle floating upon hot water

Businesses ignore fire safety to cut costs DAVID ARMINAS newsdesk@fm-world.co.uk

A survey by the Fire Industry Association (FIA) has revealed shocking results about fire safety in the UK workplace, including the discovery that one-fifth of businesses had either delayed maintenance checks of fire safety equipment, reduced staff training, or delayed updating fire risk assessments – all to save money in the current economic climate.

The survey of 518 business decision makers and 512 employees also showed that 50 per cent of employees don’t know how to operate a fire extinguisher or a fire alarm and that 25 per cent of bosses don’t know who does their fire risk assessments.

According to the survey, the

poorest performing industries are the arts and culture, and travel and transport sectors. In the latter, 40 per cent of respondents said they did not have regular fire drills.

Overall, 14 per cent of workers don’t believe their company has any fire protection and eight per cent of employers confessed that procuring services at the lowest price was the most important factor for them when it came to fire safety.

Graham Ellicott, chief executive of the FIA, said: “The figures are very worrying. We would like to remind all businesses across the

country to review their fire risk assessments, making sure they are up to date, and to continue the maintenance schedule for all their fire safety equipment.”

He added: “It may seem like a good opportunity to save money, but this is about saving lives.”

Other shocks turned up by the research include that 14 per cent of workers don’t believe their company has any fire protection and eight per cent of employers confessed that procuring services at the lowest price was the most important factor for them when it came to fire safety.

“The figures are very worrying. We would like to remind businesses to review their fire risk assessments” www.fm-world.co.uk

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NEWS

DREAMSTIME

BRIEFS

Newcastle-Upon-Tyne has been found to be situated on top of an ancient body of hot water – and lots of it.

So much so that the city may spearhead the advance of geothermally heated homes and businesses across Britain after

scientists drilling bore holes discovered a lake of hot water 2,000 feet below the surface.

The water is only about 40°C, which is considered too cool to use for geothermal heating. But there is hope that at about 6,500 feet down, the temperature will be 80°C. When the salty water is pumped to the surface, and passed through various heat exchangers, the hot fresh water could be used to heat buildings.

Drilling began at the former site of the Scottish and Newcastle Brewery in February, led by professor Paul Younger of Newcastle University who estimates a three-hole geothermal system could heat up to 11,000 houses.

Although the initial investment is expensive – £1m has been spent so far – the naturally heated water will probably be less expensive than fossil fuel alternatives, according to an article in the Daily Mail.

Shady advice in PV panel deals Companies are using “dodgy sales tactics and giving poor advice” to people looking to buy solar PV (photovoltaic) panels, Which? magazine claims.

In an “undercover investigation”, it found three-quarters of companies overestimated how much energy the solar PV panels would produce.

Also, most of the businesses contacted “underestimated how long it would take for the system to pay for itself”. It found that the government’s rules to work out energy output don’t take into account key factors, such as where people live.

“Seven out of the 12 salespeople visiting the Which? undercover house even recommended installing solar PV panels on a shaded part of the roof and eight companies didn’t question customers about how much energy they used,” Which? said in a statement on its website.

CARBON EMISSIONS

Whitehall beats emissions target Carbon emissions from government headquarter buildings and offices have been slashed by nearly 14 per cent in one year, Prime Minister David Cameron said.

That beats the 10 per cent target and equates to a saving of £13m.

A league table of 19 government departments, available on the Cabinet Office website, shows the Department for Education leading the way, with a 21.5 per cent cut in emissions.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change followed the DfE closely, cutting by 21.3 per cent.

At the bottom of the list is the Department for Transport, with a 10.7 per cent cut in emissions.

But Whitehall will have to go further, cutting emissions by www.fm-world.co.uk

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PA

DAVID ARMINAS newsdesk@fm-world.co.uk

25 per cent by 2015, Cameron told department heads.

The 10 per cent target covered around 300,000 civil servants in 3,000 buildings. Between 14 May 2010 and 13 May 2011, more than 100,000 tonnes of CO2 was saved, the government announced on

the Cabinet Office website.

The new 25 per cent target for cutting carbon emissions will have an increased scope and include business-related transport.

“A 13.8 per cent cut in emissions in just one year is a great result and the civil service should be very proud of this achievement,” Cameron said.

“But to be the greenest government ever we need to do more to stamp out energy waste in Whitehall and make it easier for people and business to use energy more efficiently. That’s why I’m committing the government to go further by reducing emissions by 25 per cent by 2015.”

The new five-year commitment uses a 2009/10 baseline, covering all greenhouse gases and businessrelated transport emissions.

New president for BCO Gary Wingrove, head of construction programme management at BT Group Property, is the new president of the British Council for Offices (BCO).

He took over from Gerald Kaye at the recent BCO annual general meeting at the Heron Tower in London.

“Organisations should see property as more than just a necessity, as something which adds value to businesses,” he said.

Wingrove joined BT from UBS in 2009. His appointment as president means James Wates, deputy chairman of the Wates Group, becomes senior vice president.

Fines imposed on firms Fines and costs totalling nearly £250,000 have been imposed on two firms after workers and members of the public were put at risk of exposure to the potentially fatal waterborne Legionella bacteria.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted multinational automotive parts manufacturer Eaton, based in Hampshire, and water treatment services provider Aegis, based Staffordshire, after an investigation in 2006.

Employees had not been properly supervised. The management failings by both companies were present over a prolonged period of time.

IFMA and I2SL promote The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) and the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) are uniting to promote FM education, credentials and research geared towards maintaining laboratories and related high-technology facilities.

For the next two years, IFMA and I2SL will promote good FM practices, education and research. They will evaluate their existing educational programmes and credentials to identify potential joint offerings, and will participate in each other’s conferences.

BSI launches new standard The British Standards Institution (BSI) is launching the first internationally recognised energy management standard, likely to replace BS EN 16001.

Energy management experts from over 60 countries worked on the new BS ISO 50001 standard, established to help companies battle rising energy costs and prepare for new laws on curbing emissions.

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PROJECT OF THE

FORTNIGHT NEWS BULLETIN

BAM Construct wins facilities evaluation funding BAM Construct UK has won £100,000 funding for facilities management evaluation work as part of the government’s plan to make all non-domestic buildings carbon-neutral by 2019.

BAM is the second UK contractor to win environmental impact funding from the government’s Technology Strategy Board (TSB) for non-housing projects.

It will evaluate St Peter’s School in Glasgow and Cressex Community School in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire — both of which the company helped to develop from concept stage.

The funding forms part of the TSB’s four-year Building Performance Evaluation Programme, which examines energy and sustainability performance of new buildings in domestic and non-domestic sectors.

Until now, the recipients of funding have been mainly clients, architects and consultants.

The government aims for all new domestic buildings to be carbon-neutral by 2016 and for all new non-domestic buildings to be carbon-neutral by 2019.

Chill-out areas at London’s city hall get the axe

TIMOTHY SOAR

Riba makes a WISE choice in Wales A sustainable building at the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) in Machynlleth was presented with the Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba) award on 8 July.

Guests attended the ceremony to see Peter Clegg, senior partner at Feilden Clegg Bradley and member of the RIBA Awards Group, present the award to architects Pat Borer and David Lea as well as the building’s contractor Ian Sneade.

The building, the Wales Institute for Sustainable Education (WISE), is one of seven buildings in Wales to be awarded with the internationally recognised RIBA Award in 2011.

The WISE building is constructed of materials with low embodied energy: glulam timber frame, hemcrete walls, rammed earth, lime renders, slate, cork, home-grown timber flooring and finishes of natural paints and stains.

The building is well insulated and airtight with heat recovery systems, solar tube arrays and photovoltaics on the roof. It is also connected to a biomass combined heat and power plant.

The building provides teaching and workshop space for CAT’s sustainable architecture courses. Students studying for a professional diploma or a postgraduate degree in architecture will now be taught in a building that embodies the sustainable design and architecture principles that they are learning.

The ceremony took place at the Centre for Alternative Technology, Machynlleth, during the annual Architecture Librarians’ Group conference.

Jonathan Speirs, jury chair for RIBA Awards in 2011 in Wales, said the words ‘sustainable’ and ‘eco-friendly’ are often used to describe buildings, in many cases incorrectly. “This project not only lives up to the centre’s mission statement, but it does so with a calm and quiet confidence,” he said. “Many such buildings ram home their credentials; this building doesn’t, and as a result is a delight.”

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London mayor Boris Johnson is removing two controversial staff lounge areas in City Hall a year after they were set up at a cost of £25,000 to the taxpayer.

The two business lounges – created as a space for staff to read, eat and hold informal meetings – will be taken down so that the areas can be used for much-needed desk space, says the newspaper.

The “chill-out” spaces have caused controversy because of the big expense to fit them out. Some chairs cost nearly £900 each, four high tables cost £2,000 each and carpets added another £4,170.

The 10-floor building, near Tower Bridge on the south bank of the Thames, was handed over in June 2002 on time and to budget. It has 129,000 sq ft of accommodation, largely open plan.

The original design was for 426 desks, Simon Grinter, head of facilities services, told FM World during a site visit in early 2007 (see feature, 9 March 2007). On handover, there were 570 desks installed and this eventually increased to 697.

Innovate Services signs up with Pelican Education catering specialist Innovate Services is outsourcing its procurement through a three-year, £15m contract with Pelican Buying Company.

Pelican is managing the caterer’s purchasing, including supplier tenders and agreeing terms, pricing and required service levels.

Innovate runs more than 65 school and college catering units, and aims to identify financial savings by leveraging Pelican’s national purchasing volumes, a statement from Innovate said.

Pelican is a privately owned firm that manages more than £125m of purchasing for clients in a number of sectors, including education, hospitality and private healthcare.

South African medics call for tighter security Hundreds of South Africa’s medical workers are blaming facilities managers for not giving them better protection from attacks by patients and their families.

Doctors, nurses and other health workers handed a petition calling for tighter security in health facilities to South Africa president Jacob Zuma in the city of Pretoria.

They also marched nationwide to protest against the “killing, raping and mugging” of health workers in public health facilities.

The Junior Doctors’ Association of South Africa declared 15 June a ‘national day of mourning’ after a trainee medical doctor, aged 27, was allegedly stabbed to death by mentally ill patient, according to media reports. www.fm-world.co.uk

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Oil crisis 5%

FM 100 POLL

Individual representative 35%

WE ASKED 100 FMS… In light of the successful global day for FMs, what single thing would most help boost the public profile of the profession?

The adoption of an internationally accepted definition of FM would go a long way to raising the profile of facilities management within the wider business community, FM World’s latest poll shows.

The recent World FM day was a resounding success. From London to Kuala Lumpur, events were held to raise the profile of the profession, including a BIFM quiz evening held at Channel 4 in London. But of course, there remains a lot of work to be done.

FM World asked its 100 FMs what single thing would most help boost the public profile of the

profession. 35 per cent of respondents to our unscientific poll wanted to see the election of one person to represent the industry to government and business.

Around 5 per cent of respondents thought the more drastic measure of an international oil crisis would alert the business world to the value of an FM and leave a lasting impression.

But if the FM profession had an internationally accepted definition —something wanted by 60 per cent of our respondents — “we could all give the same explanation

A definition 60% of our role to any interested person,” said one respondent, “although I would say a close second would be government representation.”

But getting interested organisations to elect or appoint one person to represent the profession might be like trying to herd cats. As one member asked: “Can you see the FMA, the BIFM and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors ever agreeing on a system to elect one person?”

In fact, a definition already exists.

“We already have a CEN (European Committee for Standardisation) definition, which has the charm and beauty of a racehorse designed by committee,” said one correspondent.

“Their definition takes far too many words to say ‘an organisation will decide what it means by FM, which is only there to support the business strategy’.”

In the end, it could be that because FM covers many recognisably diferent jobs, a single definition is almost impossible.

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ANALYSIS

UK sets sights on overseas opportunities GRAEME DAVIES newsdesk@fm-world.co.uk

The latest round of corporate news from the FM sector’s biggest players has highlighted the growing dichotomy between those who are seeking to consolidate their position of strength in the UK market by extending contracts and making acquisitions, and those who continue to seek further expansion in growing overseas markets where opportunities appear to be somewhat easier to come by.

With its heavy focus on the UK, Capita Group is already one of the biggest providers of outsourced services to the UK public sector and a widened collaborative partnership with the London Borough of Lambeth announced last week, illustrates the opportunity available to bigger players to more deeply embed themselves within the businesses they serve.

Capita has supplied Lambeth with revenue collection services for council tax since 1997, but under the expanded agreement it is now adding call centre management and IT support functions taking the contract’s value to £60m over the next ten years. Built into the agreement is the potential for even further expansion, which could take the contract value to £300m over the same period. The gain for Lambeth is a projected £16.5m cost saving over the life of the project.

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Capita has also bulked up its customer services operations through the acquisition of customer contact specialist Ventura for £65m. This deal works both ways, with Capita gaining Ventura’s expertise which it can sell across its existing customer base, and also the ability to sell existing Capita services into Ventura’s customers.

These two moves illustrate Capita’s existing strong position in the UK and its ability to grow even without a significant increase in overall outsourcing markets. Utilising the breadth of its offering, Capita is able to provide clients with a one-stop shop of services that many rivals

cannot match – especially when Capita continues to expand those services through acquisitions.

But other large outsourcing specialists appear to be less willing to stake so much on domestic markets. And with the flood of outsourcing that was expected to emerge following the Coalition government’s victory last May not yet having materialised, and increasing incidences of radical public sector service reform being reconsidered in a series of high profile u-turns, this may yet prove to be a wise strategy.

Public sector changes It is clear that public sector service provision in this country is changing, and in some cases rapidly, but the pace and depth of change has been erratic in some areas and downright unpredictable in others. Over the long term, vast swathes of UK public services will be delivered by the private sector, but the increasingly imageconscious Coalition government is not yet being as radical as some expected. Serco alluded to this

when it said that the UK market remains “challenging, with short term headwinds resulting from government austerity measures, together with some uncertainties regarding public service reform”.

Serco also announced a two year deal with the Australian Defence Force to support its bases in the Middle East and said that trading in the first half of the year had been resilient, but mainly due to opportunities in overseas markets.

This may explain why some of Capita’s peers continue to forge further growth opportunities overseas, after all diversification, should theoretically improve overall resilience. Interserve illustrated this twin-pronged approach in its recent trading statement, which reported £1bn of contract wins since the opening six months of the year, including deals with the Department of Transport and the RAF, and contracts in the United Arab Emirates, including with Dubai International Airport.

Graeme Davies writes for Investors Chronicle

Contract wins

NEW BUSINESS Travel concession catering operator SSP has extended its relationship with holiday village company Center Parcs with a £110m contract.

provide round-the-clock security at The Sage Gateshead, a prominent live music venue and education centre in the town.

Independent caterer Charlton House is taking up a £2m catering deal at Gatwick Airport, pushing aside longtime incumbent Sodexo. Charlton House replaces Sodexo after 25 years to provide 24-hour catering for 23,000 airport staff in the north and south terminals.

WhiteOaks, a division of Compass Group UK & Ireland, has won a £1.6m contract with Abbeyfield Wey Valley Society to provide residents’ catering for five years.

Axis Security has won a contract to

Liverpool Cathedral has appointed specialist concession caterers Couture to manage its restaurant, café and hospitality suites.

The Co-operative Group is awarding a three-year contract to Managed Support Services (MSS) for the management of buildings in North Staffordshire. The deal is an expansion of an ongoing contract with MSS that the Co-operative Group awarded last December, for which MSS is delivering a multi-service, critical engineering solution for five data centres.

Global construction services specialist Hochtief has agreed a major contract with Halton Borough Council worth an estimated €181m (around £162m) over 27 years.

GBM Support Services has been awarded a five-year contract with Transport for London (TfL). GBM will provide TfL with a range of facilities management services, including cleaning, waste management, pest control and horticulture. www.fm-world.co.uk

7/7/11 17:12:43

Aidan Connelly, Sodexo UK & Ireland’s CEO

BUSINESS BRIEFS

Sodexo eyes local government contracts The coming year will see “some pretty aggressive competition” as major facilities suppliers vie for government contracts that have been on hold more than two years.

“There haven’t been many large government contracts in the past 12 months or more,” said Aidan Connolly, Sodexo UK & Ireland’s chief executive, in an interview with FM World at the company’s new central London offices. “There also haven’t really been any significant healthcare contracts in a number of years.”

It’s been a tough time for the public sector during the financial downturn. But “the floodgates are about to open” in the coming year

now that the public sector has had time to digest what savings are needed, predicted Connolly.

Up to now, a good foothold in the local government market has eluded Sodexo – but it is keeping a close eye on the market. “It’s a tough market and if I could I’d find a way of getting in there,” said Connolly. “Our range of services fits in very well with what is required at the local level.”

Sodexo’s range of services is now on display at its One Southampton Row offices in Holborn, at long last, said Connolly. It has rented two floors, but provides a full range of services to the entire building.

“It’s the first time we can

showcase everything we do,” he said. “Now I can say to potential clients, come and see what we do.”

Sodexo UK transferred operations from its previous head office and also consolidated its offices in Paddington, Stevenage, Feltham and the City of London into Southampton Row, where its own staff run the catering, hospitality, cleaning, post-room and reception services.

Last April, Sodexo UK’s parent, Sodexo Group, showed revenues up 10.4 per cent, including nearly 5 per cent organic growth for the half-year.

Operating profit also rose, up 14.6 per cent, or 8.5 per cent excluding currency impacts, a trading statement from Sodexo said. Operating margin was up from 5.7 per cent to 5.9 per cent. Group net income was up 11 per cent.

Facilities income helps JSG results Johnson Service Group (JSG) expects half-year results in line with expectations, helped by facilities management income from the PFI contracts it acquired in mid-2010.

“The potential order pipeline for this [FM] division has been strengthened considerably over the past year resulting in a number of contract wins,” according to a preclose trading statement from JSG. “These are now starting to generate income and we remain confident about the prospects for this division.”

Net debt at the end of June is expected to show a significant reduction from the £59.5m at December 2010.

“As reported in March 2011, www.fm-world.co.uk

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we received a tax repayment of £5.8m plus interest in February 2011, which has reduced our net debt position at June 2011,” the statement noted. The amount remains subject to agreement with HM Revenue and Customs.

Operating profit for the drycleaning division is looking to be slightly ahead of the same period last year. “Like-for-like sales are expected to be, overall, some 1 per cent down, but these mask considerable weekly fluctuations,

including the benefit of a normal weather pattern in January 2011 compared to the snow of the previous year.”

JSG expects to release results for the first half of 2011 in mid to late September.

Last month, SGP Property & Facilities Management, the FM division of JSG, announced a contract with Johnston Press for an initial three years. Total revenue is expected to be £10m over the life of the contract.

Five Year Record, year ended 31 Decvember (£m) 2006 Revenue 313.8 Operating profit/(loss) 13.1

2007 305.2

2008 252.3

2009 236.4

2010 235.1

(33.3)

5.0

26.3

8.0

Source: Johnson Service Group Annual Report 2010

Jobs at risk with transfer Jobs in facilities management – as well as other areas of support and administration – will be at risk when Birmingham prison transfers to security provider G4S. However, the company is pledging to keep redundancies ‘to a minimum’ when it takes over the prison on 1 October.

In March, G4S was announced as one of the first companies to operate public sector prisons in the UK following a government competition.

According to the company, around 123 full-time positions will be at risk from the current staff in post levels, subject to consultation.

MoD shortlists bidders The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has shortlisted four bidders for a £500m hard facilities management contract for bases across Scotland and Northern Ireland.

In the running for the five-year deal for repairs and maintenance are joint venture Carillion Enterprise, Interserve (Defence), Babcock Support Services and a joint venture between Turner Facilities Management and Henry Brothers (Magherafelt).

Bidders are being encouraged to link up with specialist subcontractors during the tendering process. A preferred bidder is likely to be announced by August 2012.

HK operation for Compass Compass Group has acquired Hong Kong catering operation Shing Hin Catering Group, specialising in catering for universities, colleges and hospitals. It is Compass’s third overseas acquisition in the past two months, having acquired businesses from the Netherlands and Sweden in May. FM WORLD | 14 JULY 2011 | 11

7/7/11 17:12:51

FM OPINION THE DIARY COLUMN DAVID WALKER

“BACTERIA BASED SYSTEMS ARE NOT NEW, BUT MANY OF THEM CAN BE LABOUR INTENSIVE AND DIFFICULT TO FIT”

David Walker is facilities project manager at Northumbrian Water

WATER WATER EV ERYWH ER E?

ew products are hitting the market N to reduce the need for water usage in urinals. But just how effective are these gadgets in cutting down an organisation’s annual water consumption?

So do waterless urinals really work or are they just another gadget on the market?

As we all know. there are plenty of gadgets available for reducing the amount of water used in office toilets. However, do the ones which use little, or no water, really work?

I recently received some interesting information about a new product that is just starting to

filter into the office workplace.

There are about four million urinals in the UK and companies typically use 20 per cent of their water consumption on cleaning them. A typical nine litre cistern will flush automatically 96 times a day using more than 315 litres of water a year. According to the Environment Agency, 76 per cent of this flushing occurs when the

building is empty.

This new product, called The Cap, can almost eliminate the need for any water to be used. The cap contains chemicals and bacteria that break down the waste, while at the same time neutralising the odours. The urinals only need to flush once a day, cutting the 864 litres used daily in that typical cistern to just nine.

Bacteria based systems are not new, but many of them can be labour intensive and difficult to fit.

This new design uses no plumbing whatsoever and the cap contains 17 different types of bacteria which together neutralise the unpleasant compounds in the urine.

The block dissolves into the pipework of the system and the

bacteria colonise and digest the fats and other waste. The cap can be fitted and used straight away, unlike many others. It may well be worth some consideration.

Can I at this point pass on my congratulations to the north region and the recent fantastic results achieved, namely Region of the Year, Member of the Year, Committee Member of the Year and Rising FM – a total of four out of four awards. It’s a great result for all those involved – one of who happens to be my very own manager Dave Whiteley.

I am just back to work after a week off recharging my batteries, so I am now looking forward to getting into some worthwhile project work to keep me occupied for the rest of the year. FM

BEST OF THE WEB Property consultant Neil Usher offers his 10 point manifesto for developing the FM profession Dream of better, define it clearly and promote it: what is the future-perfect and align behind it.

2 Recognise that FM is a key part of the property lifecycle and act and position the profession accordingly. It has an inherent relationship with property strategy, transaction management, workplace strategy and design and project management.

3 Design and promote Corporate Real Estate (CRE) learning and

1

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a CRE agenda. The BIFM needs to integrate with other lifecycle professional bodies including CoreNet, the WCO and the RICS. 4 Reconcile the persistent supplier/ in-house divide by promoting careers that span both and share the experiences. The BIFM needs to bring suppliers and in-house practitioners together in ways that directly address the divide.

5 Identify, develop and support strong leaders with the gravitas

to speak for the sector.

All professions need spokespeople who will be listened to.

6 Learn to balance strategy and operations. In seeking to be a business partner, FM also needs to remember to stay close to its practical roots, and never set aside its direct customer-facing experience.

7 Promote and be proud of the inherent diversity of disciplines and sectors within FM as a major

asset. The best FM’s are ‘specialist generalists’ – this needs to be celebrated.

8 Promote success, constructively and intelligently – in particular where customers are delighted, solutions are innovative, and excellent results are achieved costeffectively. This positive experience needs to be gathered, validated and organised to be fed into FM learning programmes.

9 Embrace and promote social media and widen the

productive debate. The more FM practitioners share knowledge, perspectives and experience, the better.

10 Earn the respect it deserves. It is no good just demanding it. All professions have had to do so since their foundation. The road is long and difficult, but with action in many of the above, recognition of the vital role of FM to organisations and industry will come. http://theatreacle. www.fm-world.co.uk

7/7/11 15:07:22

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BEST OF THE

FMWORLD BLOGS 1⁄

Managing expectations

Michael Pitt/ professor of FM Innovation at UCL A few years ago I was involved in the development of a customer satisfaction measurement system that enabled us to determine how well a particular facilities management company was doing, according to its customers. The problem is that not all customers are the same. We are all educated in the easyJet way through the regularly re-run TV series Airline, which is a customer expectation and behavioural management tool all rolled into one. You’re either an easyJet person or you’re not. http://bit.ly/ipfEmY

2⁄

Taking the central line

Martin Read/managing editor of FM World I was told recently that a plan of mine to put a spreadsheet on the server — allowing all interested parties to update it and thus keep all the relevant information in one place — was ‘a bit Big Brother’ The inference was that there’s something slightly sinister about everyone being able to see each other’s contributions to a given project. But with the efficient use of IT, huge swathes of duplication and confusion can be cut from the typical office workflow. http://bit.ly/jMHx4n

3⁄

Green your chain

Peter Ramsay/environmental manager at Mars Drinks We need to make sure we’re operating a sustainable organisation!” is a demand now laid down by the majority of companies, as governments and consumers become increasingly aware of the impact we have on the environment and resources for the future. From carbon reduction through to waste management, there are a vast number of terms that have become commonplace in our daily vocabulary, but set a big challenge for facilities managers. It can seem an impossible challenge and hard to decide where to start. http://bit.ly/lvXJGC

FIVE MINUTES WITH NAME: Simon Esner JOB TITLE: UK sales director COMPANY: BaxterStorey

The board of BaxterStorey is comprised entirely of chefs. We all started from the kitchen, so we mix with our farmers and work with our growers.

Waste is still a huge issue. Water is like gold. As a country, we need to think about how we can use water in better, smarter and less wasteful ways. As consumers, we all waste water.

All of our meat is British, even our pork. Up until recently, caterers found it difficult to buy pork because the large supermarkets had bought it up for consumers. We were forced to look abroad. Now we have a specific deal with pork farmers and can confidently say that even our pork is British.

The choices we offer have to be what customers want. We need to know what’s popular on the high street today, and to get ahead of that curve. So for us, having the retail deli/café chain Benugo’s as part of the group really helps.

Care and welfare is paramount, and that means happy animals. Jody Scheckter’s Laverstoke Park Farm is one of our suppliers, and his buffalos are tickled by special rotating brushes. The result?

Happy buffalo — and great mozzarella.

Three years ago we opened a barista academy.

Former world barista champion James Hoffmann helped us. It creates people with the skills to make great coffee and give great customer service, so that client gets repeat trade through that coffee bar.

We don’t see ourselves as contract caterers, we’re retailers. Our responsibility it to maximise the investment in space that the client has given over to catering. I always appreciate that, first and foremost, we’re guests in our clients’ buildings.

Interview by Martin Read

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FM EVENT JOHN FOGARTY

Steelcase’s media:scape unit integrated into its ‘frame one’ bench system

(Haworth); and Answers (Steelcase).

Co-ordinated design

EVENT

GRAND DESIGNS John Fogarty reports from interior design show NeoCon in Chicago, where integration and co-ordination were this year’s buzz words Every year, Chicago plays host to NeoCon, the world’s largest commercial interior design show and conference, held at the Merchandise Mart.

This is not a classic exhibition in the mould of an Orgatec or a Salone Ufficio, which can dominate a venue for a fraught two-week period before closing. This ‘exhibition’ permanently occupies a massive Art Deco building comprising 18 floors and totalling 372,000 square metres (4m square feet). From an office furniture perspective, floors three, 10 and 11 house permanent showrooms, while floors seven and eight are brought into use as temporary show space for the threeday event.

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visitor numbers were up four per cent on 2010 figures, which some believed signalled an upswing in the economy, while others remained more sceptical, fearing the dreaded double dip. Tom Revelle, vice president of marketing for Humanscale was in the former camp. “NeoCon is always our biggest and most important show of the year in North America, where we gear up to present our newest innovations to tens of thousands of important customers and specifiers,” he said. “This year’s show was incredibly positive for Humanscale.

Our showroom was packed throughout the event and the feedback we received on all of our newest products was tremendous.”

Trends and themes The key messages of the show were undoubtedly ‘integration’ and ‘co-ordination’. Every major manufacturer was pushing this – both in terms of the products on offer and in the research results provided to back up the thinking behind the designs. This was obvious in the naming of the combined programmes: Canvas (HM) and Reside; Beside and Belong

Having previewed elements at last year’s show, Herman Miller was exhibiting its new Canvas Office Landscape programme, combining a new bench with elements of Vivo Environments and Meridian Storage (on legs and with timber tops and fronts) to produce a remarkably co-ordinated package.

The bench used a limited kit of parts – including tops with attractive reverse-bevelled front edges and no support rails to create a structure of remarkable robustness. The showroom display model used just two full leg-frames and two backset legs to support a double bench.

Integrated units Haworth too was mining the rich seam of product integration with its Reside, Beside and Belong packages. Reside comprised a range of work surface (desk and bench) products, while Beside was a new, layered storage product, combining horizontal wood-composite panels with L-shaped vertical steel elements to form stacked single or dual-access, closed or open assemblies.

Belong was the generic name for the work tools offered in combination with work surfaces, screens and storage.

Of all the majors, Haworth was also the company most assiduously pushing the alleged research behind the make-up of their products and portfolio. They had a large multiprojection screen pumping out pictures, string diagrams and buzzwords; all purporting to prove how the latest amalgamation of basic raw materials was somehow directed by a synthesis of ideas resulting from careful research.

Besides showing the full integration of programmes such as media:scape, c:scape, and frame one, Steelcase was emphasising a full package of inbuilt and freestanding worktools for these.

Additionally, they had unbundled

elements from the former to create mini media:scape (desktop) and mobile media:scape (on castors).

Radical thinking The Turnstone division of Steelcase was, as previously, used to promote new ideas in ever more radical ways.

Its Bivi programme was a simple range designed for youthful start-up companies. This featured just one size of “occupation envelope”, for a plain or back-pocketed worksurface or a rumble seat (cantilevered sofa).

The hoop-frame leg in a number of heights was used to support worksurfaces and seats, as a well as a host of personal items such as bikes and skateboards Of all the major manufacturers, Knoll concentrated more than most on the launch of a seating product – the ReGeneration chair by the same designers responsible for the original Generation and MultiGeneration series. Sharing the same ‘responsive’ back technology as the original, this variant featured simplified construction and detailing to generate a better balanced appearance and to hit, one would guess, a lower price point.

Conclusion The integration of storage into the workstation is now pretty much complete. Storage is simpler, but also more complex: it is not overburdened by security, yet dual access is commonplace and provision of services through the storage spine is routine.

Until as recently as last year, most would have conceded that the US led the way in office seating development, while European designs were the forefront as far as workstation ideas were concerned.

However, by stealing some of our clothes and by marrying these to their single-minded business approach, the US is fast approaching dominance in both areas. FM John Fogarty is the design director of European steel storage manufacturer Bisley. www.fm-world.co.uk

7/7/11 16:47:02

Forthcoming features in FM World magazine: 11th August 2011: Ergonomics in the workplace Tips on centralising your FM function 15th September 2011: How to achieve zero waste Building strategic alliances 29th September 2011: Preview — Total Workplace Management Compliance — round-up of new legislation 13th October 2011: SUPPLEMENT: Workplace Change, Space Planning, Refurbs, Relocation Mergers & Acquisitions — an analysis of the current market 27th October 2011: How to create a true one-team approach through the supply chain Features are subject to change – please contact the editor for further details. FM World welcomes contributions and ideas for articles. Send a short synopsis to Martin Read at martin.read@fm-world.co.uk. Please note that we reserve the right to edit copy submitted for publication in the magazine.

To discuss advertising opportunities or for further information please contact : Adam Potter 020 7880 8543

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FM FEATURE CASE STUDY MARTIN READ

COMPLETED: 2004 (SECOND PHASE 2009).

ARCHITECT: JONATHAN ADAMS OF CAPITA PERCY THOMAS; ARUP ACOUSTICS (ACOUSTIC DESIGN); ARUP (BUILDING ENGINEER).

SIZE OF SITE: 7 ACRES / 315,810 SQ FT NUMBER OF STAFF: C1000 PEOPLE, COMPRISING 400 WALES MILLENNIUM CENTRE STAFF (120 FULL TIME, 11 PART TIME AND 268 ON ZERO HOURS CONTRACTS), 438 RESIDENTS’ STAFF, PLUS STAFF FROM THE ARTS COUNCIL OF WALES AND TOURING COMPANY DESK RATIO: ESTIMATED 1 DESK TO 3 PEOPLE. NUMBER OF STAFF ON THE FM TEAM: 43 (MAINTENANCE — 9, CLEANERS — 13, STAGE DOOR — 5, SECURITY — 11, MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION — 5.)

Martin Read finds that Wales Millennium Centre’s FM staff are hungry to step into the limelight

THE BIG STAGE raming a dramatic photograph of the Wales Millennium Centre is rarely a problem, as these pages testify. The building’s imposing dome is visible over the rooftops as soon as you depart Cardiff Queen Street station en route to the regenerated Tiger Bay district in which it sits. And when you arrive, the now iconic inscription of two lines by Welsh poet Gwyneth Lewis, set in gigantic lettering above the main entrance, adds to the impact.

It’s not just the design; the materials used in the centre’s construction are equally

WALES MILLENNIUM CENTRE/SAM KESTEVEN

F

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striking. Welsh slate, in shades of purple, grey and green, flank the building on either side of a bronze-coloured steel frame.

Inside, you’ll find eight different types of sustainably sourced Welsh wood in the theatre and surrounding corridors. This building is Welsh in its design, construction and operation.

The centre’s appeal to tourists is boosted by its proximity to the National Assembly for Wales (situated just across the road) and its appearance in some high profile BBC dramas, including Torchwood. In fact, holidaymakers comfortably outnumber those who attend scheduled events. While the centre attracts some 370,000 concert-goers each year, a further 1.1m tourists just turn up out of the blue.

In fact, tourists flock here in such numbers that the Cardiff www.fm-world.co.uk

7/7/11 16:22:53

WALES MILLENNIUM CENTRE

(Below) The Donald Gordon Theatre; (bottom left) the inscription composed by poet Gwyneth Lewis; (left) the Glanfa atrium; (right) Tony Jay, deputy venue operations director; (bottom right) Mat Milsom, general manager and finance director

Harbour Authority saw fit to move its Tourism Bureau into the centre – doubling its turnover in the process.

So when they walk through the doors, what do visitors see?

The first impression is of entering an airport terminal, but you soon appreciate the centre’s value as a cultural centre for Wales. The place is alive with visitors of all kinds. In the main reception space, schools hold dance classes watched by local residents; on the first floor, conferences take place as caterers prepare lunch for delegates; further back, the main Donald Gordon Theatre is readied for the evening’s performance (the centre has been voted, by those who work in the theatre trade, as best in class). All the while, people from the centre’s eight resident organisations – each serving the national arts scene – carry out www.fm-world.co.uk

Wales Millennium.indd 17

their daily business. There’s a constant buzz.

So, to recap: this is a 24/7 operation involving tenant organisations, a hotel, a conference centre and several performance spaces. It’s Wales’ most visited tourist attraction and hosts more than 80 VIP events and Royal visits per year.

And did I mention that it’s also home to Europe’s largest youth movement, Urdd Gobaith Cymru, (the Welsh youth movement)?

For the centre’s FM department, there’s plenty to manage.

Fused together Fortunately, as far as FM goes this is a good news story. “I’ve never worked in a business where the FM team is so completely intertwined with the financial team,” says deputy venue operations director, Tony Jay. “There’s a shared ethos of

risk management that influences everything we do.”

Capital and maintenance projects are organised to ensure that the building is managed at ‘exemplar’ standard, an understandable objective for a building which is increasingly seen as one of Wales’ national icons. “As a Welshman, working here is something I’m really proud of,” says Jay. Jay and his boss, venue operations director Jonathon Poyner, are at pains to emphasise how FM is seen as core to the centre’s operations, connected to all aspects of the business and managed as ‘risk mitigation’.

Poyner represents the facilities team on the centre’s executive, which in turn reports to the chief executive and trustees. FM is also a key component of the centre’s estates committee, closely knit with the committee’s strategic

“YOU SOON APPRECIATE THE CENTRE’S VALUE AS A CULTURAL CENTRE FOR WALES. THE PLACE IS ALIVE WITH VISITORS OF ALL KINDS”

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FM FEATURE CASE STUDY MARTIN READ

objectives and five-year plans.

Jay, whose previous role was at Sony’s 91-acre production facility in Bridgend, is clearly enthusiastic about the management relationships he enjoys, offering special praise for financial director, Mat Milsom.

“Mat talks about ‘the building’ like us,” says Jay. “You still have to put a good case forward to get sign-off on projects, but he sees the overall life of the building in terms of how it’s managed operationally, as well as the capital investment required.

He’s probably the best FM person I know.” Milsom was first invited to the centre in a consultancy role, but ended up joining the centre full time.

When the centre opened in 2004, FM was outsourced to Haden (Balfour Beatty). Three years ago, the decision was made to bring it back in house.

Jay joined just as the process to switch to the predominantly internal FM model was being instigated.

The catalyst for bringing FM in-house wasn’t financial, says Poyner. “It was the belief that we could deliver services with a less cumbersome contractual chain. Basically, it was driven by operational dynamics – the need for more direct control and flexibility in our business.”

Key members of staff were recruited from outside of the theatre industry in a deliberate policy to broaden the experience of the FM team.

Jay was appointed first, with his experience of industrial FM at Sony now put to use. (“Even though some of the guys don’t understand the details of 6 Sigma, 5S or KT — the managing of variants and so on — we get them to think of why that variant is there. It’s the mindset we’re trying to impart,” he says.)

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Grainger, stage door manager, was previously at a five star hotel; Mark Smallwood, safety & security manager, came from the NEC by way of the Royal Marines. Talking to both Grainger and Smallwood, it’s notable how much responsibility is devolved to each team manager.

Not only is FM visible in the centre, its practitioners are clearly empowered by senior management to get on with their jobs.

On Jay’s watch, the FM team has delivered refurbishments of restaurants, bars and resident areas as well as routine cyclical projects such as boiler servicing.

All have the aim of reducing operational risk so that the building remains open.

Upfront FM This is a building in which the public get to see an FM team going about its job, right in front

of them. I’m introduced to a cleaning operative who is out dusting in the main concourse at 11:00am. This is not his first cleaning job, but he tells me it’s the one he’s enjoyed most by far. Next I’m told that the man in the suit who I met at reception is in fact John, a former baker now employed on the security team. Says Poyner: “We have a policy of ensuring that our cleaners are out front during the time our customers are here. It’s important to us that they meet people constantly and develop good customer skills. So, when a visitor asks a question they can answer it with ‘yes, it’s over there,’ or ‘by the way, and have you seen...’”.

The staff is structured in three tiers so that it can be adapted as required. The full-time team is supplemented by a second tier of operatives employed on zero hours contracts and can be

(Top) routine seat maintenance in the Donald Gordon Theatre; (above) the centre’s busy Glanfa atrium; (above right) touching up the venue’s iconic lettering

www.fm-world.co.uk

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WALES MILLENNIUM CENTRE

FM QUICK FACTS

1.5m 370,000 1,350 2004

visitors annually, of which

concert goers

tonnes of Welsh slate used in its construction

year opened to the public

brought in to work the part-time hours required of them. A third tier of agency staff is on call to cover major events and VIP visits Poyner and Jay believe staffing at the centre can be tuned with a wider degree of control than would likely have been the case had the service been outsourced.

Departmental managers control training, with staff sent on BIFM courses as part of their personal development plans. “BIFM has been very helpful in advising us on our training priorities,” says Poyner.

Reducing risk Both Poyner and Jay see the centre’s risk-based approach to project funding as fundamental to the success of their FM model, even though it requires constant reappraisal of working practices.

It also requires watertight information management, and high on Poyner’s agenda is the www.fm-world.co.uk

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production of four documents to help in both the day-to-day and long-term maintenance of the centre. These include a regular operations manual, the architect’s ‘design principles’ and a guide to best practice conservation (influenced by visits to look at several high profile theatres across the UK).

Documenting the original design principles ensures that any refurbishment project is in keeping with the architect’s original intentions. This is a goal helped considerably by chief architect Jonathan Adams, who lives locally and visits his creation regularly to discuss operational issues with Poyner and his team.

The fourth of these documents is a journal detailing a timeline for capital and maintenance projects carried out around the centre. It will contain explanations of the prevailing

logic and reasons for change at the time and the subsequent advantages accrued, together with ‘before and after’ photos.

Jay offers a recent example: “Yesterday we trialled induction lighting for the first time and it’s clear that it will give us a straightforward energy reduction in terms of kilowatt hours.

However, what we’re also looking at is reducing the man-hours associated with that particular piece of maintenance; we need to document how introducing this technology will do that.

It’s important to document the process we went through so that, in ten or twenty years time, someone can look back and see a logic trail of not only what we did, but why, and what happened as a result.”

After just seven years of operation, the centre’s capital maintenance plan is constantly being adapted as Jay and his

team find new ways to use their budget effectively. The theatre’s carpets are a case in point: Jay was able to source a new supplier and organise work to replace just the parts of the carpet that had actually worn. The unique weave meant sourcing a supplier capable of providing material designed to be in keeping with the architectural philosophy of the building.

This new information on actual carpet wear performance is now documented, and similar projects have since been conducted for chair fabric (seats at the ends of aisles were found to suffer more than those in the middle; maintenance plans were adapted accordingly).

“We’re trying to smooth out our capital needs,” says Poyner.

“A lot of theatres shut down, take out their chairs and re-cover them. For us, the cost of any downtime is compounded by a loss in ticket sales. We run a rolling maintenance programme to make sure we never interfere with performances.”

Poyner calculates that the FM team’s maintenance initiatives have saved the centre £250,000 a year since 2008, a figure that would have been far greater had energy prices not rocketed over the same period.

Further evidence, he says, of how successfully FM has been integrated into the centre’s planning.

At the end of my tour, I ask Jay what lessons he’s learnt over the last three years. “It’s all about the whole life cost of the building,” he shoots back.

“Don’t take the short term view and look at the value that your FM team can bring in managing utility cost, asset management lifecycle and the value of the building.” It’s refreshing to speak to an FM who’s so obviously enjoying putting these frequently quoted goals into action.

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FM FEATURE DISABILITY SUSAN SCOTT-PARKER

A STEP CHANGE Providing facilities for disabled staff is a job that should begin at the procurement stage. Susan Scott-Parker explains the issues

Illustration: Michael Kirkham

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DISABILITY

ompanies are increasingly seeking to manage their working environment in a way that maximises mobility, accessibility and usability for disabled people.

The goal is to become a ‘disability competent procurer’, which means using suppliers that enable an organisation to realise the potential of its disabled applicants, employees and customers.

C

Purchasing power The business case for accessibility is undeniable: there are more than one billion disabled people worldwide, many of whom have significant spending power. In the UK, one in three customers aged 50-64 has a disability. And these are not the dispossessed: 80 per cent of the country’s wealth is in the hands of the over 45s. Holiday Inn is in no doubt that its successful bid to host the Olympics was strongly reinforced by its long track record of investment in welcoming disabled customers.

Turning to employees, up to 10 per cent of first class honours last year were awarded to disabled graduates. In fact, Barclays reports that its disabled graduates are of a higher calibre than their nondisabled counterparts.

Corporations are also at legal, operational and reputational risk if they do not plan for and meet the needs of their disabled employees and users.

www.fm-world.co.uk

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In 2010, three visually impaired American women filed a class action complaint against two Walt Disney companies alleging that their theme parks, hotel and restaurant websites were inaccessible and therefore in violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Courts around the world are starting to take action. Late last year, Canada’s Federal Court found that a blind woman had been denied equal access to government information and services for the public on the internet. Widening its judgment, the court said that this discrimination was representative of a “system-wide failure by many of the 146 government departments and agencies to make their websites accessible”.

Concluding, it found that the government had a constitutional obligation to make its websites accessible for disabled citizens, setting a time period of 15 months for this to be achieved.

Such legal challenges indicate that the expectations and aspirations of disabled people are changing worldwide. They expect to be recruited on the basis of their capability, allowed to develop to their full potential in work and, as a consumer, to have the same right of access to goods and services as any other valued customer.

Disability affects every aspect of a business and that includes the procurement process. Legal

compliance is actually a highrisk strategy, if companies are only doing it because they feel compelled to do so by law.

Business, however, is learning that best practice delivers genuine business benefits. The recruiter who is not distracted by an applicant’s stammer, but recruits on their capability to do the job, becomes a better recruiter; the building that works for the disabled user will work better for all users.

The cost of most workplace adjustments is minimal. In the UK they are estimated to be under £100 per employee for non-premises work. Lack of disability know-how in organisations, however, can be more of a barrier. Often, a company’s outsourced suppliers lack the “disability competence” needed to enable the company to enhance productivity and improve the customer experience consistently. Large corporations, in particular, struggle to deliver efficient adaptations for their employees and customers when they outsource the delivery of various elements of these processes to multiple facilities and IT management suppliers.

and what suppliers need to know and be able to deliver – or they risk making serious mistakes.

A lack of thought and planning shows a lack of respect for disabled people, as this example illustrates. Wheelchair users leaving a meeting on disability rights in Europe were made to wait at least an hour in a concrete basement before they were allowed to leave. The unacceptable delay came about because the building’s outsourced security guard had to call head office to request an extra guard before the on-site guard was allowed to leave his desk and open the only door that enabled wheelchairs users to leave the building.

Mistakes also cost money.

A global corporate, which prides itself on its public reputation as

Disability competence A thin line separates ‘disability competence’ from ‘incompetence’.

Procurement professionals need to work through their strategies, understand what can go wrong

FM WORLD | 14 JULY 2011 | 21

7/7/11 18:04:09

FM FEATURE DISABILITY SUSAN SCOTT-PARKER

CHECKLIST

DISABILITY COMPETENT PROCUREMENT an the supplier ensure that employees in a global business are truly mobile and receive the same level of accessibility and adaptability, no matter where they are based? ● Have they trained key personnel in how to welcome and adapt for disabled people? ● Who must be notified (and how) when a problem arises for a disabled user, whether they are employees, visitors or customers? ● How quickly must FM respond to requests for assessments and then adjustments? ● How is confidentiality regarding a person’s impairment managed and by whom? ● Who is responsible for assessing which adjustments might be needed and agreeing that a particular adjustment is required? ● Who is responsible for ordering, paying for and delivering any adjustments? ● Who is responsible for ensuring their maintenance or for monitoring their effectiveness?

C

22 | 14 JULY 2011 | FM WORLD

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● Where there is a cost attached, who decides that the price is ‘right’ and who authorises payment? ● If a proposed solution is initially regarded as ‘unreasonable’, who is responsible for making this decision? Who needs to be notified?

What records are kept? Who is liable in law should a decision be challenged? ● Who has the responsibility to expedite when an adjustment doesn’t happen, keeping in mind the impact and potential penalties of delay? ● How will any disagreements or dissatisfaction with the process be managed?

Who is ultimately accountable for the speed and effectiveness of the process? ● Who is responsible at each stage of the contracting process for specifying the level of disability competence required by an FM service? ● Will every refurbishment leave an organisation more accessible?

disability competent, opened a new 30-plus storey building.

The original design specification included two accessible electric doors on each floor, but the contractors decided this was unnecessary. The cost of retrofitting the doors ran to some £6m – the decision to cancel them in the first place saved just £1m.

At Employers’ Forum on Disability (EFD) the approach is to help organisations deliver the business benefits generated by the best practice it calls ‘disability confidence’. The EFD enables its members to understand and adapt for the people they employ – and for those who buy their goods and services.

In recruitment, for example, this means removing the barriers – physical, technological and attitudinal – that needlessly prevent the many talented people from applying for jobs.

In the workplace itself, reasonable adjustments to how work is www.fm-world.co.uk

7/7/11 18:04:21

DISABILITY

“HIGH-PERFORMING COMPANIES HAVE A NAMED BOARD DIRECTOR RESPONSIBLE FOR HOW THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT IS BEING MADE MORE ACCESSIBLE TO DISABLED EMPLOYEES AND CONSUMERS” wheelchair-using colleague from any floor but the ground.

Step forward, FM

carried out, as well as to the built environment, maximise everyone’s contribution and potential.

The EFD takes a holistic approach, mapping out end-toend processes, step by step, to diagnose what gets in the way when a corporation sets out to recruit, employ and do business with disabled people. It works with its members to find costeffective solutions to removing those obstacles.

Although it continues to work with a group of multinational corporations to explore how best to enable disability competent procurement, the EFD reports a puzzling inconsistency in FM performance from firm to firm and from site to site. Much procurement is inefficient and therefore costly. For example, while wheelchair users happily work at the top of a Canary Wharf skyscraper, FMs in an equally modern building ban their only www.fm-world.co.uk

20-23 Disability.indd 23

FM providers have a direct impact on an organisation’s ability to recruit, employ and do business with disabled people. This is due to the department’s role in many operational and planning areas in an organisation such as: the area of space and workstation planning; building maintenance and engineering; the supply and installation of furniture; security and access for employees, customers and visitors, including emergency evacuation procedures; ICT products and services, including help desks; or catering and cleaning.

Disability competent procurement departments look for evidence that FM suppliers understand how disability affects employees and customers. They require proof that the supplier alone or, in a carefully structured partnership with other suppliers, removes obstacles that deny access to groups and makes speedy and effective adjustments for individuals. It is vital that the organisation and its FM provider work in partnership.

The short checklist far left) can help procurement professionals to structure such collaboration.

The bigger picture A commitment to developing fully ‘disability competent

procurement’ should be part of a wider commitment to delivering best practice and engaging directly with people with disabilities, which, in turn, drives business improvement.

Research shows that highperforming companies have a named board director responsible for building disability confidence across recruitment, retention and career development; they also report on how products, services and the built environment are being made more welcoming and accessible to disabled employees and consumers alike.

Disability competent procurement is becoming ever more critical as organisations increasingly outsource key functions and processes to a complex set of suppliers. These then have a direct, often costly, impact on an organisation’s ability to employ and do business with disabled people. Time and time again the failure to make adjustments – which leads to legal and reputational risk, and undermines operational efficiency – is caused not by ill will, not by prejudice but by a procurement process that simply ‘forgot’ to require suppliers to respond efficiently to the many people who require organisations to adapt if they are to contribute to business success. FM

ORGANISATION PROFILE

EMPLOYERS’ FORUM ON DISABILITY The Employers’ Forum on Disability is a membership organisation with the aim of working to the mutual benefit of business and people with disabilities. It is supported by a growing list of UK businesses, multinational corporations and public sector organisations.

EFD’s Business Taskforce on Accessible Technology enables global business to use technology to recruit and retain good employees, liberate talent and productivity, and do business with hundreds of millions of disabled customers worldwide. Members of the taskforce include GSK, BT, Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group, Sainsburys, Ernst & Young, HM Revenue & Customs, DWP, Microsoft and Cisco Systems.

EFD also hosts events that focus on new and forthcoming legislation and its impact on an organisation’s disabled workers – a diary of forthcoming events is hosted on the EFD web site.

Susan Scott-Parker is founder and chief executive of the Employers’ Forum on Disability.

FM WORLD | 14 JULY 2011 | 23

7/7/11 18:04:32

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Equipment Management

4/7/11 12:09:22

FM FEATURE DRINKING WATER KEVIN STANLEY

ON THE

the lowest environmental impact and the simplest solution to manage, as well as generally being the least costly.

WATER FRONT There are several methods of supplying drinking water to offices, but a war of words over which is best continues. Cost, storage, delivery, and health and safety are all issues, finds Kevin Stanley

26 | 14 JULY 2011 | FM WORLD

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rom the traditional bottled water cooler to the mainsfed point of use dispenser, choosing how to supply drinking water to the office involves weighing some important issues – the decision on which option to pursue may even rest on a business’s CSR policy.

F

The options There are five options for the provision of water in the office environment. First, and perhaps most conveniently, from the tap.

Although simple and accessible, if the point of supplying drinking water is to provide hydration for staff (something that aids concentration, productivity and health, which are all important factors for any business), then this is the least attractive option. Water from the tap is not chilled and often could have chlorine or other taste taint. As a result, you will miss an opportunity to encourage your staff to drink enough water.

The second option is to use small packs of bottled water.

However, this is an expensive option: bottles have to be ordered and collected, or delivered. It also involves excessive packaging, making it an environmentally

unfriendly option. Also, if the water is to be provided chilled, facilities managers will need to supply refrigeration, which implies its own environmental cost.

The third option is bottled water coolers: 19 litres of water supplied in a polycarbonate container.

Water coolers have the advantage of delivering chilled water of an excellent potable quality. But once more, the environmental impact of bottling and transportation makes this option less palatable.

There is also the additional cost of ordering bottles, storing them and accounting for the empties.

The fourth option is ‘bag in box’ water, whereby water is delivered in boxed bags and chilled with specially designed dispensers. This can prove cheaper than bottled water, depending upon level of usage and is more environmentally friendly due to the fact that the units are used once, with no need to collect or retain bottles and account for empties.

The final option is mains-fed or point of use, which uses coolers to chill and filter the potable water already available. If installed and maintained by a trained and competent supplier, they provide high quality drinking water with

Environmental impact “Water cooler companies have invested heavily in the product development of the point of use machines,” explains Fred Cairns Palmer, managing director of WaterCoolersDirect.

“Advancements in cooler technology mean that there are point of use coolers on the market that dispense sparkling water, chilled, ambient and hot water.”

Palmer clearly believes that this type of investment is indicative of a positive move away from bottled water. The bottled water sector has been criticised due to the environmental strain it causes.

“Not only is the production of the plastic bottles harmful to the environment, their disposal at landfill and the huge number of miles driven for water deliveries means that the bottled cooler is quickly becoming a bad environmental choice,” says Palmer.

Price will always be a major factor for specifiers and since point of use dispensers plumb directly into a building’s mains water supply, customers save a substantial amount of money on both the cost of the water, and also by not having to pay for deliveries.

Health and safety Water is food and, as a result, has to be treated hygienically. Good quality installation and regular maintenance is essential and should not be underestimated. www.fm-world.co.uk

7/7/11 16:09:28

DRINKING WATER

James Anderton, chairman of the European Drinking Water Cooler Association (EDWCA), says: “The EDWCA audits its members regularly for sanitation practise – every three months for bottled coolers and six months for point of use coolers. It also encourages regular six-monthly point of use filter exchange and good installation practice,” explains Anderton. “It’s a mistake to save money by buying water coolers and then ‘forget’ about sanitising and filter exchange,” he adds.

Water bottles need to be changed regularly and this can represent a health and safety issue. The other issue is that of storage. “Bottles are usually heavy and bulky to lift and carry, creating the risk of back injury,” explains Catherine Morgan, marketing manager of PHS Waterlogic.

“As for storage, it’s important, for example, to position bottles so that they don’t block walkways and are not in danger of tipping or falling on staff and visitors walking past,” she adds. “We suggest that storing bottles behind closed doors is the best option.”

More seriously, she explains, there has been discussion in the press of a possible link between consuming water stored in plastic bottles made with a compound called Bisphenol A (BPA) and illness, including breast cancer – especially if the plastic is warmed by sunlight.

“In watercooler bottles, the quantity of BPA leaching out into the water is likely to be minimal and suitable positioning of water coolers away from windows and regular servicing will minimise www.fm-world.co.uk

26-27_DrinkingWater.indd 27

any risk involved,” explains Morgan. “Buyers may prefer to steer clear of it altogether and go for mains-fed. Mains-fed drinking water dispensers obviously don’t use bottles and so none of these health and safety issues apply,” she says.

Corporate social responsibility Many companies regard reducing their carbon footprint as an essential part of CSR policy.

As mains-fed drinking water is generally considered more environmentally sustainable than bottled water, then this can influence the choice of drinking water provision. Choosing a mains-fed watercooler over a bottled water cooler can reduce a company’s carbon footprint and therefore help towards fulfilment of a wider CSR policy.

In conclusion, there are a number of factors to consider when choosing a suitable method of drinking water supply. Yet based on the current available technology and delivery systems, mains-fed point of use water appears to offer the best combination of safety, value and sustainability. FM WaterCoolersDirect offers an online calculator which, it claims, works out what a business might save by switching to plumbed in water. While it clearly has a vested interest in the plumbed in option, the figures it generates may be worth considering. (An office of 20 people using two bottled water coolers could save around £1,800 over three years and take 624 bottles off the road, it suggests.)

QUICK BRIEFING

BOTTLED WATER VERSUS POINT OF USE Mike Hurst from Watermark Consultancy is the consultant microbiologist to the European Drinking Watercooler Association.

He works with both mains-fed, point of use coolers and bottled water coolers. Here he gives us his own opinions on the relative positives and negatives of bottled water coolers and point of use water coolers in the office environment:

Bottled water coolers Positives: ● Bottled water is a healthy cachet ● Tastes good – palatable water encourages hydration ● Coolers can be sited anywhere near a power point ● Active recycling takes place within the industry. Empty bottles are collected, cleaned and refilled. At the end of their life (10-50 cycles), the bottles are recycled. Polycarbonate fetches a good price, which promotes recycling and discourages dumping ● Coolers proofed against airborne contamination when water is drawn off ● Bottling plants are third party audited if they are owned by members of the EDWCA or BWCA Negatives: The bottles of water are less cost effective than potable mains water ● Coolers need to be sanitised every three months ● Bottle weight – lifting and loading. The standard bottle weighs around 20kg which is at the limit of lifting guidelines ● Storage of full and empty bottles ●

take up lots of room ● CO2-creating deliveries are required

Bottles washed and refilled can be subject to spoilage, such as odour or greening ● Bottled water can run out especially in periods of warm weather when demand is high ● Care is needed when loading bottles to avoid contamination entering the bottle ● Bottles have a three-week shelf-life on cooler ● Bottle washing (at 60°C) uses energy ● Concerns have been raised about BPA in the polycarbonate used to make bottles ●

Point of use coolers Positives: ● Good-tasting water ● Filters can protect against occasional water contamination issues caused by parasites ● Can deal with lead pipes ● Mains water is cheaper ● Point of use systems only need six-monthly servicing visits ● Usually, they are cheaper to service than bottled coolers ● Water already on site so little energy impact other than running cooler Negatives: ● Must be connected to good potable water in building ● Installation requires a survey first ● Cooler can only be sited where water availability in the building allows ● Requires professional installation ● May require new plumbing to feed water to desired cooler location FM WORLD | 14 JULY 2011 | 27

7/7/11 17:08:23

FM FEATURE ALTAF LORGAT

(left) Altaf Lorgat, facilities manager, Office Depot; (below) Lorgat outside Office Depot’s head office in Leicester

BEST PRACTICE

DEPOT A With 11 sites in the UK and Ireland, office supplies and solutions provider Office Depot is in the process of adopting a centralised approach to facilities management in a bid to spread best practice around the business

28 | 14 JULY 2011 | FM WORLD

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fter moving to a purposebuilt UK head office in Leicester in 2007, the facilities management team at Office Depot was aware that different sites had become used to operating independently and had different requirements in terms of their ongoing maintenance and management. By finding synergies and putting in place standardised, company-wide systems, the company knew it would be possible to drive efficiencies and, in some instances, improve the customer experience.

To succeed in sharing best practice in a lasting and meaningful way, the company realised that it would be necessary to engage people at every level of the organisation. It would also be important to have a good eye for detail because getting the small stuff right can help to involve and motivate the workforce by helping each person to understand how they can play their part in supporting the changes that the business is making.

However, the starting point for change has to be a broad-brush and strategic one. In the case of Office Depot, the desire for change was rooted in a shared vision of the business as a leading force in the global office supplies marketplace – a modern, well-run business, with world-class processes, structured to succeed in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

A centralised outlook Many businesses and public sector organisations are adopting or have already adopted a centralised approach to managing back office services, including areas like procurement and service contracts, with the aim of improving efficiency. Office Depot’s expertise in helping organisations to achieve this is now being put to good use within its own business.

To increase consistency and improve overall efficiency, Office Depot decided to introduce a centralised FM helpdesk, as well

as service level agreements, to measure the success of the new system in responding to workplace needs. All facilities-related issues were to be reported via email to the new helpdesk. They would be issued with a reference number by way of acknowledgement and recorded on a database. The launch of the helpdesk service was communicated to all employees by an internal communications campaign.

Today, the helpdesk service is considered a valuable management tool that ensures all employees www.fm-world.co.uk

7/7/11 16:52:30

are kept fully up to date with any requests that are made to improve or maintain workplace facilities.

The system has introduced greater visibility, so individuals responsible for raising issues can immediately see the action that is being taken by the FM team.

By adopting a more responsive, centralised approach, the team is helping to spread understanding of its function and the role it plays in driving environmental performance and energy efficiency.

As well as looking after the repair and maintenance of office areas, the team is responsible for managing all soft service and utility contracts.

Among the criteria used when awarding these contracts, the company typically specifies a single point of contact in the form of a key account manager and agrees the number of visits to take place each year. The company’s expectations about the minimum level of service are also shared up front with the service provider – for example, if one of the office vending machines breaks down at any site, it must be fixed within four hours; upon failure of this, the vendor must provide an alternative solution.

Tender review In a bid to improve efficiency and standardisation across the business, the team has reviewed and updated the tendering process for all its existing contracts. For example, the team decided to use a national cleaning contractor to provide cleaning services at all the company’s sites, but knew it would be important to ensure that the contractor fully understood the scale of the work required before tendering for the job. To address this, the prospective contractor was invited to visit each location to ‘walk through’ the specific requirements at each location.

By sharing detailed information from the outset, the company has www.fm-world.co.uk

Office depot2.indd 29

been able to minimise the risk of disputes arising and put in place service contracts that are efficient and have been structured in such a way that they will last for many years. Critically, contractors have said that they value this approach and it has led to the development of closer supplier partnerships.

Sustainability focus Driving sustainability is a core part of Office Depot’s business strategy and introducing environmentally friendly solutions can, of course, help to reduce costs too.

Over the past 12 months, the organisation has introduced a company-wide carbon reduction programme, including the installation of a hi-tech remote energy monitoring system. The system allows the team to monitor energy consumption on a halfhourly basis, identifying patterns of usage as well as unexpected peaks in demand. This information is used to inform management teams and, in some cases, has led to changes in working practices as a result.

The centralised team is also testing a variety of sustainability initiatives, including a water conservation project at the company’s Leicester head office that uses grey water supplies to wash liveried vehicles and flush workplace toilets. Lighting systems are also being reviewed and the

company is considering investing in white LED lighting, which is more energy efficient and could help to further reduce the carbon footprint of the business.

A key role of the team is to stay abreast of the latest technologies and, where appropriate, to trial and quantify the benefits they could bring to the business.

To maximise the benefits brought by any corporate change programme, it is important to ensure that everyone is involved, at every level of the organisation.

The key is to make each employee aware of their role and how they can become an agent of change.

One area where this approach has proved particularly successful is an initiative to minimise waste and reduce the costs associated with landfill.

Following a successful single site trial, the company has recently completed the roll-out of an innovative project to encourage employees to recycle more of the waste generated in their work space. Each employee is responsible for segregating their own waste and depositing it at their nearest workplace recycling point. Work station bins are no longer used and instead, recycling points have a range of bins for the collection of cardboard, plastic bottles, cans and paper recycling, both confidential and non-confidential.

To support take-up of the initiative and win the support of employees, a communications campaign called ‘Bin the Bin’ was used, which included eyecatching flyers, articles in the internal newsletter, The Insider, and more detailed intranet-based communication explaining the cost savings and other benefits that will be achieved by implementing the initiative.

Spreading the word Culturally, the team has found that communicating pro-actively and openly with employees has had another welcome reaction.

Increased understanding about the role of the team and its contribution to the business has encouraged employees to come forward with their own ideas.

Since making changes to FM practices and sharing more information, there has been a steady flow of facilities management ideas from employees, raised through the company’s ‘Fresh Ideas’ programme. All ideas relating to facilities management are considered and their potential cost and/or environmental benefits assessed, and in some instances, positive changes have been introduced. FM Altaf Lorgat is head of facilities at Office Depot, a global provider of office supplies and solutions.

CASE STUDY ne area of facilities management that has changed irrevocably over the past year is Office Depot’s reception service.

The 12-strong team of receptionists is spread across five sites and until 12 months ago, none of them had ever met. They worked independently and were employed on a site-by-site basis by the local customer services team.

In a drive to develop a world class reception team, the FM team reviewed front-of-house services and subsequently made recommendations to raise standards and share best practice.

Today, the receptionists report directly to the FM

O

team and they have embarked on a skills development programme to ensure that customers receive the same high quality welcome no matter which Office Depot site they are visiting. Working as one team, the receptionists also have their own uniform to give a more consistent and professional image and new computer-aided systems for booking meeting rooms and managing visitor attendance have also been introduced.

In many ways the reception area is a microcosm of the office environment as a whole – a well-run reception speaks volumes for the business and the way it operates.

FM WORLD | 14 JULY 2011 | 29

7/7/11 16:24:14

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FMW.14.07.11.030.indd 1

4/7/11 12:11:47

FM MONITOR IAN BARTLETT

TECHNICAL

Ian Bartlett is head of product management at Union

F IRE-RESISTENT H I N GES

rongly specified door closers and hinges can have serious consequences in the event of a fire. Ian Bartlett offers advice on specifying safe, compliant equipment

W

Different door applications carry different risks depending on usage, security needs or fire resistance requirements. It is in relation to these risks that architectural hardware needs to be correctly specified in order to meet the individual requirements of each application.

Door closers and hinges play an essential role in the safety of buildings in the case of fire and therefore their correct specification is crucial.

Hinge considerations Integral to the performance of the entire door set, these relatively inexpensive elements need to be specified carefully, taking into account door size and weight, with consideration for volume of traffic.

At the same time, consideration must also be given to the influence of door closers, which put extra stress on hinges.

Poorly specified hinges will, over time, begin to fail and, like a domino effect, other elements of the door set follow.

Initially, the failure of the hardware will be hard to spot, maybe just the odd squeak passed off as no more than an irritation.

The reality is that any noise is a warning bell that the entire door is starting to fail. This will lead to a high repair bill and, worse still, fire safety consequences that are potentially fatal.

If a door is too heavy for its hinges it will start to drop, a problem that will only deteriorate with use. A drop of only a few www.fm-world.co.uk

Technical.indd 31

millimetres can cause the door to catch on to floor, which not only damages the surface, but also causes the door to be used more aggressively, further affecting the rest of the hardware.

In terms of fire safety, a fire door that jams open or has an enlarged gap, which cannot be filled by the intumescent seals, is a crucial weak point in the event of a fire, allowing flames and smoke to spread faster and easier. These doors are usually part of a fire escape route and the consequences could be disastrous.

Union supply a range of hinges designed for heavy traffic applications, such as hospitals, schools and commercial buildings with a high footfall.

All hinges in the Powerload range are tested to BS EN 1935:2002 and are CE marked.

In addition, they are Certifire approved and have also been included in successful fire tests to BS EN 1634-1 for both 30 minute and 60 minute timber fire doors.

Door closers Designed to ensure that doors close reliably and in a controlled way, overcoming the resistance of a latch or any seals, door closers

help to ensure that any fire can be contained while escape routes remain operational.

Like hinges, door closers have to be specified in relatiaon to the size, weight and application of the door. If a door closer is sufficiently damaged and fails to properly close a door, a fire could spread easily.

In addition, this also has implications on the security of the building, facilitating access for intruders.

For convenience and accessibility, fire doors are often required to be held open or swing free and this can be achieved by specifying electro-mechanical door closers, which interface with the building’s fire alarm system.

Union supplies a range of door closers, suitable for wide variety of applications, including the N8824BC and N8825 adjustable size 2 to 4 and 2 to 5 respectively – both with backcheck as standard, which prevents the door being opened by the wind or with too much force.

CE marked to BS EN 1154 and included in successful fire tests to BS EN 1634, they also carry Certfire approval.

Importantly, Union also offers the matching N8899 electromagnetic door closer, which incorporates a choice of ‘hold open’ or ‘swing free’ functions from one unit, meeting the regulartory standards.

The standards Hinges and door closers should be CE marked to their respective performance standards. Products bearing this mark satisfy the essential requirements relating to safety in the case of fire.

The general performance standard for hinges is BS EN 1935:2002, which helps guide specification in relation to door

weight, durability, and corrosion resistance. A hinges performance in relation to BS EN 1935:2002 is the first port of call when specifying.

Door closers should be CE marked to BS EN 1154. Electromagnetic closers relate to BS EN 1155 for “electrically powered hold-open devices for swing doors”. Both standards use a sixdigit classification system, which covers durability, strength and suitability for fire door use, as well as corrosion resistance.

It is vital for both hinges and doors closers to have been included in a successful fire test to BS EN 1634 on the type of door assembly and configuration it will be eventually fitted to. Testing to this standard often relates to performance of hardware on 30 minute and 60 minute fire doors.

Independent certification bodies, such as Certifire also validate a product’s suitability for use and provide specifiers with increased assurance.

The consequences Trying to cut costs on inferior door closers and hinges can prove a false economy. Failing hinges and/or door closers quickly affect functionality and fire safety. The cost of running repairs could be considerable – not to mention the hidden costs caused by the ensuing inconvenience and time wasted.

Most importantly, in the event of a fire, the failure of hardware could result in occupants being injured or trapped, with potentially fatal consequences.

Avoiding common missspecifications, for example, supplying a hold-open mechanical closer to a fire door, and ensuring both hinges and door closers can cope with the weight of the door is important for all commercial and public buildings. FM FM WORLD | 14 JULY 2011 | 31

7/7/11 13:53:53

FM MONITOR

ADAM RICE

LEGAL UPDATE

Adam Rice is a specialist in employment law at City solicitors, Travers Smith LLP

CHECKIN G YOU R EM P LOYEES ’ CR IM INAL R ECO R DS

here are limits to how far employers can T go to check the criminal background of a prospective employee. How far can you go to check up on job applicants?

Employers are entitled to ask candidates about their criminal records, but there are limits on how far you can go. Asking if someone has any prior convictions is an invasion of privacy and you should only do it if it is relevant for the role - for example if they are going to be handling money or are in a position of trust.

Asking for details that are irrelevant or excessive could potentially breach the data protection laws, although in practice it is rare for someone to bring a claim to enforce their rights.

For most jobs, employers are only allowed to ask for details of “live” or “unspent” convictions (most convictions become spent after a certain number of years).

Candidates for these roles can simply refuse to answer questions about spent convictions even if directly asked.

To be sure that a candidate is telling the truth, ask them to produce a formal record of their criminal history. This can be done by asking them to obtain a Basic Disclosure from Disclosure Scotland (which also covers England and Wales). This will provide details of any unspent criminal convictions or confirm that the candidate has none. Only the candidate can apply for the disclosure — it is not available to employers.

If the candidate does not have a clean record but the conviction is “spent” and the post is not covered by the Exceptions Order under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, 32 | 14 JULY 2011 | FM WORLD

Legal.indd 32

the employer may not refuse the employment on the grounds of the spent conviction.

If the conviction is unspent, the decision to employ is at the discretion of the employer. Before rejecting a candidate because of their criminal record, it is best practice to consider carefully the nature of the conviction and whether it makes the individual unsuitable for the role. The CRB has published guidance that advises employers not to treat criminal convictions as an absolute bar to making an offer, but to consider the circumstances of the offence and the relevance to the role when deciding whether or not to reject the candidate.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has produced guidance on employing ex-offenders, which recommends employers do not ask for details of convictions until interview stage. To manage expectations, advertisements or application forms should make

it clear that details of criminal convictions will be requested at interview.

If shortly after hiring someone you find out that they lied about an unspent conviction, you would usually be justified in dismissing them, as this would be a serious breach of trust. By contrast, dismissing an employee for failing to disclose a spent conviction will usually be unfair. Dismissal is also likely to be harder to justify if the employee has had several years of loyal and trustworthy service by the time you discover the lie, unless it is so serious that you genuinely would not have hired them had you known the truth.

Criminal records checks are required where the role gives the employee an opportunity to have contact with children or vulnerable adults - for example, cleaners or caterers at a school or hospital.

Employers in these fields must obtain an Enhanced Disclosure, as well as checking to see if the individual’s name appears on one of two lists of persons deemed to be unsuitable to work with either children or vulnerable adults, which are now administered by the Independent Safeguarding Authority. It is an offence to employ someone to work with children or vulnerable adults if

CASE STUDY One of your employees has been stealing from the company and you are not sure who it is. After investigating the situation you narrow it down to a couple of staff members, but are not 100 per cent sure who is to blame.

What can you do?

This is a tricky situation. On one hand you do not need proof beyond reasonable doubt before you can fire someone for stealing, but on the other, you do need a genuine and reasonable belief that they are guilty. If a thorough investigation fails to reveal the culprit, it can sometimes be fair to dismiss more than one employee based on a reasonable suspicion short of actual belief.

they appear on one of these lists of barred individuals.

An employee dismissed for an offence committed outside work that has no impact on their job could bring an unfair dismissal claim and seek compensation of up to a maximum of around £70,000.

If the offence happens at work - for example, the employee is stealing from the company - then the employer needs to conduct an investigation and hold a disciplinary hearing before making a decision to dismiss. If the allegations are proven, then dismissal will usually be justified.

The employer should conduct its own investigation regardless of whether or not the police intervene. The employer does not usually have to wait until the outcome of the criminal trial before proceeding, as this could take several months. If the employee is dismissed and later acquitted at trial, this would not necessarily make the dismissal unfair. Unlike a criminal case, an employer does not have to be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the employee is guilty before they can dismiss. The employer only needs to show they have a genuine belief in the employee’s guilt which is reasonable based on the evidence gathered from a reasonable investigation.

Employers should decide on a case by case basis whether it is appropriate to ask about a candidate’s criminal history for a particular role. Criminal records checks should only ever form one part of any recruitment decision, along with seeking references and checking qualifications. Having clear job descriptions will also help identify whether a criminal offence is relevant and whether a candidate is suited to the role. FM www.fm-world.co.uk

7/7/11 17:08:46

LEGAL NEWS

New legislation MODERN WORKPLACE CONSULTATION In May 2011, Business Secretary Vince Cable and Home Secretary Theresa May launched the ‘Modern Workplaces’ consultation, a government drive to transform and modernise our workplaces to meet the demands of the 21st century workforce.

Current regulations are rigid and reflect outdated notions of parenting and family responsibilities and restrict employers, says the Department for Business Innovation & Skills (BIS).

The proposals outline at least four changes to employment law to create a society where “work and family complement one another”.

The consultation, due to close on 8 August, includes an overhaul of the parental leave system, new flexible working rights, measures to promote equal pay and changes to sick pay and holiday pay.

What is being proposed?

Flexible Parental Leave ● Retaining 18 weeks maternity leave and pay reserved exclusively for mothers – to be taken in one continuous block around the time of the baby’s birth. ● Four weeks of parental leave and pay exclusive to each parent to be taken in the first year. ● 30 weeks of additional parental leave available to either parent – of which 17 weeks would be paid and can be broken in blocks between parents.

The consultation paper proposes the sharing of what has always been known as “maternity leave” but could soon be “parental leave”.

This is intended to come into force in April 2015.

Flexible working Extending the right to request for all workers who have been with

●

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their employer for 26 weeks.

The government will consider publishing a statutory Code of Practice for businesses. It will propose that employers should be allowed to take into account employees’ individual circumstances when considering conflicting requests. ● There are no plans to alter the current eight business reasons for a business to turn down a request. ● The government recognises that legislation is not the only answer to promoting flexible working practices. Non-legislative measures are being developed to promote flexible working opportunities both for those with a job and for those looking for one. ●

Equal Pay Employment Tribunals that find an employer to have discriminated on gender in relation to pay will order the employer to conduct a pay audit and publish their results (except in some circumstances, such as where an audit has already been conducted). The government is welcoming views on our overall approach, and any evidence relating to the subject matter that can be provided with responses.

In particular, they would welcome views and evidence on the barriers to improving transparency in pay matters and the business benefits which can be realised through greater transparency.

Working Time Regulations (WTR) Additional measures in the consultation include changes to the WTR so that annual leave entitlements can be rescheduled and carried over to the next leave year, when a worker falls ill during planned annual leave. The government proposes limiting this

to the four weeks of Working Time Directive leave. The intention is to amend the WTR to allow the carry over of annual leave due to maternity, paternity, parental or adoption leave – this will include the full 5.6 weeks of leave entitlement per year. The consultation also seeks views on giving businesses greater flexibility around annual leave, by allowing them to buy out untaken leave and also allowing carry over of leave on justifiable business grounds (this would only apply to the 1.6 weeks of domestic statutory leave).

How to respond The government urges anyone from board room directors, to entrepreneurs running small firms, to parents worried about fitting in the school run to help find the answers that work for everyone.

They will invite views on all the policy issues discussed in the consultation document. They particularly welcome responses to the specific questions that are raised in each section. It is not necessary to respond to all the questions; you are welcome to provide answers only to those issues of most interest or relevance to you.

The closing date for responses is 8 August 2011. Completing the online surveys can aid the government in analysing responses more effectively: ● Flexible parental leave: www. surveymonkey.com/s/8BWB3XJ ● Flexible working: www. surveymonkey.com/s/83VC8K2 ● Working Time Regulations: www.surveymonkey.com/ s/8GRVHSG ● Equal pay: www. surveymonkey.com/s/ modernworkplacesequalpay

Death-at-work increase The provisional figure for the number of workers fatally injured last year has gone up, according to the Health and Safety Executive.

171 workers were fatally injured in 2010/11, up from 147 in 2009/10.

This year’s fatality figure corresponds to a rate of fatal injury of 0.6 per 100,000 workers, up slightly from 0.5 per 100,000.

However, including the past year, the average number of workers fatally injured has fallen by 17 per cent over the past five years.

In the services sector, there were 47 fatal injuries last year, a rate of 0.2 deaths per 100,000 workers - the same rate as the average for the previous five years.

There were 50 fatal injuries in construction, with a rate of 2.4 deaths per 100,000 workers, which compares to an average rate of 2.8 for the previous five years.

Care home fine over death The owners of a Preston care home have been fined £65,000 following the death of a 40-year-old mother who became trapped between a mattress and a bed rail.

Charlotte Young, who suffered from Huntingdon’s disease, was found unconscious in June 2008 at the Sue Ryder Care Home in Cuerden Hall, Bamber Bridge. Young died later in hospital.

An investigation by the HSE found that the home failed to manage the risks associated with the equipment used on Young’s bed. Young was able to knock her bed rail out of position because it was not the right size for her bed. This created a gap between her bed rail and mattress in which she became trapped and was unable to breathe. As her condition made her prone to involuntary movements, a specialist cushioning system was used along with the bed rails. However, Preston Crown Court heard the equipment was not used correctly by staff, creating a risk.

FM WORLD | 14 JULY 2011 | 33

7/7/11 17:08:59

FM MONITOR PAUL BATES

HOW TO…

Paul Bates is managing director at Cleankill Pest Control

MAIN TAIN A PEST FR EE EN V I RO N M EN T

ests can cause damage to property and spread disease. Paul Bates suggests a range of pest control measures, reaffirming the old adage that prevention is better that cure

P

No commercial, retail or industrial property can ever be guaranteed pest free. Modern building techniques, like using stud partitioning, breeze blocks, false flooring and main service voids, often lend themselves to creating the perfect living space for pests.

A mouse can get in through a gap the width of a pencil, cockroaches can be brought in on cardboard packaging, fleas may be picked up on public transport, pigeons will make the most of those wonderfully designed architectural ledges on the outsides of buildings – and flies will just fly in!

So what should the facilities manager be doing to limit the risk of pest infestations?

1⁄

Check your contract

Make sure that there is a pest control contract in place.

Normal contracts for standard premises will include a minimum of eight inspections a year.

Factories producing high-risk food or manufacturing pharmaceuticals will require more frequent visits.

The inspections should include all common areas such as: plant rooms; basements; riser cupboards; car parks and landscaped areas – all of the areas where pests could harbour and reproduce undisturbed.

The contractor should belong to the British Pest Control Association, with all staff qualified to the RSPH Level Two in pest control. The company you choose

34 | 14 JULY 2011 | FM WORLD

How_To.indd 34

should have written accreditations in health and safety and insurance.

2⁄

Proof your premises

Proofing against mice is never the be-all and end-all, but should be viewed as part of the overall integrated pest control system. Effective proofing will restrict rather than definitively bar the entrance to mice. Bristle stripping the bottom of doors, especially external doors and riser cupboard doors, should restrict movement and keep the rodents out of the office areas.

Checking the external air bricks and weep holes and putting specially designed covers on them, if necessary, should be another regular procedure. Bird spikes on ledges, as well as the girders beneath fire escapes and parapets, will stop pigeons messing on steps and walkways. Netting on lightwells prevents birds gaining access into sheltered areas at the back of buildings.

This is critical as a host of problems can be caused when pigeon numbers build up.

They bring with them other pest problems, such as bird mite, fleas and flies. Fouling blocks gutters, downpipes and airconditioning intakes.

3⁄

Fly control

Install fly-control units in kitchenettes, catering areas, bin rooms and delivery bays to catch the flies before they enter the building.

Units available include the oldfashioned ‘sparking’ units and the glue-board units, which can be moved around affected offices, particularly in those that suffer from the Autumn cluster flies.

In America, fly screens are fitted to windows as a matter of course.

In the UK, it is still only catering premises. Fly screens are an excellent way of maintaining an air flow while restricting pest access.

4⁄

Cleanliness

When are the bins emptied? Foodstuffs in bins during the day and not emptied until the next morning feed pests throughout the night.

Remains in a crisp packet are a tasty meal for mice and apple cores in a bin provide a nice breeding ground for fruit flies.

Simple hygiene rules can restrict build up of unwanted pests. Staff often leave crackers in their bottom drawers over the weekend to find on a Monday morning they have been eaten. Foodstuffs should be kept in sealed containers.

5⁄

Infestations

Regular pest control inspections should keep a tight control over the rodent situation. Rodenticides will have been strategically placed around the property as a first line of defence. If rodents are appearing on the office floors, extend the placement of rodenticides or increase the visits from your pest control company.

The pest control contractor will give suitable advice and should work in conjunction with the FM – good pest control is a two-way street. Flies and other insects can be treated using ultra low-volume insecticide applicators during out-of-hours periods. Insect detectors can be installed discretely

throughout buildings and regularly checked to monitor insect activity.

6⁄

Work with the contractor

Your contractor will complete a fully detailed report at the end of each inspection. Many pest control companies nowadays use digital reporting so the report is available within minutes of the service being carried out. The reports should be read and acknowledged, not just filed away. They could help the FM when a tenant makes a complaint about the mouse that has just run across her desk… Remember. forewarned is forearmed. FM CASE STUDY After a major pest control company tried for a year to sort out a mouse problem, the final straw came for a department store when a creature jumped from a suit pocket in front of a customer.

Cleankill was called in and found the problem was partly due to the building’s construction: six floors of suspended ceilings and a many cupboards stacked high with stock. Mice were living and breeding in the ceilings and cupboards unnoticed.

In the morning, staff would find trails of mice droppings around the store, including restaurant and food preparation areas. Mice were also living in redundant equipment.

Cleankill’s Mike Williamson said: “We were amazed to find a colony of mice that had made their home right in the middle of the kitchen. This was a serious health and safety risk, but also meant stock could have been damaged and contaminated.”

www.fm-world.co.uk

7/7/11 13:54:15

FM MONITOR MARKET INTELLIGENCE

INSIGHT RENEWABLE ENERGY USAGE

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 Source: HM Treasury (hmrc.gov.uk)

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

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

Renewable electricity generation Contribution of renewable sources to electricity generated (TWh)

ECONOMY

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.

30

25

Total Hydro

Landfill Gas

Other Biomass

Total Wind

20

15

10

5

0 2000 20001 20002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

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

)EMPLOYMENT

National Minimum Wage Category of worker

Hourly rate from 1 Oct 2010

Aged 22 and above

£5.93

Aged 18 to 21 inclusive

£4.92

Aged under 18 (but above compulsory school age)

£3.64

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

£2.50

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

Aged 21 and above

Hourly rate from 1 Oct 2011 £6.08

Aged 18 to 20 inclusive

£4.98

Aged under 18 (but above compulsory school age)

£3.68

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

£2.60

The amount of electricity generated from renewables sources in 2010 was 25,734 GWh, representing a 2.2 per cent increase during the year. Offshore wind generation increased by 75 per cent, but onshore wind generation fell by 6 per cent. Heat from renewable sources increased by 17 per cent during 2010 (to 1,212 ktoe — kilotonne of oil equivalent); renewable biofuels for transport also increased by 17 per cent to 1,214 ktoe.

Renewable transport fuels accounted for 3.6 per cent of road transport fuels in 2010. Bioethanol, as a proportion of motor spirit, increased from 1.5 per cent to 3.1 per cent. Renewable energy provisionally accounted for 3.3 per cent of energy consumption, up from 3.0 per cent in 2009.

A number of weather factors influenced renewable electricity generation during 2010; rainfall was 63 per cent lower than in 2009 (and the driest year since 2003), and average wind speeds were at their lowest level this century.

Using agreed measures of the contribution that renewable electricity makes to the generation mix, figures show that in 2010: • 6.8 per cent of electricity generation came from renewables.

• 7.0 per cent of electricity sales by licensed suppliers in the UK were from electricity generated from renewables, up from 6.7 per cent in 2009.

• 6.7 per cent of electricity generation, as measured using the 2001 Renewables Directive methodology, came from eligible renewable sources; if normalisation is used (adopting the 2009 Renewable Energy Directive methodology) the proportion increases to 7.3 per cent.

Source: Department of Energy & Climate Change (decc.gov.uk)

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35_Insight.indd 52

FUEL USAGE AND PRICING

Average industrial electricity prices fell in real terms by 6.1 per cent between Q1 2010 and Q1 2011, while at the same time industrial gas prices rose by 16.6 per cent in real terms. (Both figures exclude the climate change levy (CCL.) Over the same period, the price of coal increased by 18.0 per cent and heavy fuel oil by by 13.4 per cent.

The inclusion of CCL increases the average price of coal by 6.0 per cent and the average price of electricity and gas by 3.3 and 4.3 per cent respectively in Q1 2011.

The volume of fuel used by generators in Q1 2011 was 2.8 per cent lower than in Q1 2010. The supply from coal and nuclear in the first quarter of 2011 rose by 7.1 per cent and 6.9 per cent respectively, while gas decreased by 19.9 per cent. Wind, hydro and other renewables’ supply rose by 27.4 per cent, within which hydro energy increased by 56.1 per cent and wind by 37.0 per cent. Total electricity supplied by all generators in the first quarter of 2011 was 2.0 per cent lower than a year earlier.

Final consumption of electricity fell by 2.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2011. Consumption by commercial, public administration, transport and agriculture was down by 7.0 per cent, with industrial use up 5.3 per cent.

Source: Department of Energy & Climate Change (decc.gov.uk)

CONSTRUCTION VOLUMES

The total volume (in £m) of all new construction orders in the first quarter of 2011 fell by 23 per cent compared with the fourth quarter of 2010, or down 18 per cent compared with the same period in 2010. All construction sectors showed a negative growth in new orders in Q1 compared with Q4.

Source: www.statistics.gov.uk 20,000

All New Work

18,000 16,000 14,000 12,000 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 0

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

FM WORLD | 14 JULY 2011 | 35

7/7/11 17:37:34

BIFM NEWS BIFM.ORG.UK

Quizzical: members at the World FM Day event

GLOBAL FM

UK takes top spots at Global FM Last month, the UK took the two highest awards at the Global FM Awards for Excellence in Facilities Management. The awards highlight best practice from around the world and recognise the strategic importance and value of facilities management.

The winners were announced on World FM Day on 23 June 2011, at events happening around the globe to celebrate and raise the profile of the FM profession. This included the BIFM World FM Day quiz and barbeque at Channel 4, hosted by the head of corporate services, Julie Kortens. More than 100 members attended the event, which included a barbeque provided by BaxterStorey, a quiz devised by Catch22 and drinks supplied by Mitie. Over £600 was raised for Macmillan through generous raffle donations from BIFM Training (Quadrilect), Liz Kentish Coaching, Wheeler Group, Elementus, First Option Safety, Channel 4, buyingTeam, BNP Paribas Real Estate and Alternative Networks.

Winners of the Global FM Awards were: ● Platinum Award for Excellence in FM Innovation in Technology and Systems for Risk Management: Gary Hills, BBC Workplace BBC Workplace is the division responsible for the BBC’s corporate property portfolio. It operates across approximately 400 properties in the UK, which comprises approximately 600,000 square metres (6.46m square feet). These range from 100,000 square metres (1.8m square feet) properties such as Television Centre down to radio masts.

36 | 14 JULY 2011 | FM WORLD

BIFM news.indd 34

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

Since 2000, the BBC has embarked on its 2020 Corporate Property Plan and has modernised more than a third of its estate to provide a fit-for-purpose environment for the digital age. The work has been through a combination of new build and refurbishment with a high level of scrutiny required over investment in an estate that is potentially short hold.

The submission demonstrated how BBC Workplace has created an innovative solution, from which the principles can be replicated at organisations operating large property portfolios at multiple sites. It shows how a risk assessment methodology has been implemented using a bespoke software system that ensures a consistent approach and accountability. ● Gold Award for Excellence in FM Innovation in Customer Service Using Technology: Mark Paul, Mitie FM Mitie Facilities Management is one of four operating divisions within Mitie, along with Asset Management, Property Management and Technical facilities management. Working across a range of sectors including government, transport, education, construction, healthcare and

retail, to name but a few, the FM team delivers integrated facilities management to its clients, as well as business services, catering, front of house, reception, PFI services, security, cleaning, waste and environmental services, pest control and landscaping. In total, Mitie employs over 60,000 employees and has a large HR function responsible for filling numerous vacancies throughout the business and managing supplier relationships The entry highlighted the passengers with reduced mobility (PRM) technology solution developed for London Luton Airport by Mitie. The company’s objective was to demonstrate

how it has created an innovative and unique solution, not offered anywhere else in the sector that not only meets the customer’s challenging requirements, but also improves service to a group of passengers for whom travel can be difficult.

“I am absolutely delighted that BIFM members came first and second in this year’s Global FM Awards for Excellence in Facilities Management,” said Ian Fielder, BIFM CEO. “This showcases the high standard and excellence of FM in the UK, and how we are valued by our peers across the globe”.

The Global FM Awards and World FM Day are initiatives of the Global Facility Management Association, of which BIFM is a founding member. They are designed to celebrate the importance of the FM profession.

PROCUREMENT SIG PROFILE Chair: John Bowen, bowenjohnj@aol.com Number of members: 2,638 Aims of the group: The group aims to promote good practice within the procurement sector, primarily through the discussion and exchange of views between buyers,

sellers and end users.

Procurement touches everyone involved in FM; from the front line operative using what is bought for them to the shareholder counting their dividend. The Sig highlights the value and impact of effective procurement and shows how this can be recognised.

Why should members join the group?

Anyone with an interest in procurement will benefit from joining, there are also working groups that members can join and contribute to.

To join the Sig go to bifm.org.uk/bifm/ groups

www.fm-world.co.uk

7/7/11 15:08:30

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

LONDON REGION

Technology impresses members For many, the term ‘videoconference’ stirs memories of stilted conversations, awkward silences and people interrupting each other.

But delegates at the BIFM London region event last month (9 June) were pleasantly surprised to discover that telepresence (the new name for the latest type of videoconferencing technology) was almost as real as having a face-to-face meeting.

Host Bill Walsh, Polycom’s solution specialist, talked about the technology from his Boston office, but very much felt part of the discussion (and could even hear whispered conversations between delegates). Before the London call, he had been talking to a group of execs in Asia-Pac and afterwards was scheduled to talk to Texas.

“I can talk to 10 countries one after the other, have meaningful meetings and still be home for dinner with my family at 6pm,” he said.

The technology was certainly impressive, but it comes with a hefty price tag – the list price is $450,000 a room, although Walsh said that nobody paid the full price. The savings on corporate travel, increased productivity and efficiency, plus the sustainability gains made for a compelling return on investment, he said.

But Phil Ratcliffe, managing director of Procore, argued that technology was only part of the solution. “IT, HR and real estate all have to work together to ensure that people aren’t given new pieces of kit, or new types of offices and just left to their own devices. If you don’t explain to people how to work differently, then how do you expect them to work differently?” www.fm-world.co.uk

BIFM news.indd 35

Ian Broadbent chairman of the BIFM

BIFM COMMENT TA K I N G STO C K

s we pass the mid point of the year, I always find it a good time to stop and take stock of everything going on in the workplace. I am sure many of you will be looking back at your strategies and operating plans and adapting where necessary if the needs of your business have changed. If nothing else, it’s a good chance to carry out an ‘end of term’ report and perhaps gain some feedback from your stakeholders too. The same is true for me in my role at the BIFM, so it’s exactly a year since I became chairman and a great time to look back at the year just gone. At the recent Members’ Day and AGM at the British Library, I shared with the audience just a flavour of a day in the life of chairman as follows:

A

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

48 blogs in 12 months 9 BIFM board meetings and members’ councils 3 international visits 7 speeches at industry conferences 6 industry dinners 33 internet article quotes 14 BIFM regional/Sig visits Over 2,000 emails 300 tweets with 255 followers 2 regional balls 2 regional conferences

Of course, on top of this there are other meetings, calls with the head office team and preparation for events, conferences and reports. People often ask me how I fit my duties as chairman in with my day job. I don’t think there is a magic answer to this other than some early starts, late finishes, weekend working, a laptop balanced on my knee in some strange places and, of course, a great team at Hallmark. As I look back at the year, I’d say I’m pretty happy with the way things have gone – good progress in many areas and work still in progress in others, so all in all on track.

This month, we welcome a new board member, Ashleigh Rogers.

It will be great to have another fresh face who brings different experience to the table. In July we have a board induction/ refresher, then in August our most important meeting of the year as the board comes together for its annual away day.

During July and August there tend to be fewer events so I won’t be quite as high profile, but you can still find me on Twitter @ibroadbent_bifm or www. networkwithbifm.org.uk or of course by reading my blogs at www.bifm.org.uk/bifm/blog/1.

Have a great summer.

“PEOPLE OFTEN ASK ME HOW I FIT MY DUTIES AS CHAIRMAN IN WITH MY DAY JOB. I DON’T THINK THERE IS A MAGIC ANSWER TO THIS OTHER THAN SOME EARLY STARTS, LATE FINISHES, WEEKEND WORKING, A LAPTOP BALANCED ON MY KNEE”

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BIFM NEWS BIFM.ORG.UK

Recognition awards: proud winners at Members’ Day MEMBERS’ DAY

B I F M T R A I N I N G U P DAT E

Members’ Day success Members’ Day took place this year on 30 June at the British Library Conference Centre and included the BIFM AGM. Vinci Facilities was the headline sponsor at the event. Premier Moves, Thames Cleaning and Support Services also sponsored the event.

Case studies presented included those from Vinci Facilities, The Co-Operative Workplace Services team and Plan B Solutions, all of which shared their BIFM awardwinning projects with delegates.

The annual Recognition Awards were also presented at the event.

Congratulations to all the winners: ● Best Region of the Year: North Region ● Best Regional Sig/Committee Member of the Year: Justin Lawson ● Best Sector Forum/Sig: Women in FM ● Best Corporate Supporter: Harrow Green ● Best Rising FM of the Year: Sarah Marles ● Best Member of the Year: Dave Whiteley

Many thanks go to all the sponsors and the case study presenters who made the day possible.

SOUTH WEST REGION

South west training day The South West Region 2011 quarterly training day programme continued last month with a topically themed Getting More for Less training day. The event was held, once again, at the Bristol 38 | 14 JULY 2011 | FM WORLD

BIFM news.indd 36

BIFM TRAINING e are excited to announce three key new initiatives all being launched this year. Running alongside our face-to-face training programme which is offering over 150 courses, we are also introducing the following events:

W

Hilton Hotel, which provides a fantastic training venue accessible to all South West region members, it was generously sponsored by Waldmann Lighting which also delivered an engaging session on Energy Efficient Lighting Solutions.

Speakers included South West region chair, Gareth Andrews who shared his experience of the TelerealTrilliums Service Partner collaborative working model. G4S Secure Solutions, discussed ways to achieve best value security solutions; and the morning was brought to a close with the region AGM, which featured an update from BIFM chief executive Ian Fielder.

Simon Biggs, chair of the BIFM Catering & Hospitality Sig, kicked off the afternoon session and was followed by a lively workshop where members revealed their top tips for saving money and discussed what’s worked for them.

Each group developed their own top tips to share in the feedback session, which was facilitated by region committee member, Beth Goodyear.

The day closed with business card draws offering prizes from the Hilton Bristol Hotel and Waldmann Lighting. The charity raffle raised just under £100 for the Macmillan Nurses, the 2011 BIFM chair’s charity.

A video is available on the BIFM YouTube Channel, www.youtube. com/user/BIFM1993.

Bookings are now being taken for the next quarterly training day held at the Hilton Bristol Hotel on 16 September. Contact Joanne Bartlam, joanneb07@ntlworld.com i

BIFM Executive Programme This programme will help place FM on the strategic agenda and give professionals influence at the highest level. The first in our executive series will be our one day programme, Exploring Innovation in FM, 28 November 2011 in central London.

This is all about taking time out from the day-to-day high level operational management issues and giving you the opportunity to explore taking your service to a new level.

The programme will look at models of service innovation, what they have delivered and how you can make a good business case to move forward.

BIFM Training Conference Programme 2011-12 Our FM experts take the speaker’s platform to address key concerns and FM issues of the moment, providing an excellent forum to discuss best practice within the profession. Upcoming programmes include: Contracting: FM strategies, options, tactics and pricing, 15 November 2011, central London FMs need to understand their core business in order to support it most effectively through either in-house delivery or outsourced providers. Can the Service Level Agreement underpin both the external and internal contracts? Is total FM old hat? Has the partnering concept survived and evolved to reach more innovative solutions for FM delivery?

Building services and maintenance, 23 April 2012, central London Many generalist managers who have overall responsibility for these vital services do not have an engineering or technical background, so here is an opportunity to ensure you are up to date with new developments and to learn effective management techniques to improve liaison with key parties.

Bespoke FM e-learning course A new online introduction to the FM industry. Designed for new operational FMs or those with related responsibilities, the package aims to provide a highly practical, hands on guide to the basics of good practice facilities management based on ‘real life’ expertise. i For information on these initiatives including speaker and sponsorship opportunities contact BIFM Training on 020 7404 4440, email info@bifm-training.com or visit www.bifmtraining.com

www.fm-world.co.uk

7/7/11 15:09:01

FM DIARY NATIONAL BIFM EVENTS 24 August WiFM Social Event Venue: London Contact: Liz Kentish on coach@ lizkentishcoaching.co.uk or call 07717 787077

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

London Region - Quizcrawl 2011 Venue: In and around Smithfield Market Contact: damian.xuereb@ gb.schindler.com or call 07768 447631 SCOTTISH REGION

21 September WiFM Forum – FM and Organisational Change Venue: To be confirmed Contact: Liz Kentish on coach@ lizkentishcoaching.co.uk or call 07717 787077 8 November Women in FM/North West Region event Venue: Merseyside, venue tbc Contact: Liz Kentish on coach@ lizkentishcoaching.co.uk or call 07717 787077 10 October BIFM Awards 2011 The BIFM Awards are designed to celebrate the increasingly strategic profile of FM by highlighting the key role it plays in the success of public and private sector organisations.

More than 1,200 senior figures will attend the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, 80 per cent of whom will be director level and senior management.

Venue: Grosvenor House Hotel Contact: Sandra Light on 0141 639 6192 or email sandra@fmevents.biz IRELAND REGION 4 November The 15th Annual BIFM Ireland Region Facilities Management Conference & Exhibition The conference will include a number of illuminating and inspiring talks from FM professionals across the UK and Ireland, presentations will touch on topics ranging from presentation development and delivery to retrofitting older buildings; to improving energy efficiency and implementing costeffective fire safety management.

This year, we will welcome Eric Hepburn, chief operating officer at Number 10 Downing Street who will provide a unique insight into the day-to-day facilities management of the Prime Minister’s residence.

Venue: Belfast Waterfront Contact: l.mcmahon@hjmartin.co.uk LONDON REGION 14 July Annual Rising FMs and

www.fm-world.co.uk

Diary.indd 37

30 September Scottish Annual Conference - FM, Our Dynamic Future Speakers include: Tim Yendell, Royal Bank of Scotland Head of Intelligent Working, Property Services Strategy.

Gary Wingrove: Head of BT Construction and deputy chair of the British Council of Offices.

Martin Pickard: Founding principal of The FM Guru Consultancy.

Debi Beattie: Performance coach and owner of The Power of Positivity Ltd. Paul Caddick: MD PHS Compliance.

John McGuire: MD Pulsion Technology.

Venue: Our Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh Contact: joanmelville@virginmedia. com or call 07855 961774 1 October Scottish Annual Gala Ball Continuing the success of our renowned annual gala ball join us again this year for a night of fine food, drink, entertainment and networking in one of Glasgow’s finest hotels. The night will begin with a champagne reception, followed by a four-course meal and a variety of entertainment.

Venue: Crowne Plaza, Glasgow Contact: joanmelville@virginmedia. com or call 07855 961774 NORTH REGION 10 August Tyne, Wear and Tees network event Venue: Freeman Hospital, Newcastle Upon Tyne Contact: Paul.Thomas@turntown. co.uk or call 0191 279 7200 SOUTH WEST REGION 15 July South-west region 2011 Golf Day Venue: Orchardleigh Golf Club Frome Contact: Gareth Andrews on gmahome@tinyworld.co.uk or call 07540 079978 16 September South-west Region September Training Day Venue: Hilton Bristol Hotel, Aztec

West, Bristol Contact: Joanne Bartlam on joanneb07@ntlworld.com or call 07808 908052 25 November South-west Region November Training Day Venue: Hilton Bristol Hotel, Aztec West, Bristol Contact: Joanne Bartlam on joanneb07@ntlworld.com or call 07808 908052 INDUSTRY EVENTS 8 September Annual CFMD Networks Conference For better for worse, making FM relationships work Venue: Sheffield Business School, Sheffield Hallam University Contact: 0114 225 6243 for more details 13-14 September The Energy Event 2011 Energy management is of prime concern to all UK businesses, at all levels, as environmental targets get tighter and energy prices continue to rise. Reducing energy use in line with climate change targets benefits your bottom line as does purchasing such a volatile commodity. The Energy Event informs you about the latest techniques and technologies that can reduce costs, comply with legislation and ensure secure supplies. It is free to attend for all professionals.

Venue: NEC Birmingham Contact: Register online at theenergyevent.com. For exhibitor/ sponsor queries contact sales director, Steve Swaine at steve. swaine@emap.com 13-15 September SRWM in partnership with CIWM 2011 Venue: NEC, Birmingham Contact: rwm.exhibition@emap.com or visit www.rwmexhibition.com 18-20 September CoreNet Global Summit Significant global change is driving us toward increased connectedness and interdependencies across cultures and continents, impacting the individual, the corporation and the Corporate Real Estate industry as a whole. In the second half of 2011, CoreNet Global will continue the discussion addressing these underlying global influences and

their impact on all aspects of corporate real estate.

Venue: Disney’s Newport Bay Club, Paris Contact: kbeeckman@corenetglobal. org for more details 11-12 October Total Workplace Management Organised in association with the British Institute of Facilities Management, Total Workplace Management has established itself as the leading meeting place for the FM industry.

Venue: London Olympia Contact: Visit www.twmexpo.com to register. If you are interested in exhibiting in 2011, contact Fergus Bird on 020 7921 8660 20 October Workplace Trends conference Venue: Royal College of Physicians, London Contact: For more details email maggie@merlin-events.co.uk 19-20 October FM & Property Event Join your peers and leading industry suppliers for a day and a half of networking and meetings, coupled with an exciting workshop programme at the UK’s number one conference hotel.

Venue: Belfry, West Midlands Contact: jasonawatar@ globalbusinessevents.co.uk 26-28 October IFMA’s World Workplace Conference & Expo The largest, most longstanding and well-respected annual conference and exposition for facility management and related professions Venue: Phoenix Convention Centre, USA Contact: tj.mendieta@ifma.org for more details 16-17 November Worktech 11 The eighth annual conference looking at implications of convergence between the worlds of technology, real estate, work and the workplace.

Venue: British Library, London Contact: caroline.bell@unwired. eu.com or call 020 8977 8920 24-25 November IFM Congress Venue: Vienna University of Technology Contact: kongress@ifm.tuwien.ac.at

FM WORLD | 14 JULY 2011 | 39

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Move among the stars of the FM industry Join the celebrations at the BIFM Awards on 10 October 2011 at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.

To book your tickets and tables, or to discuss sponsorship call 0141 639 6192 or email bifmawards@fmevents.biz

in association with

www.bifm.org.uk/awards2011

HOT DATES planning your future with us Financial Management 2 - Getting Results Already got a grasp on the basics? Get a refresher on the key accounting principles before exploring the practical application of financial skills.

22nd September, Central London

AUGUST COURSES 16-18

Understanding FM Foundation - (optional) ILM Level 3 Award or Certificate in FM

SEPTEMBER COURSES 13 13-14 14-15 14-15 19-23 20-22 20-22 21 22

Understanding CDM Regulations The Essentials of Property Management Security Management Introduction to Sustainability NEBOSH General Certificate in Occupational Health & Safety Understanding FM Foundation - (optional) ILM Level 3 Award or Certificate in FM - FULL The Professional FM 2 [Intermediate] Financial Management 1 - The Essentials Financial Management 2 - Getting Results

+44 (0)20 7404 4440

Telephone info@bifm-training.co.uk | www.bifm-training.com

40 |â&#x20AC;&#x201A;14 JULY 2011 |â&#x20AC;&#x201A;FM WORLD

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FM PEOPLE MOVERS & SHAKERS

BEHIND

THE JOB What attracted you to the job?

After spending four years in a creative environment I wanted to return to the corporate world. I also wanted to work for CBRE as it has a global portfolio of properties and clients.

My top perk at work is...

CBRE encourage and actively support me with the BIFM Level 6 qualification that I am currently taking.

It has a keen and active interest in the Rising FM committee which I am part of.

NAME: Claire Blake JOB TITLE: Facilities manager ORGANISATION: CBRE JOB DESCRIPTION: Responsible for delivery of hard and soft services management for a major client within their flagship building

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

I fell into it at the tender age of 17 as a receptionist for a total facilities management provider.

What’s been your career high-point to date?

Being voted as one of FM World’s Rising Stars 35 Under 35 in 2006; inclusion in FMX’s 40 Under 40 in 2011, and becoming deputy chair of the BIFM’s Rising FM committee in 2011.

What has been your biggest career challenge to date?

Going from six years of in house FM back to supplier side. It was daunting at first but it has given me the necessary experience from both sides of FM. If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be?

I would have said training and career advice previously

but this is now heading in the right direction.

Any interesting tales to tell?

When I was 17 and going for my first job, I was told by the recruiter that my interview was within FM; I thought I was going to a radio station!

If I wasn’t in FM, I’d probably be…

In training for the women’s boxing for the 2012 Olympics.

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

That we only have work to do when something visibly fails or goes wrong. There is so much background work that happens within FM that is overlooked.

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

I have noticed that FM has become more recognised and certainly more respected as a key profession.

Gone are the days of us doing a bit of everything.

We are now being asked for our input with regards to construction, supplier management, sustainability and procurement. I have also noticed that there are more women at senior levels within the industry.

And how will it change in the next five years?

With the focus on qualifications I think that it will become more recognised as a career of choice for young people and school/college leavers which is very exciting.

Ingenuity welcome here

-RKQVRQ &RQWUROV

www.fm-world.co.uk

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

FM NEWS

FM innovations ▼Ambius offers tips for cool offices

▲ SGP turns to Altius

Following the hottest Spring since records began and predictions of a Summer heat wave, Ambius, the world’s largest provider of plants, replica foliage and flowers for commercial environments, has put together its top tips for keeping buildings cool this summer through the use of trees, plants and interior landscaping: • Place plants near windows to provide some shade • Big, thirsty, leafy plants have some of the best cooling properties such as the Spathiphyllum or Philodendrons • Green walls can cool down the office • Use large trees in atria allowing the foliage to act as a useful solar shield. The high transpiration rates can also make a significant contribution to cooling to the whole building. www.ambius.com

SGP Property and Facilities Management is saving more than £100,000 per year and improving quality and safety standards through outsourcing its supplier assessment to Altius Vendor Assessment.

By using Altius, SGP is saving on direct employees and reducing its bill for professional indemnity and employers’ liability cover by £20,000.

Peter Hall, director of risk management for SGP, said: “We are confident that all our contractors have passed a transparent and robust assessment process and that they can provide the standards required.

“Our accident rate has reduced since using Altius.

Contractors are also assessed on financial health, adequacy of insurance cover, and other competences.”

08445 616515 enquiries@altiusva.com www.altiusva.com

▲ SitexOrbis launches keyless lock Vacant property specialist SitexOrbis has launched iSecurity, an innovative keyless security solution which combines iTrap, a portable, intelligent alarm with iDoor, an innovative keyless, remotely programmable access management system. This unique security system gives the FM complete peace of mind that their properties are secured and monitored 24/7 by a BS5979 Cat II Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC). It is backed up by Aura, a real-time web-based workflow management and reporting system enabling customers to instruct, control and track progress of work. iSecurity combines intelligence with innovation, and is also environmentally friendly. www.sitexorbis.com 08000 830 850

▼ LCC adds £1m a month

▲ ACS assessment scores The SIA’s Approved Contractor Scheme celebrated five years of successful operation in March this year. Underpinning this success is the long-term improvement achieved by approved contractors.

Assessment scores have increased every year since the launch of the ACS in 2006. In a recent SIA online survey, 85 per cent of buyers said they required their security provider to be an approved contractor, with the most frequently identified reason being that ACS “provides reassurance on quality and management.”

More than 60 per cent of respondents indicated that assessment score was an important factor in selection of a supplier. We expect that improvement in assessment scores will continue and as a result standards will continue to be raised.

LCC Support Services, the national cleaning and support service contractor has been growing at the rate of £1m for each of the last seven months.

Increased business over the last seven months is £7.5m and growing. The new contracts are largely national programmes with fees from £0.5m to £2.9m for organisations such as The Arts Council across the UK (for Vinci Facilities), and the post offices for existing client The Royal Mail.

In association with Carillion, LCC has started work on 28 Land Registry sites from Plymouth to Hull.

Centrica is the single largest financial gain at £2.9m and covers 39 prestige UK premises. LCC has also won the contract for Coty, manufacturers of Rimmel make-up at Ashford in Kent.

01277 268899 info@lccss.co.uk www.lccss.co.uk

▲ Living wages for London cleaners Sandy Aird, managing director of London-based Enhance Office Cleaning Ltd., has hit out at the many employers who do not pay the city’s cleaning staff a fair day’s wage.

Enhance has always paid staff the London Living Wage of £7.85, not the minimum wage of £5.93.

Almost all (95 per cent) of clients agreed the rate, having identified the long-term benefits.

Sandy said: ”How do contractors or employers of in-house cleaning staff think they can attract quality, reliable, conscientious staff for insulting rates?

London will soon welcome the world to the Olympics.

This is the call to action and great opportunity for our profession.”

0203 535 5555 www.enhanceofficecleaning.com

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Appointments

Call Norman Cook 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

University College London (UCL) is a globally recognised Institution and one of the UK’s most successful Universities. The UCL Estate comprises 200 buildings and 5m sq.ft. of accommodation. The Estates Division is undergoing a period of transformation aimed at providing the Institution with world class facilities and services. The transformation programme has created a number of new roles:

Estates Strategy Manager

Estates Business Administration Manager

To £55,362 p.a. + substantial benefits package

To £55,362 p.a. + substantial benefits package

The ESM will lead, develop and drive the strategic implementation and constant review of the new Bloomsbury Masterplan, alongside the wider institutional estate strategy. You will challenge and influence the management of space at a senior level, ensuring innovative and effective use of space across a nominated School Estate. You will have a proven track record in delivering stakeholder engagement programmes and be a natural collaborator with a demonstrable expertise in space management and MIS.

As an experienced team manager (15 staff), you will lead the central Estates Divisional Support Services unit.

This unit provides administration, finance, human resources, communications, data/records management and general office services to the UCL Estates team of 300 staff. You will drive performance and service improvement, manage policy and procedure in line with University practices, and possess a strong customer service ethos. This post will suit a strong team player, who is a natural collaborator with solid expertise in managing business transformation projects.

Team Leader, Engineering and Maintenance

Team Leader, Capital Projects

To £55,362 p.a. + substantial benefits package The team is responsible for managing engineering and maintenance support to the complex £2bn property portfolio with an annual maintenance spend approaching £30m. You will manage, direct and advise a multi-disciplinary team, providing services to designated schools, leading the co-ordination and delivery of planned works and rolling maintenance projects. This post will suit professionals with extensive programme management experience within a similar critical environment, with a strong customer service ethos.

To £55,362 p.a. + substantial benefits package The Team Leader, Capital Projects will provide a high quality project management and architectural service for new, adaptation and refurbishment building projects. This includes the full range of services from taking client briefs and preparing feasibility studies, through to procurement of tenders and contract administration. You will possess significant project management and design process expertise, with a demonstrable track record in providing a high level technical advisory service.

For a confidential discussion, please contact our advisors Ben Duffill: ben.duffill@mrgpeople.co.uk (Estates Strategy Manager and Team Leader Projects) or Michael Hewlett: michael.hewlett@mrgpeople.co.uk (Business Administration Manager and Team Leader Maintenance) at The Management Recruitment Group or visit our website www.mrgpeople.co.uk Closing date: Friday, 5th August 2011.

We particularly welcome applications from black and minority ethnic candidates, as they are underrepresented within UCL at this level.

The Management Recruitment Group, Regal House, 70 London Road, Twickenham, TW1 3QS Tel: 020 8892 0115.

Senior Appointments for the Built Environment jobs.fm-world.co.uk

FM New appoints 140711.indd 43

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Part of the Lagan Construction Group, Lagan Projects Ltd is engaged in Highways & Buildings Maintenance Projects throughout Ireland. Due to expansion we now require the following manager to join our team in Belfast:

www.randstadcpe.com/fm

Facilities Manager

Experts in FM & Maintenance

REF: LPLFM/1/12/01 The successful candidate will be responsible for the ef¿cient and effective management and operation of the company’s facilities management projects, including implementing effective strategies for all aspects of facilities management. These operations include a wide range of both Hard and Soft FM activities including building fabric and external areas, M&E, HVAC, IT & BMS systems and services such as 24/7 helpdesk. An extensive working knowledge of such systems and services is essential.

Randstad Construction, Property & Engineering provide specialist recruitment solutions for the FM and Maintenance sector. Our specialist consultants offer tailored recruitment solutions for a broad spectrum of private and public sector clients operating in the commercial, domestic, leisure, retail, industrial and defence markets.

In addition the candidate will be required to deliver the management of the facilities to agreed budget and target. As well as dealing with clients such as: - local authorities, facility users, the public, staff and with associated commercial issues.

For all your FM & Maintenance requirements please visit www.randstadcpe.com/fm or call 0800 169 0863.

Requirements: • Degree quali¿ed in either Facilities Management, Electrical or Mechanical engineering • A minimum of 10 years’ experience and a proven track record in the ¿eld of Facilities Management operations • 3 - 4 years experience in a similar managerial or supervisory role • Excellent IT skills demonstrating a good working knowledge of IT infrastructure and systems • Excellent interpersonal skills are required to manage a team and for relations with Clients • Capable of working with little supervision and an excellent team player • Flexibility is essential as this role will involve work and travel throughout the UK & Ireland including shift working as necessary • Fluent in English, with a clean full driving licence

We offer both temporary and permanent solutions within FM, health and safety, management and consultancy, throughout our UK and International branch network.

• • • •

News updated at least five times a day Archive of every FM World article since 2004 Job email alerts Career advice

An excellent remuneration package is available to the successful candidate as well as an excellent opportunity to develop your career in a dynamic and growing organisation.

If you have the drive, self-motivation and want a career where you can use your initiative please forward your CV and covering letter with details of current salary to HR Department, Lagan Projects Ltd, 21-23 Sydenham Road, Belfast, BT3 9HA, Northern Ireland or email elizabeth.hempton@laganconstruction.com, clearly stating the job title and reference number.

Closing date for receipt of applications is 5.00pm on 5th August 2011

Coffee and CV

Lagan Projects Limited applies the principles of fairness and equality of opportunity in

has over 100 job vacancies

fm-world.co.uk/jobs

employment.

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7/7/11 14:16:56

www.qmul.ac.uk

Assistant Director of Estates

(Infrastructure and Maintenance)

Queen Mary, University of London is one of the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading research â&#x20AC;&#x201C;focused higher education institutions. With 3,000 staff and 16,000 students, Queen Mary has three main campuses spanning Central and East London and delivers world class degree programmes and research. With multi million pound investment in facilities, the College has a unique, colourful and high profile estate blending listed buildings with the latest in modern architecture and high tech laboratory facilities.

Following the retirement of the present incumbent the College is seeking to appoint a new postholder to lead the hard facilities management of its award winning estate.

The position: â&#x20AC;˘ To lead the Infrastructure and Maintenance Department of the Estates Directorate. â&#x20AC;˘ Ensure the College estate is maintained to a high standard and that all planned preventative, cyclical and reactive maintenance is delivered within the defined performance criteria. â&#x20AC;˘ To lead operations across maintenance and facilities and implement programmes of change. â&#x20AC;˘ To establish a full asset management approach to the delivery of maintenance services. â&#x20AC;˘ To be responsible for developing the QMUL estates Planned Maintenance Programme, and to be the lead client for infrastructure works. â&#x20AC;˘ Define operational policies within the maintenance section and aid significant input to other estates policy.

XXX D DP VL

â&#x20AC;˘ Prepare annual budgets from first principles, develop clear programmes of work with appropriate spend profiling and present monthly reports on finance, service and performance.

Technical Operations Project Manager, Hampshire, circa ÂŁ50,000 + c/a A leading and successful service provider require a Technical Operations Manager to plan, with the Account Manager, site operating and working arrangements of new builds and ďŹ t out projects. You will oversee installation projects and ensure they are installed as designed. Other responsibilities will involve ensuring a customer focused approach within all areas of operational activities and that effective relationships are maintained with key client contacts. The ideally candidates will be technical bias (Electrical HV) and be able to write procedures & processes. CV & cover letter to steve@c22.co.uk

Senior Structural Engineer, London, cÂŁ50,000 plus bonus and beneďŹ ts Our Client has a vacancy for a chartered senior structural engineer with excellent design and people skills to help develop and run an expanding practice in Central London. The Applicant must share the Practiceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s enthusiasm and enjoyment of design as well as be able to lead a design team.

CVs with cover note to russell@c22.co.uk

Regional Operations Manager, London/ M25, to ÂŁ40,000 plus car and beneďŹ ts

The individual: â&#x20AC;˘ Substantial post qualification experience in a senior management position within a large facilities management or maintenance organisation. â&#x20AC;˘ A positive attitude towards problem solving and ability to effect change with stakeholders at all levels. â&#x20AC;˘ A proven track record of achievement in running effective Infrastructure and Maintenance departments and implementing a successful PPM programme. â&#x20AC;˘ Demonstrable experience of budgetary and resource management, with the ability to foster a culture of team work and co-operation.

Please apply to Richard Parrett, enclosing a full CV together with current remuneration details to rparrett@macdonaldandcompany.com quoting reference 81130. Alternatively call +44 (0)20 7318 5869 for a confidential discussion. You can also apply online at www.macdonaldandcompany.com All applications must be received before the closing date of July 31st. All applicants, direct or via third parties will be forwarded to Macdonald & Company.

Deputy Centre Managers, Leicester and Peterborough, ÂŁ30,000 to ÂŁ35,000 To ensure the efďŹ cient and effective day to day running of a Shopping Centre, through the implementation of management and quality control systems. The DCM will seek new initiatives to improve the operations within the Centre, resulting in consistently high standards in all areas; in particular security, cleaning and H&S. Working as part of a team, you will promote efďŹ ciency and quality and the highest level of Customer Care. You will also act as Duty Manager on a rota system to ensure that a senior member of Management is on duty when the Shopping Centre is open for trade and represent the Centre, through liaison with external agencies, contractors, retailers and the public. Experience of working within Shopping Centre preferred, however, a good background within hard and soft FM is required. A NEBOSH qualiďŹ cation is high desired. CVs to ed@c22.co.uk

Housekeeping Manager, London, ÂŁ23,000 plus beneďŹ ts A London Theatre is recruiting a Cleaning/ Housekeeping manager to oversee the day to day cleaning operation at its well know premises. Experience of managing a cleaning team is essential. Due to the nature of the business some ďŹ&#x201A;exibility will be required with regard to hours of work. CVs to russell@c22.co.uk

A Facilities Management and Cleaning ďŹ rm are recruiting a Regional Operations Manager to take overall responsibility for the smooth running of the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s window cleaning operation in the Central London and M25 area - and to ensure that this is done in a safe, efďŹ cient and proďŹ table manner. CVs to russell@c22.co.uk

providing quality people

Catch22 HPH.indd 1 jobs.fm-world.co.uk

FM New appoints 140711.indd 45

Leeds 0113 242 8055 London 020 7630 5144 7/7/11 10:29:08 FM WORLDâ&#x20AC;&#x201A;| 14 JULY 2011â&#x20AC;&#x201A;| 45

7/7/11 14:24:44

FINAL WORD FELICITY MESSING

FELICITY

MESSING

CRUMBS THE WORD! One thing you can be sure of in the FM sector is an abundance of networking opportunities. The problem, I find, is when the networking takes place during lunch. Last week, I found myself saying hello to people while attempting to eat a particularly fine goats’ cheese and caramelised onion tart. Oh, the crumbs, the crumbs.

Admittedly, this might sound like a nice problem to have – but it’s surprising how seriously it can hamper the quality of your networking. How am I, your humble correspondent, expected to have a fruitful conversation if half of it is taken up with consuming the aforementioned tart, a nice piece of salmon in a chilli jus and, should I wish, some organic egg and cress sandwiches?

Foodstuffs, I would suggest, are not conducive to good networking. Nor are glasses of wine – the contents of which are highly likely to hit the floor should I be roused to gesticulation.

This week’s message is simple: cut the canapés and move the networking away from the nibbles. My calculations suggest that conversation volumes would increase by around 20 per cent.

STRANGE CUSTOMS Twitterers were tweeting with indignation (and rightly so) at the news that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at Northwest Florida Airport insisted on ‘patting down’ a cancer-stricken 95-year-old mother in a wheelchair, and asking that she remove her Depend undergarment.

In the same week, on a trip to UAE, I was presented with a gift of fresh liquid honey from Oman – a large 75cl bottle of the golden nectar, especially prized in June. I thanked the donor but said that I would not be able to take it as I was flying back to Doha with only hand luggage.

Looking at my smart business two-piece and high heels, he said that airport security would not be a problem for me. Sure enough, despite the signs restricting liquids to 100ml and several guards wearing a familiar brand uniform, I openly placed the bottle in the scanner, and no one batted an eyelid.

The only question I faced on arrival in Doha (where they also scan hand baggage on arrival) was not how did I manage to pass it through security, but whether it contained alcohol!

Two days later, I experienced another lapse in security. At a ‘cultural village’ in Doha, I was

refused access at the entry barrier because taxis were not allowed in. Not wishing to walk 500 metres in 46°C to the nearest building, I remonstrated with the security guard bearing a another famous brand badge. After lots of crackled dialogue on walkie-talkies and horn blasts from the ever-lengthening queue behind me, my taxi was allowed through the barrier. Quite why taxis are barred from entry when every other vehicle is allowed through without check, I’m not really sure.

I decided to offer my experience and observations to someone in charge and headed for the visitor centre. With no manager available, a receptionist patiently listened to me, only to point out that she receives many such complaints, but they are the rules and, no, she didn’t know why. I asked if she had a plan of the centre to help my visit and she gave me an A4 photocopy of the large site.

On my tour, I noticed that it had something printed on the back – only to find it was an e-ticket for a first class flight to London bearing the flight details, name, passport number, ID and mobile number of the director of the centre. This gift was almost as good as the honey!

IN THE NEXT ISSUE OUT 11 AUG

FM AT THE NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC CENTRE IN SOUTHAMPTON /// COMPLEX ENGINEERING SCIENCE TO FM /// ERGONOMICS IN THE WORKPLACE – A FACILITIES MANGER’S GUIDE /// FM’S ROLE IN THE CULTURE OF A BUSINESS /// OVERHEATING OFFICES: USING A COMFORT CALCULATOR TO KEEP YOUR COOL /// NEWS AND BUSINESS ANALYSIS

46 | 14 JULY 2011 | FM WORLD

Felicity.indd 50

www.fm-world.co.uk

7/7/11 13:57:01

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