PUBLIC SECTOR
PERSPECTIVES
SETTING THE STANDARDS he impact of the Localism Bill – with its emphasis on external providers playing a greater role in the running of services that have traditionally been provided by the state – could further convolute the relationship between FM and service providers. Martin Pickard, founding principal of FM Guru consultancy, believes the new BS11000 collaboration standard could provide a framework for such relationships to be handled efficiently, if both parties are committed to working collaboratively. “All partnerships require more than one partner,” he says. “That word collaboration is being used a lot in the public sector at the moment, whether it’s with the supply chain or shared services with a number of different bodies. They’re entering into collaborative relationships, but the question is whether they will be successful. One way to do that will be to follow the guidelines in the standard.” “The beauty of it is that it gives you a framework to hang it on,” he adds. “It says that both parties have done the risk analysis in the same way and have a clear idea of how to generate innovation and value out of the relationship.”
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EDUCATION: THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE clean if they’re cluttered up.” FM can also be left to pick up the pieces from other property initiatives primarily designed to save money, he adds, such as buildings previously used for council purposes during the day being opened for other activities out of hours and the “big society”, which could see voluntary groups getting more involved in occupying and operating premises. “Things like trying to keep libraries open and run them voluntarily will have a big impact on both us as the corporate client team and our service partners,” says Amos. “If you start to give people more freedom it could mean that they want to shop around when the organisation www.fm-world.co.uk
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has already signed up to a contract. It’s the easiest thing in the world for people to come in and say they could provide services cheaper, but we’re not sure whether they’re delivering all those services or whether the service levels are comparable.” In many cases, however, public sector organisations will be left with assets they cannot sell, or even lease out. This calls for a different approach, says Trevor Warne, head of property at Access, a joint venture between Glasgow City Council and Serco, which has been acting in a consultative capacity to the council around its property portfolio. “Our focus is now to look at the assets and make sure they’re not deteriorating
hile most of the public sector copes with budget cuts and reductions in portfolios, the introduction of higher tuition fees – meaning students now account for 70 per cent of a university’s income – is having a different impact on the higher education sector. “The fact they’re paying for the education is actually good for the sector,” says Nick O’Donnell, director of facilities at Kings College London. “I’m not suffering from a declining building stock or an under-investment in FM. If anything, I’m fortunate to be in a place where the customer is finally parting with real money to pay for real people.” Greater competition within the sector and the impact of private sector partnerships means the more established universities are now expected to provide better accommodation and workplace facilities than may have been the case in the past, he adds. “In the future we will see more efficient use of space, with a greater focus on retention of energy and greener buildings,” he says.
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