Facilities Management Definitions – the ongoing dilemma!

by | Apr 1, 2008 | Uncategorized

As someone who has had more than a passing interest and involvement over the years relating to what Facilities Management is and how it is perceived there is much I could offer by way of comment regarding what is today coming out of the UK, Europe and Internationally and having been asked to do so in relation to the new SIC code 81.10 here is my two pence worth as they say.

It is both a strength and a weakness that Facilities Management (or Facility Management as most in Europe prefer to call it) does not fit easily into a box. This situation affects almost all of us that touch the sector in one way or another. It directly affects those that would like to see Facilities Management achieve Chartered Status; it has, until now, affected our ability to be a recognised sector within the UK economy; it affects the ability to develop a market that can clearly be understand by the client; it affects the ability of education and training to provide a structure that can gain recognition; and of course it affects the ability to be recognised and understood across boundaries whether they be industrial, professional or geographical, to name but a few.

Does it Matter? Of course it does, but it matters in different ways to different people equally diverse to the examples described above. But should we be expanding the time and effort that we have in the past to shape the box so that it does fit? Perhaps not and I will endeavour to explain why it might not be just so important as we might think later in this article.

Perhaps a brief explanation regarding SIC codes within the UK and abroad at this juncture would be useful. A Standard Industrial Classification was first introduced into the United Kingdom in 1948 for use in classifying business establishments and other statistical units by the type of economic activity in which they are engaged. The classification provides a framework for the collection, tabulation, presentation and analysis of data and its use promotes uniformity. In addition, it can be used for administrative purposes and by non-government bodies as a convenient way of classifying industrial activities into a common structure. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) gather statistics from all employers to capture vital information regarding working patterns in the UK and what SIC codes categories workers fall under. This essential data is issued by ONS to government to help the planning of the economy and tracking of social trends.
Without this code ONS firstly does not recognise that you exist (as a distinct discipline) and therefore cannot provide Government or any other interested party with data associated with the sector.

The system is identical to the EUROSTAT System NACE at the four digit class level and the United Nations system ISIC at the two digit Divisional level.

SIC code 81.10 : Combined Facilities Support Activities. The arrival in 2008 of a Standard Industrial Classification of Economic Activities Code (SIC) for facilities support activities is a significant moment for the sector. The full definition is as below:

This class includes the provision of operating staff to perform a combination of support services within a client’s facilities. Units classified here typically provide a combination of services, such as general interior cleaning, maintenance, trash disposal, guard and security, mail routing, reception, laundry and related services to support operations within facilities. These units provide operating staff to carry out these support activities, but are not involved with or responsible for the core business or activities of the client.
This class excludes: -provision of only one of the support services (e.g. general interior cleaning services), see the appropriate class according to the service provided -provision of management and operating staff for the complete operation of a client’s establishment, such as a hotel, restaurant, mine, or hospital, see the class of the unit operated -provision of on site management and operation of a client’s computer systems and/or data processing facilities, see 62.03 -operation of correctional facilities on a contract or fee basis, see 84.23

Does it fit the bill? Does adequately describe what we do? Does it include Facilities Management as opposed to just Facilities Activities?
Perhaps not, but I would doubt that there would be any of those likely to read this article that would not agree that it represents a significant move forward.
Variations of the Theme Everywhere you look, facilities (or facility) management is interpreted in different ways dependent upon the perspective from which you observe it. Does that really cause those of us within the profession or sector a problem? If it does I would respectfully suggest that the problem is ours and not those that perceive us in whatever way that they do.

The achievement of the SIC code as outlined above is one aspect of at least some of those who work within the profession and sector actually doing something about it.

Consider the connected dilemmas that exist around us:

• Universities who define facilities management completely differently through their courses;
• Asset skills who define the competencies of facilities management differently in Scotland as opposed to England and Wales;
• The lack of definition or understanding between Facilities Management and Facilities Services;
• The argument between Facilities V’s Facility.

All of these arguably serve to attract too much of our time and attention in trying to achieve consensus that just might be irrelevant. Take a look at the other built environment professions in the UK to see how it works. In Architecture, Surveying, Engineering they have spent many years pulling together all the various strands and specialities of their particular disciplines in order to achieve the critical mass and therefore survival of their respective professional disciplines. Once they have done so they start splitting up again but within their respective organisations as to not do so would not recognise the diversity that exists within their respective descriptors.

During the work that went on within the creation of the first two European standards for Facilities Management the two single topics that required more discussion and debate than almost any other was the Facilities V’s Facility logic and the definition of what Facilities (Facility) Management is. For the record, the end result of the latter is as follows:

“Facilities Management is the integration of processes within an organisation to maintain and develop the agreed services which support and improve the effectiveness of its primary activities.”

Consider this, replace the words Facilities Management with something else and how does it work! The statement is generic by default as that was always going to be the consensus that would have to be achieved when you try and get 28 parties to agree to a form of words, especially when for most of them English is not their first language.

Does it matter? Of course it does, along with many other initiatives that have been developed over the years. There are, and I guess always will be, some within our profession and sector who not see the bigger picture but all of these initiatives are vital to what I for one think we are trying to achieve i.e. a sustainable profession and sector that is relevant to the future within a global economy. The proof of the pudding is in the eating as they say:

• Without a SIC code Government would not officially recognise that we exist as a sector, industry or profession.
• Without the European standards we would not have the definition or in fact the SIC code! It was one of the factors that was recognised when the application was being processed by the BIFM through ONS.
• Without the BIFM Qualification we would arguably not have the BIFM, which by the way is the biggest national facilities management organisation in the world.
• Without the BIFM we would arguably not have the academic degree choices that are available within the UK representing some of the most mature and diverse academic offerings anywhere in the world.
• Without Euro FM and Global FM we would not have the diversity, knowledge pool and diversity that is being captured from a discipline and geographical perspective.

I could go on. All of these initiatives, alongside the natural driver that is the market, represent significant aspects of an emerging industry and profession. We all have our priorities within this context and we all have our perspectives but the bottom line, and what I believe to be most important, is that they are all happening. We fail to see that, plan for it and most importantly not recognise it at our pearl.

Without hesitation, in my opinion the SIC code it is sadly lacking, from my perspective at least. I believe that it does a good job in defining Facilities Services and it brings clarity to some of the key aspects of this in that Facilities Services represents the combination of the delivery of the support services that combine together to support the organisation. In this regard I am extremely positive as it represents a significant step forward for us all, whether directly or indirectly.
It does nothing for Facilities Management directly nor does it recognise the strategic or tactical nature of our discipline, but it is a start.

Having said that I could make similar comments regarding the European Standards, the BIFM Qualification, some of the educational offerings and competency descriptions that are on offer as well of course regarding the outputs from Euro Fm and Global FM. But the negative is always easy and offers no value in the process. The positive is to get behind such initiatives in a proactive way to challenge, critique and contribute; only in that way will we build the profession and the sector that we all surly want to build.

In conclusion I would congratulate Asset Skills Council and the BIFM as two of the main bodies for making this happen. A SIC code for the facilities management sector, whichever part it is, is a very significant step forward.

Stan Mitchell CEO Key Facilities Management stan.mitchell@keyfm.co.uk

Stan Mitchell is a Past Chair of the British Institute of Facilities Management and Global Facility Management Association. He is the current UK Committee representative on the CEN TC 348 Technical Committee developing the European Standards.

Interview with Stan Mitchell, Chairman of Global FM, January 2007

by | Jan 9, 2008 | Uncategorized

Please tell us more about Global FM?
Global FM or to give it its full title ‘The Global Facility Management Association’, was born in June 2006. It is a registered International not for profit Organisation headquartered in Brussels Belgium.
It has a full time secretariat and a Board of Directors which consists of a Chairman plus 8 Regional Directors. The Board of Directors are volunteers and the secretariat is an outsourced association management company.

Tell us how the idea came about and how did you manage to establish it?
Global FM was born out of a realization that should Facilities Management wish to become a professional discipline and recognized as such there was a need to establish standards across all aspects of what we do that could be recognized across borders.

Following a collaborative agreement (‘Partners in FM Excellence’) between the three largest facilities management associations at the time (BIFM, FMAA and IFMA) to collaborate and share information and knowledge considerable benefit was gained by those involved. This success brought about the idea to create something similar but on a global platform. We considered that it would be not only beneficial to all involved but would be ‘business critical’ in facilities management achieving recognition as a strategic, tactical and operational discipline.

It was established through the efforts of the initial ‘Partners in FM Excellence’ who spent over 2 years establishing a governance structure that would ensure an inclusive approach i.e. the original founding associations only wish to lead the initiative in its early years, the governance structure that has been established will enable others to fully participate in a transparent fashion as the association develops and grows. It was also established that the association was to be focused upon national member-centric facilities management associations therefore ensuring that its core agenda and focus will always be towards the development of the profession and the individuals who wish to make their career in it.

There are many National, European and International Associations and now there’s a Global one, what do you think will attract members to Global FM?
Global FM is unique, there is no other organization that is truly global and whose core focus and intent is towards the practicing facilities management professional.
Associations who represent these individuals now have a network and platform to engage with outside their own country where they will directly benefit from the knowledge that exists within other countries as well as have the opportunity to escalate their own particular issues and interests to an International audience as opposed to just a National one.

If such associations are serious about their core intent, assuming that it is to further the knowledge and professionalism of those practicing facilities management in their country, then there is an overwhelming case for them to join Global FM.

It is important to note that our structure accommodates all types of membership in that any organization associated with the facilities management profession or market place can, and will be encouraged to, join and fully participate in Global FM. In fact our business model will rely upon the full participation of the wider community assisted with facilities management in order to sponsor and support the tangible work that we will be undertaking on behalf of the community at large.

Global FM was formed to evaluate the level of FM on a Global scale, how do you plan on accomplishing it?
Global FM was actually established to leverage the knowledge and work that has already been done through some of the existing and mature associations that already exists. But importantly it also exists to encourage and assist some of the fledgling associations to emerge and contribute to the learning process that we will all benefit. Because an association has existed for a number of years or boasts a large membership does not ensure that it has all the knowledge and ideas that will make a valid contribution to the development of the profession. We will all be the richer for the International perspectives in all that we do and diversity of those perspectives coming from around the world.

Please tell us more about your International Workshops?
Upon embarking to establish and deliver some real benefits to the national association member who practices at the coal face, we tasked ourselves to add some value and enhance the work that was already going on in some of our member associations. We therefore established the International Workshops as a forum to identify create and engage with the International FM Community.
It is worth noting that we consider that the International FM Community includes all those who are engaged in whatever capacity with the facilities management profession and service delivery.

The workshops have been held to establish what the priorities are; gather a diverse opinion in terms of representation from Education, Research, FM Service Industry, Commerce, Corporates of all types and of course the Associations themselves.

Through this process a prioritized list of ‘Hot Topics’ was created and these will form the basis of the Global FM projects that have been initiated in order to deliver the value from our collaborative efforts.

Through your International Workshops you have determined 6 ‘hot topics’, please tell us more about them?
First of all I would comment that that the six ‘hot topics’ were narrowed down from about 22 that were identified during the workshop evaluation process and whilst some of the headings are understandably not a surprise, the intent and perspective of our projects do bring a different approach i.e. one that has not been addressed elsewhere to our knowledge.

Each ‘Hot Topic’ will develop in its own right through further collaborative discussion which is taking place at further International Workshops and elsewhere with the associations but in broad terms they are described as follows:
1. Sustainability – sustainable communities, business case (model) for sustainability, lifecycle sustainability
2. Innovation – encourage Facilities Management action from continuous improvement, step change or strategic change of direction
3. Education and Training – compare and contrast current member Facilities Management qualifications; develop an International set of core competencies
4. Risk Management – develop International glossary of Facilities Management terms and best practice guidelines
5. Facilities Management now and in the future – coordinate a greater understanding and access to developments across the world
6. Economy and Cultures Across Borders – understand and develop tactics to address the issues and effects of the application of Global standards within diverse cultural environments; consider and contrast both in-house and globally and/ or regionally outsourced service provision

The Sustainability Project was launched in New Orleans in October 2006 and the Education and Training Workshop is being launched in Oxford in March 2008. Plans are currently underway to hold further development workshops in Australia in May and France in June.

Corporate sponsors who have an interest in the development of these topics as well as the profession and industry itself are being identified to fully participate in all of our projects not just in terms of funding support but in a meaningful way with full participation.

What projects are you planning to undertake in line with your ‘hot topics’?
As stated above the only one that has already been launched to date is the Sustainability Project. The focus and structure of this project is as outlined below which is an abbreviation of the formal Global FM project profile:
1. Introduction
The fundamental purpose of any organization is to promote and generate sustained superior performance for the benefit of its shareholders/stakeholders/consumers. In recent times, it has become imperative that this focus on improving organizational performance does not seriously impact the environment within which the organization operates as well as the wider community. Organizations must operate with a focus on global sustainability.

Impact on Organizational Strategy: To achieve corporate goals, organizations must consume resources and discharge production waste – be that solid or air-borne/atmospheric discharge. This production process, whether for the goods or services, must consider any impacts on sustainability of the biosphere. Content Global FM considers sustainability in facilities management to be a key element of the business management framework. It is incumbent on facilities management practitioners that they rate sustainability as a necessary and universal management function and in so doing assist in ensuring that positive outcomes accrue for shareholders, stakeholders and consumers alike. Actions taken today will have consequences for, amongst other things:

• Pollution levels, including carbon emissions.
• The depletion of natural resources.
• Social well-being.
• The impact on biodiversity.
• Water usage.
• Energy efficiency

Research has shown that there is a growing trend for companies to claim they have good sustainable practices but be unable to demonstrate this as there is no standard reporting framework. Reasons for this trend include competition, risk management, innovation, emerging markets, and value of reputation and increasing incidence of mandatory reporting. However the lack of a globally understood definition for sustainable development limits the ability to measure impacts reliably and consistently for comparative purposes. This is particularly difficult if impacts many years in the future are to be considered. The range of incentives or penalties to support sustainability outcomes also needs to be considered, including regulatory or financial elements. Global FM views sustainability as an essential component of good facilities management and business practice.

2. Project Purpose
The purpose of this proposed project is to demonstrate and quantify the contribution that the facility manager and the facilities management industry can make in terms of sustainability to the existing built environment. The importance of this contribution is highlighted as communities around the world are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental impact of existing building stock.
Such contribution has been documented by several of Global FM’s existing members. One of Global FM’s founding members, The Facility Management Association of Australia, has, through the development of The Australian Federal Government’s Action Agenda for Managing the Built Environment, identified significant opportunities for the facilities management industry to:

• develop a stronger market presence based on the industry’s role in managing the built environment;
• helps clients benefit from the adoption of more sustainable business practices;
• demonstrates to the community, the property sector and investors the value that facilities management can add to social and economic well being; and,
• Influence the form that new standards take when translated into the operational requirements of new or refurbished buildings.

The Board of Global FM has recognised that knowledge, competency and indeed the definition of sustainability are different across the current and potential membership base. This has the very real potential of diluting the value contribution that the profession and industry as a whole, can make in terms of sustainability. It may also constrain industry growth.

3. Global FM Sustainability Workshop
Through sustainability workshop held in New Orleans in October 2007, current Global FM members and invited industry participants concluded that the following impediments will constrain the positive contribution that the facilities management industry can make:

• the lack of an agreed definition for sustainability as it applies to existing building stock;
• the lack of an agreed understanding of the concepts of sustainability and a perception by many that it represents a cost rather than an opportunity;
• the lack of a globally accepted metric and rating system for measuring sustainability in existing building stock;
• difficulties in allocating responsibility for implementing measures required to produce a sustainable building;
• communication failures between the various parties involved in the design, refurbishment, and facility management of a building regarding cost effective ways to realise sustainability;
• the inadequacy of current measures to demonstrate the value that can be gained from sustainability initiatives because these are often only produced over the longer term;
• considerable knowledge and skills gaps in the delivery of sustainable outcomes; and,
• transforming an existing building into a sustainable high performance facility.

4. Deliverables
As part of its vision, Global FM has quantified 3 stages of project deliverables as part of a 3 year business plan. Each Stage is sequentially dependant on outcomes from the previous stage and will be validated at subsequent Global FM sustainability workshops and by Global FM Board. Proposed deliverables for each stage of the plan are outlined below:
Stage 1: Deliverables (Oct 2008)

1. The definition and acknowledgement of the facilities management profession in the sustainability agenda.

2. Data that promotes the role of facilities management in responding to increased demand for corporate accountability associated with sustainability performance.

3. Data that promotes the role of the facilities management industry in key industry and government forums addressing sustainability.

4. Development of a business case model that highlights the costs and benefits of embracing sustainable practices in the use and management of materials, energy, water, waste and indoor air quality, with a particular focus on productivity.

5. Development of a communications plan to reflect all of the above.

Stage 2: Deliverables (Oct 2009)
1. Development of a “Sustainability Good Practice Guide”. 2. Development of a “Sustainability Tool Kit (Brand Name?) for Facility Managers”. 3. A centralised web-based knowledge portal for the facilities management community throughout the building lifecycle, highlighting existing tools and awareness in a way that is understandable and accessible to all levels of the industry. 4. “Global FM Sustainability Award” announced at World Workplace and promoted and showcased at Global FM member conferences and publications throughout the following 12 month period

Stage 3: Deliverables (Oct 2010)
1. Launch of Global FM Sustainability Index Benchmarks 2. Sustainability FM Expo and Conference

Conclusion The role of the facilities management industry in the sustainability agenda is significant. Quantifying this contribution and developing leading edge tools and guides to manage the many aspects in the life cycle of buildings more effectively will benefit greatly the environment, community, industry and Governments in both the short and long term.

You were Chairman of BIFM, what was the most interesting or exciting thing you did?
The most interesting thing was the different requirements in leading a membership based organization which was essentially managed by volunteers. My experience prior to taking on that role was in managing Key Facilities Management, which as a relatively small facilities management organization (it had a similar turnover to BIFM), had a completely different dynamics to it than leading a voluntary group of well meaning individuals. The other difference was that the then Council (Board) of the BIFM consisted of some 28 individuals, not a number that makes for decisive decision making!

Whilst I had been involved in the BIFM and its predecessors since the 1980’s, and was the founding Chairman of the Scottish Region, it was a completely different challenge when I became the National Chairman. Suddenly I realized that the future of the BIFM, which is the biggest National Facilities Management Association I the world, was in my hands which is an onerous position to be in.
In terms of excitement there were several things that I did that were not just exciting but incredibly challenging as well. When I took over the Institute was growing rapidly and I realised that the structure that had been adequate for what was a fledgling organization for the past 10 years was no longer appropriate for the size of organization we were becoming.

My first objective was to create a more business like structure. We undertook a complete review of the governance structure which resulted in a new Board of Directors being formed totalling 16; A new Members Council established into which all the Regional, Sector Forums and Specialist Interest Group Chairmen would be members; and finally we established those Sector Forums and Specialist Interest Groups to represent the operational interests of the membership and compliment the Regional representation that they had had since our establishment.

The next challenge was to try and encourage a more ‘joined up’ organization that ensured the people who were employed to deliver our strategy were engaged in the decision making process. We achieved this through the inclusion of our employed Directors in our head office being appointed Directors of the Board of the BIFM itself. We also created a number of forums where the management team at large from our head office were more engaged with the various committees operating across the organization.

The final thing that I did and the one that I consider is likely to have the most enduring impact upon what we are all trying to do in creating a recognized professional discipline called facilities management, was to establish the ‘Partners in FM Excellence’ with the then President of IFMA Sheila Sheridan and the Chair of FMA Australia Steve Gladwin. These agreements not only broke down some of the then barriers in our respective organization collaborating with each other but they laid the foundation for what is today Global FM. I truly believe that if I, as one of many, have any legacy to leave in terms of the development of facilities management as a strategic professional discipline, then it will be through the work that I along with others have made to the establishment of Global FM. It will be for others to take the initiative forward but I will be happy, as I am with the results of the initiatives I led during my time as Chairman of BIFM, if Global FM eventually goes on to realize that potential that it offers to enhance what we all do within the facilities management community.

Stan Mitchell Chairman Global FM January 2008

Working Building Middle East Conference

by | Dec 10, 2007 | Uncategorized

Abu Dhabi, UAE. 10 December 2007 Key note presentation delivered by Stan Mitchell, Chairman of Global Facility Management Association (Global FM).

“Sabah el kheir”, “ahlan wa sahlan” and in Scottish Gaelic can I wish you “Céad míle fáilte”. First of all I would apologise for not being able to speak your language I hope my pronunciation was understandable!

What a fantastic conference programme you have in front of you; within this conference you will hear some key messages: From Iman Hassan you will hear about “Breaking the barriers and shaping the future of strategic Facilities Management” From Khalid al-Shekaili “driving the full strategic value of Facilities Management” From Clair Watt and Graham Yates after lunch you will hear about how “Facilities Management can lead the way”; and “delivery of sustainability through maximizing design performance”; all about those Global issues such as sustainability and corporate social responsibility. “whole life costing” from Dr Assem al-Hajj, a professor from that wonderful, top class, eminent, visionary, world renowned leading University called Heriot Watt, which just happens to be based in Scotland!! And finally about “delivering exceptional results” from Mike Cairney – last on the programme, but don‟t sneak away early, Mike is worth listening to.

Fantastic stuff and it all reinforces my key message to you today and that is that Facilities Management has the „potential‟ to be the „BUSINESS CRITICAL‟ enabler of the 21st century. I emphasise the „POTENTIAL‟.

So let‟s consider why and what some of the barriers might be?

My first Facilities Management job was on the high Seas on ships of varying types and sizes. Facilities Management was critical and essential to every aspect of the operation, maintenance, life cycle, safety, availability and value to the owner through its ability to operate efficiently. Without it there was no chance of it effectively fulfilling its function. There‟s not much that‟s different in the world of business and commerce! It matters little whether that „business‟ is in education, healthcare, leisure, manufacturing, residential etc. and it differs little irrespective of size, function, location and purpose.  Which other function in the organisation touches and influences every aspect of its operation;  Which other function has a vested interest in everything that‟s going on;  Which other function has the level of financial responsibility where the overhead that is facilities management represents the highest (second only to salaries in some cases) for the organisation;  Which other function has an interest in design, construction, project management, out fitting, space, move logistics, environmental control, aesthetics, operating standards, life cycle and maintenance?

I believe that we are the only profession capable of dealing with those generic „business critical‟ issues that will face every organisation sooner or later. In the Middle East today perhaps „sustainability‟ is not the number 1 priority, but if not it soon will be. Who else is going to drive the sustainability agenda? If there is a desire to achieve:  a sustainable economy;  attracting and developing the best talent;  creating assets that will have a dependable life cycle;  or perhaps, most important of all, a sustainable environment to make sure that this region of the world, which has such a rich heritage and history, is protected and maintained for the future generations to come as well as for the user communities of today; … facilities management has a role to play in all of this, and without it realising such goals it will, at best, be compromised!

So what makes me think in my arrogance that we are the only people that can deal with this? Well I don‟t actually!
There are other professions in the „built environment‟ sector who could, and most certainly will, make considerable influences in this regard and we as the Facilities Management profession will rely upon almost all of them! For design; for calculation; for experience; for competency. So what is our role? We are in the enviable position to „make it happen‟! Not necessarily to do it but to make sure it‟s done, and done properly. So where‟s the value in Facilities Management you might say, well it‟s in the cradle to grave involvement; it‟s in the interpretation role between all the stakeholder groups (who have different priorities, agendas and language); it‟s in the understanding of those „business critical‟ interfaces that are required between the client/ the user communities/ the designers; it‟s in the strategic role that we can play as opposed to the operational one. It‟s in the difference between Facilities Services and Facilities Management! We should know the difference. Please don‟t get confused between the two, there are many in the sector that will confuse you, and perhaps because they themselves do not understand that there is a huge difference between Facilities Services providers (specialists in M&E, Security, Cleaning etc who, in their own right, are critical and essential to us all) then there are those who are Facilities Management professionals (whether in-house or outsourced); who are focused upon the strategic and tactical management activities. The real value proposition (for the long term) comes through that strategic and tactical awareness and implementation. The customer/ user experience comes through the operational delivery and that‟s where those Facilities Services specialists bring their significant and important value. We all need each other in this market and it matters not whether you are in-house or contracted out, the role „should‟ be the same, it‟s the measurement that‟s usually different!

So let‟s get back to what makes us so special as the „business critical enabler‟ of the 21st century? Just think where we find ourselves here in the Middle East? Real Estate that has developed at a fantastic rate; sales that have been going through the roof; iconic developments that have become world news. When the client or customer experience does not live up to expectation; when the fabric does not look good after 5 years; when maintaining the utilities and services causes major disruption and cost every time you want to maintain it; when the security has had little or no thought other than to install lots of guards and stick up a few CCTV cameras; when the choice of chemicals for the cleaning is doing irreparable damage to the environment… I exaggerate of course, or do I? A recent discussion with the General Manager of a developer in the Middle East whose flagship development had opened to its first residents and with whom I had had a conversation about 6
months earlier regarding Facilities Management, informed me that his phone would not stop ringing because the customer(s) were not happy. Perhaps he built the best development in the whole of the Middle East – so what! We are, I would suggest in a unique position in the Facilities Management world:

• the only post occupancy profession involved in the design (or at least we should be!)
• the interface between the client and the built environment professions
• the interface with the user community
• the interface with the supply chain The pivot around which all the stakeholder groups interface. The translators that need to understand and interpret the different languages used buy all of these stakeholder groups (and I‟m not talking about Arab V‟s English) The group that needs to better understand the cultural differences not just from country to country but from discipline to discipline, within any organisation.

So what can we do about it – we can lead! We can challenge the norm! We can re-write the rules! We can demonstrate the value – we need to do more than just talk about it! We can take ownership and responsibility! We can develop a profession that helps us all do that!!

So let me tell you a little about the Global Facility Management Association and why it has emerged…

Let me quickly tell you a story. When I was chairman of the British Institute of Facilities Management I spoke at a property management conference in Europe. It was a gathering of Global Property and Real Estate Managers from some of the largest Corporate Organisations in the world. I was the only speaker from Facilities Management. I thought at the time; I have to say it as I see it!
I informed them that in the future Real Estate or Property Management will become a part of Facilities Management!! Not surprisingly perhaps I got zero response from the audience. However at question time one very senior guy stated clearly that he totally agreed with me, but… he added, until the Facilities Management profession got its act together on an International level no one would take us seriously. I thought at the time, and I still do, that he was right.

Global FM exists to do just that. It is a not for profit International Organisation based in Brussels Belgium. It was born July 2006. Its purpose in life is to share knowledge; improve standards; help „professionalise‟ this profession of ours; address common International issues; elevate up the National issues that are worthy of International focus and cascade down the International knowledge that exists to share at National level; and to assist in the emergence of Facilities Management Associations where none exist. We have been holding International Workshops around the world to assist in our understanding of what the issues are and more importantly what the common issues are. This has resulted in identifying 6 „hot topics‟:

1. Sustainability – sustainable communities, business case (model) for sustainability, lifecycle sustainability
2. Innovation – encourage Facilities Management action from continuous improvement, step change or strategic change of direction
3. Education and Training – compare and contrast current member Facilities Management qualifications; develop an International set of core competencies
4. Risk Management – develop International glossary of Facilities Management terms and best practice guidelines
5. Facilities Management now and in the future – coordinate a greater understanding and access to developments across the world
6. Economy and Cultures Across Borders – understand and develop tactics to address the issues and effects of the application of Global standards within diverse cultural environments; consider and contrast both in-house and globally and/ or regionally outsourced service provision

Each of these topics will be addressed and developed from these initial thoughts through specific projects with clear outputs which in turn will be disseminated through our Member Associations to their members and through our Sustaining Members through their networks. We recognise however that the knowledge to be successful in this endeavour does not just rest with the Member Associations who represent our core community (i.e. the practitioner who is out there making it happen), hence the reason we have Associate Members who are also stakeholders in the wider facilities management community but who‟s interest is perhaps from a different perspective e.g. Universities, Trade Associations, other Professions, Business and Commerce in general. But we also have a category of Sustaining Member within Global FM which is critical to our success. They are the Corporate Organisations involved in the Facilities Management Industry who want to give something back; to the assist and help the development of the knowledge and understanding that exists, wherever in the world. They are needed to provide the seed corn to develop the knowledge and best practice; to stimulate the understanding; to bring their expertise and share it with the wider community; to consider the greater good and long term benefits as well as their bottom line (they actually are compatible!); to be, and be seen, as the organisations who ‘made it happen’ through their support and leadership. So, how did we arrive at our „Hot Topics‟? They were identified through indirect consultation with over 30,000 Facilities Management practitioners; through consultation with over 11 Corporate Organisations; and through engaging with over 10 Countries from across the World, not enough perhaps but a good start! The sustainability project was launched in New Orleans in October this year and the Education project will be launched in Oxford in March next Year. Many people have been involved and worked hard to make Global FM happen. My challenge to every one of you, whatever the reason you are here, is to get involved and make it a success, it won‟t happen if you don‟t. If you are a practising Facilities Manager create your Association if none exists – Global FM can help. If it does exist make sure it joins Global FM. If you are a Corporate Organisation and you want to associate yourself with this fast growing and emerging profession of ours please do so, it‟s to your own advantage. If you are a business involved in the Facilities Management sector why are you not involved already, you no longer have the excuse that you didn‟t know!

So in conclusion:
You are just about to hear about the market here in the Middle East and the fantastic opportunities that exist for those in the Facilities Management and Facilities Services sector. If you are a Facilities Manager, whether you realise it or not, you don‟t have all the answers; engage with your peers as some of them have the knowledge that you don‟t. You are just about to hear about the strategic advantages that Facilities Management can offer. You are hopefully just about to hear about Facilities Management as a strategic enabler – it offers much more that simply delivering some services, it‟s actually more about how you do that whilst meeting the needs of the core business and all of its stakeholder groups! You now know about the Global Facility Management Association and the work it is doing to ‘make a difference’, don‟t just sit there, join us, because if you don‟t, no matter which interested group you represent, ultimately we will not become that „21st century business critical enabling profession‟ that is currently in our grasp. Let’s make the POTENTIAL a REALITY together! Thank you Stan Mitchell Chairman Global FM stan.mitchell@keyfm.co.uk

Avenue Marcel Thiry 204 B-1200 Brussels Belgium Tel: + 32 2 774 91 48 Fax: + 32 2 774 96 90 www.globalfm.org

Stan Mitchell is CEO of Key Facilities Management (www.keyfm.co.uk) the longest established facilities management company in the UK. Key provides consulting, management services, interim management and project management services to organisations large and small, public and private sector across the UK, Europe, Middle East and North Africa.

He has been involved in the development of the facilities management profession since the 1980’s. He is a Past Chairman of the British Institute of Facilities Management (www.bifm.org.uk) and Convenor of WG2 within the CEN348 Technical Committee which established the European Standard for guidance on Facilities Management agreements.

He is Chairman of the British Standards Institute Facilities Management Committee and Chairman of Global Facility Management Association (www.globalfm.org) that is an International not for profit organisation based in Brussels which describes itself as a ‘worldwide alliance of facility management organisations, providing leadership in the advancement of the FM profession’.

Standards in Facilities Management

by | Mar 23, 2006 | Uncategorized

The context in which I describe standards is that of the British Standards Institute (BSI) as opposed to any commercially generated standards that might exist.
Why Bother? You may well take the view that such activities are not relevant to the ‘day job’ but as standards are developed they will increasingly become more relevant in that context. The kind of objectives that they are designed to achieve, that will hopefully enhance our abilities within the sector include:

Develop better understanding of what it is that we do and the potential value that we can bring through:  Improved communication and understanding between stakeholders  Improved effectiveness of primary activities and FM processes  Improved quality measurement and output delivery  Development of management and customer service tools and systems

Enhance our ability to bridge the gap across:  Different languages  Different views of Facility Management  Different development stages of Facility Management  Different cultures, different markets and different expectations

Position us as a sector to:  Improve competitiveness in global market  Improve transparency in procurement and contracting  Introduce realistic and meaningful benchmarking  Enhance true Pan European and International reach  Demonstrate our maturity of a profession

Failure to do so will inevitably leave us as a fragmented and disparate profession, and industry where every voice will have a different story to tell the consequences of which will be that we will never be taken seriously and we will disappear as quickly as we have emerged. The route to such recognition is well trodden and whilst we are as a profession most certainly on a fast track when compared to the development of our peer groups in the past we live in a different world today and if we are not to fast track our development of standards we will indeed have missed the opportunity.

The Centre Europeanne du Normalisation (CEN) is responsible for standards within all sectors except electro technology & telecommunications. The standards come from the voluntary work of participants representing all interests concerned, the content is determined by the market via those representatives.

The CEN standards will be applied by the following 28 countries: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Standard PrEN 15221 Facility Management – Terms and Definitions The purpose of this standard is to establish terms that can be understood across all European Countries and bring some common understanding as to what we mean when we talk about Facilities (facility) Management. It encompasses:

• General Terms and Definitions
• Facility Management Agreement related Terms and Definitions
• Facility management model and Structure of Terms.

Within this standard there were 5 different versions of the definition of Facilities Management considered, the final form of words being accepted was:

“Facility Management is the integration of processes within an organisation to maintain and develop the agreed services which support and improve the effectiveness of its primary activities.”

You will note that the term ‘Facility’ is used this reflecting the majority of Countries who use the singular as opposed to the plural which is the term used in the UK and some other countries.

The structure of this standard is as follows:

Introduction

1. Scope
2. Normative References
3. General Terms and Definitions
4. Facility Management Agreement related Terms and Definitions
5. Facility Services Structure
6. Annex a (informative) facility management model
7. Annex b (informative) structure of terms
8. Annex c (informative) structure/ scope of services

This standard is the ‘Mother’ standard and will be considered as the reference in relation to all other standards that might be created in the future.
PrEN 15222 Guidance on Facility Management Agreements This standard has been produced in order to enable and encourage constancy in the development of contracts agreements between the parties regarding the delivery of facilities management services.

The standard has been developed on the basis that it can be used within public or private sectors and indeed can be used within an organisation where it can profile the responsibilities of the in-house team.

The standard is structured as follows:

1. Scope
2. Normative references
3. Terms and Definitions
4. Primary Activities
5. Different Types of Facility Management Agreements
6. Main Characteristics of Facility Management Agreements
7. Preparation and Implementation of Facility Management
8. Facility Management Agreement Structure Annex A (informative) Public Procurement Legislation

Two tables are provided within the standard under the heading of ‘Facility Management Agreement Structure’. These are designed to provide examples of what might be intended in relation to Section 8.1 General Clauses and Section 8.2 Service Level Agreements. Both sections are structured in a table format as follows:
Clause Element of Contract
Intention Proposed Content

Key objectives in the development of this standard are to:

• Promote cross-border client/ facility management contractor relationships
• Improve the quality of facilities management agreements
• Assist in the selection and scope of the right partners to deliver such services
• Assistance in and advice on drafting and negotiation
• Identify types of facilities management agreements
• Aid comparison of facilities management agreements
• Highlight the different types of FM agreements (management level, investment strategies, pricing mechanisms, performance based)
• Outline the main characteristics of FM agreements (relation primary process, necessary components, considerations)
• Identify the stages in preparation and implementation of facilities management agreements (preparation, implementation, ending)
• Voting and time Plan All countries represented within the CEN TC have indicated that they are likely to support the standards as we enter the final voting process. The remaining timetable is as follows:

• March 2006: Document send to formal vote • June/ July 2006: National mirror committees to vote • August 2006: Official Text ENs available • End of 2006: Publication ENs

Future Standards Now that the work on these two initial standards has been completed the focus has shifted to future requirements. With a 3-year timeframe to create new standards the need to start the process again is now. It was decided that the following consolidation of the above and discussion with the TC that the following new work items would be considered when the TC next meets: Facilities Management Processes Benefits: A generic standard for processes is necessary to underpin future standards. Will support the explanation of the FM Model (strategic/tactical/operational). Clarifies the distinction between process and service.

Scope: Process identification; Process mapping (Using standard tools, e.g. IDEFO); Generic process protocols

Classification/cost categories/ Life Cycle Costing (LCC) of building and taxonomy Benefits: Common language for all professionals; Faster, transparent and comparable specifications; Different structures linked together, compatible with each other; Basis for development of tools and systems; Necessary for creating interfaces between systems; Basis for performance indicators and benchmarking.
Scope: Taxonomy; Hierarchic structures, network structures; Structures already defined, included directly or by adaptation; Structures w/different definitions: decide the most suitable or create new; Structures not defined: new definition.

Quality/Service levels (SL) / KPI’s Benefits: Guidance on how to prepare SLA and KPI; Explain how the SLA and KPI contribute to reach quality objectives and how the quality management methods contribute to the interaction between primary activities processes and FM processes.
Scope: Methodologies applicable to all services (but with facility service specific examples)

Measurement of space Benefits: Develop a European standard in terms of accuracy, protocol and usage of space to facilitate benchmarking of facility efficiencies.
Scope: Space m² (and m³) and its use; Process and its use; Inventory of existing space measurement standards in 28 European countries.

With the declared intent to continue with the process of creating standards in Facilities Management it has also been decided, subject to CEN approval, to renumber the initial two standards and any subsequent standards in a manner that will create the family as per the ISO 9000 family on Quality Management. It is therefore proposed to change the existing draft standards as follows:

PrEN 15221 to become PrEN 15222-1 PrEN 15222 to become PrEN 15222-2 All future facilities management standards to follow this logic i.e. EN 15222-x.

Stan Mitchell March 2006 stan.mitchell@keyfm.co.uk

Stan Mitchell has been involved in the development of standards for over 16 years since he started the first region of the Association of Facilities Managers which in 1993 became the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM). He has served on the Council/ Board of
the BIFM since its inception and is currently its Immediate Past National Chairman. He also heads of the International Region of the BIFM.

He is the Chairman of the Facilities Management Committee at the British Standards Institute in the UK and Convenor of the working group that created the European Standard on Facilities Management Contracts.

He has recently been appointed to the Board of Global FM which is a worldwide alliance of member-centred facility management organisations, providing leadership in the advancement of the Facilities Management profession.

In his day job he is CEO of Key Facilities Management (Key FM) which provides consultancy and management services support to organisations large and small across the UK, Europe and farther afield. Key FM was one of the first facilities management businesses to be established in the UK.