Given the current business environment, we are facing a situation where all businesses, big or small businesses, are suffering from sudden and unexpected changes occurring in such a short period of time.
Many of us are slowly coming to realize the new world waiting for us. A world where the slogan “The Certain thing is Uncertainty and The Uncertain thing is Certainty” is our new buddy accompanying us throughout our journey.
With this slogan in mind, businesses across all industries and fields have activated, or will start activating their emergency survival plans very soon.
In other words, large scale restructuring through aggressive cost cutting measures resulting in layoffs, size downscaling, business line prioritization, etc. are already underway. With this in mind, it is almost certain that their focus will shift on the core business.
But what about their non-core businesses? How can they gradually orientate strategies towards these core business goals while making sure of zero interruptions to their overall daily business operations?
How can they make sure that assets and machinery are properly on the working order, no risks or hazards related to fire or electrical equipment, proper and comfortable working environment is ensured, employees are properly catered, all areas are properly cleaned, safety inside and outside premises ensured, utilities are all paid, conformability with rules and regulations properly followed, supplies are well taken care, any projects promptly followed with carefulness, and so on.
After all, the very core business functionality will be impossible without support from the non-core business for reasons described above.
Here is where IFM service providers are steeping in with their know-how on non-core related solutions.
But this is not a straightforward journey for the IFM services providers. In fact, many questions from businesses will arise like; what is the IFM, why IFM, how do we get started, what is the time frame, how can IFM take care of our assets, how much savings, how is the quality ensured, what is the implementation plan, compliance plan, what are improvements, new synergies, and so on.
Therefore, as an IFM service provider, it is our responsibility to make businesses understanding and transition journey to the IFM model as smooth as possible.
What do we mean by IFM and why this model?
As the abbreviation suggests, IFM means Integrated Facilities Management services. Or to put it simply, all non-core functions are performed and delivered as a single package by the IFM service provider.
To give you a quick overview, IFM itself is pretty much in the early stages here in the APAC region as opposed to the quasi-saturated market in Europe and N/A region.
The businesses here are starting to hear and realize the IFM model benefits as well as the impact on their daily operations, courtesy of Gold Bricks FMS.
Throughout various contacts with businesses, we have found that a vast majority of these services are still being done in house while few single or multiple services are outsourced to other service providers.
But what else have we found and the impact on their current strategy? It has resulted on the followings.
· Key decision makers focusing more on tactical and less on strategic long-term matters due to unnecessary time spent on looking after everything
· An oversized hierarchical organization has been created, composed of many FM’ers and associates alike
· These internal FM’ers are dealing with many vendors scattered across the country or region
· In return, tens or hundreds or perhaps thousands of PO’s/Invoices are created on monthly base.
· Each vendor is paid separately and every single PO’s / Invoices are raised and tracked both ways
· New contracts are signed, and old ones terminated
· Nearly all these contracts are 1 year or less
· On emergency situations, businesses don’t know who to call
· No oversight on costs and quality
· In house or outside legal team is fully occupied in non-necessary tasks, quality check needs to be performed for each vendor.
· Finance team is spending their valuable time tangled in daily non-necessary issues
· In house resources need to be properly trained and looked after, resulting on an oversized HR team
· Etc.
The results we have now is a situation where costs are going up, little or no quality improvements, inefficient and complex working environment, too much valuable amount of time lost, etc.
Now, imagine an environment where:
· The Key decision makers decide to outsource their non-core business to an IFM service provider
· They sign one single contract under one single package for all their FM needs
· A streamlined operation emerges where the IFM service provider handles all the agreed SOW and reactive works if/when needed
· The business call just one single point of contact for all inquiries and emergencies
· The business bills just once a month to the IFM service provider for all services related to their non-core activities like; mechanical, MEP/OEP, fire, electrical, engineering, catering, security, pest control, cleaning, landscaping, reception, mail services, and so on.
· The business has quality assured through quarterly KPI’s reviews
· A governance structure is in place for daily, monthly, quarterly, and yearly meetings with all team levels and sides to ensure constant improvement
· A new way of thinking is evolving where the Facility Managers can work with less budgets
· A new tool is created where the businesses not only have better access to services at lower costs, but also have the IFM service provider acts as a counterbalance on current or future spend
· Etc
Sounds too good to be true. In fact, that what we, as an IFM service provider do for a living. We have long understood businesses needs and developed a well thought IFM model so you can just focus on your core business.
The Art of IFM part 2 coming soon.
0 Comments