BRITISH INSTITUTE OF FACILITIES MANAGEMENT Number One Building, The Causeway, Bishop s Stortford, Herts. CM23 2ER

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1 JUNE 2009 PART I EXAMINATION EXAMINER S REPORT MODULE 3: MANAGING SERVICES AND MANAGING THE WORKING ENVIRONMENT INTRODUCTION 77 entered the exam and there were a good number of high quality answers submitted resulting in a higher than normal number of credits and distinctions. The case study was themed on an organisation going through a period of change involving a move between premises and changes to the work environment with the questions all being relevant to this scenario Candidates were required to answer all parts of all three questions with a further 10 marks available for presentation. Whilst there were some extremely well presented scripts a number of still lost easy marks by not answering in the correct format and this is an issue that still needs re-enforcing as to its importance. I would particularly encourage to take note of the highlighted words in the question that normally highlight the format and level of detail required. The marking for each question is shown in the table below: Average Mark Highest Mark Lowest Mark Question attempting The overall results were as follows: Grade % % December 2008 June 2008 December 2007 June 2007 December 2006 Distinction Credit Pass Fail of 7

2 Scenario A Financial Institution has brought forward a major programme of change necessary to secure the Company s long-term future. The Board of Directors has recently appointed a new Managing Director responsible for the delivery of these changes through a series of projects, including: The closure of the existing multi-building premises and relocation to a new head office building situated in a major City Centre. Downsizing head office staff numbers from 250 to 175. Potentially outsourcing the provision of all facilities management support services at the new head office. Developing processes to improve the Company s green credentials. There are 250 members of staff at head office; 225 working directly in core financial business in 7 business sectors, with the remaining 25 members of staff working in the facilities management support services department. The facilities management department has grown significantly over the years from the original janitorial role to the present day in-house provision of cleaning, catering, physical security and building services. The Company is justifiably proud of its reputation within the financial industry for excellent service and customer care. However, internally there is serious dissatisfaction with the standard of support services provided by the in-house facilities management team. The Board is therefore considering outsourcing the provision of all facilities management support services for the new head office building. The prospect of moving from the old offices to a newly renovated head office building has been very well received by the majority of staff, not only because of the their dissatisfaction with the quality of the existing working areas but also the resentment against the legacy of providing bigger and better office spaces for senior staff. The new head office is situated in the City s commercial centre offering easy access to public transport, shops and restaurants. The building has been internally stripped in preparation for a total refit. An architect has been appointed to produce designs for the building s internal renovation works. On completion, the architect must obtain planning permission from the City Council before entering the tender stage. The Council has set rigorous targets for environmental management and sustainable development within the City area. A new Environmental Control department has been created within the Council to monitor adherence to environmental legislation by building owners and occupants. You have been recruited as the new Facilities Manager for the head office. 2 of 7

3 You have three tasks (detailed on the following pages) each giving the same number of marks (30 marks each): a total of 90 marks. You may attempt the tasks in any order. However, ALL THREE must be attempted to gain maximum marks. 10 marks will be awarded for overall presentation, giving a total of 100 marks. IMPORTANT In dealing with the case study, you should: a) State clearly any reasonable assumptions which you feel are necessary. b) Note that marks will be awarded on the basis of the relevance of the answers to the case. c) Assume the role of the Facilities Manager. QUESTION 1 The Board has expressed a preference to outsource all support services and is considering a Total Facilities Management contract option. The Managing Director is concerned by the number of risks related to the reliability of building services and is seeking reassurances from you. a) LIST FIVE of the support services which you forecast will be required in the new building. (5 marks) b) DISCUSS HOW you might manage and monitor a Total Facilities Management Contractor to ensure the reliability of the building services. (10 marks) c) DISCUSS the advantages and disadvantages from the provision of support services via a Total Facilities Management contract. (15 marks) I was looking for a clear demonstration of the understanding of the full range of FM support services; the strengths and weaknesses of a Total FM Contract. a) o Cleaning; o Catering; o Reception services; o Mail and porter services; o Security services; o Building services; o IT support services; o Paper supply and reproduction services; 3 of 7

4 o Records management; o Grounds maintenance; o Window cleaning. b) I expected to see a clear understanding of how communication methods can be applied to ensure effective management and monitoring of the contractor; including but not exclusive: o Ensure the sub-contractor is fully aware of your expectations; o Jointly aim for best practice in all aspects of work; o Agree on a culture of continued improvement; o Ensure contractual performance measurement arrangements are in place; o Monitor availability of services; o Scrutinise and discuss performance with sub-contractor management; o Regular on-site meetings to discuss progress and issues; o Regular formal reporting of PPM statistics and matters arising; o Shared access to BMS and asset management software package; o Initiate and sustain an internal and external audit regime; o Obtain customer feedback from building users; c) I was looking for an in-depth discussion, demonstrating understanding at a managerial level, on the advantages and disadvantages gained from a Total FM contract: Advantages from but not limited to: o Simplicity, one-stop shop; o Risk transfer to single operator; o Budget planning from long term fixed price contract; o Reduced in-house FM resources required; o Quality levels and standards built-in; o Regular and routine performance measurement built-in; o Long term supply-demand relationships giving improved flexibility; Disadvantages from but not limited to: o Few suppliers with all skills required; o Sub-contracting specialist skills, thus: Lack of assurance of the delivery of statutory requirements; Lack of assurance of availability of key services; o Perceived lack of competition; o Supply- demand relationship dependant; o Contract variations can be difficult; o Difficult to opt-out. Syllabus ref: QUESTION 2 4 of 7

5 The Managing Director is working with the architect on the layout of the working spaces in the new building to provide effective space and environmental management. They have requested your advice. a) DISCUSS the principles of space allocation, indicating where these might be used to influence the internal design of the building. (15 marks) b) DESCRIBE how facilities management functions might be managed to improve the environment in the building. (15 marks) Question 2 Space and Environmental Management I was looking for a clear indication of the understanding of the principles of space and environmental management and importantly to communicate these intelligently at Board of Director level. The format and presentation of the discussion report was almost as important as the information contained therein for this question; I expected a well structured document appropriate for issue at Board level. The space management principles will be specific to core business; taken from: o The budget available if restricted; o The aspirations of the Board and employees; o Company working practices; o Staff numbers and working routines; o Adjacencies of business sectors and opportunities for shared facilities; o The future working space general configuration: cellular or open plan; o Available space and any constraints from the building structure; o Welfare requirements e.g. toilets, rest/breakout areas and canteen facilities; o Storage and record management requirements; o Conference and meeting room requirements; o Benefits from new technology and future developments; o Environmental issues and impact; o The requirements of legislation and regulations for the working space and building. A fairly straightforward answer was required here, demonstrating awareness of the diverse FM contribution to environmental management; answers may have included but were not limited to: o Careful control of waste disposal; o The provision of re-cycling arrangements; o Control of cleaning materials; o Careful selection of catering equipment (low energy); o Intelligent control of the temperatures in the working environment; o Lighting controls and use of natural light; o Paper use restrictions; 5 of 7

6 o Encouraging good/responsible behaviour e.g. switch it off! o Use of re-cycled paper; o Reduce water use in loos using modern technologies; o Use of low energy lamps and equipment Syllabus ref: , QUESTION 3 The Board s decision to consider outsourcing all facilities management support services is in direct response to staff complaints. You are required to provide assurance to the Board that service levels and staff satisfaction levels can be closely monitored in the new building. a) DESCRIBE the methods you might use to determine what members of staff feel about the facilities management services in the old building, their expectations for facilities management services in the new building and further DESCRIBE HOW you will use this information to ensure improvement in facilities management services in the new building. (10 marks) b) DESCRIBE Service Level Agreements in facilities management contracts and LIST the advantages to be gained from their inclusion. Question 3 Managing Customer Services (20 marks) I was looking for the candidate to clearly demonstrate an understanding of how customer (staff) requirements and satisfaction information is gathered and used to improve service plus an understanding of the importance of SLAs in an outsourcing arrangement. Methods, not limited to: o The use of mailbox questionnaire to existing staff; o The use of an online questionnaire for new and existing staff; o By correspondence from the Board to staff; o Through the use of a 3 rd party research organisation; o Via the trade union; o Regular or extraordinary staff meetings; o Invite staff to attend group sessions or away-days to obtain 121 feedback; FM improvement, not limited to: o Analyse feedback to understand the customer service experience; o Identify areas for improvement; o Discuss findings and solutions with all service providers; o Develop an action plan for improvement; o Provide additional training where necessary; 6 of 7

7 o Create follow-up customer satisfaction check; o Set measurable performance targets for service providers; o Instill continual improvement in service provision; o Confirm FM alignment with corporate objectives; Service Level Agreements: Concept, not limited to: o Specifies the outcomes from all elements of the outsourced service; o A method of measuring an outsourced supplier s performance; o Can include measurement of quality, speed and accuracy. o Able to assess the level service received by the buyer; o May include penalties for reduced performance to incentivise the supplier; Advantages, not limited to: o identifies performance standards that must be achieved; o specifies the consequences of failure to achieve; o may include credits or bonus incentives; o establishes through weighting the level of importance of key service areas; Syllabus ref: of 7