Facilities Management Will Take Centre Stage Post-Pandemic, Says RICS And BDO 

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27 April 2020 | Updated 14 May 2020

FMs will be “the first responders” in inspiring the confidence to return back to work safely, says a report from BDO’s Management and Acquisitions Facilities Management team.

Once buildings start to become occupied again, FM’s essential place in the logistics of completing this in a safe and compliant manner will shine a light on the sometimes overlooked industry, the report says.

BDO UK provides tax, audit and assurance, advisory and business outsourcing services to companies across all sectors of the economy. 

“An industry so often seen as a ‘Cinderella’ profession has taken a central role and it is to be hoped that this recognition will be maintained as we recover and move forward.” 

– Paul Bagust

Global Property Standards Director, RICS 

First responders in reducing the risk of transmission

Satvir Bungar, Managing Director and Head of Facilities at BDO FM wrote in the report, that key sectors that fall under the facilities management umbrella, such as cleaning, health and safety and general buildings maintenance will enjoy a “heightened awareness”.

Bungar writes in the report: “When buildings fully reopen, there will be a heightened awareness around hygiene, food safety, HVAC, and need for new maintenance strategies to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. 

“FM professionals will be the first responders to make sure people feel secure about going back to their working environments. 

“We hope all this starts to change attitudes towards the importance of often overlooked management of facilities at Board level and the increasing need to form effective strategic partnerships with FM operators.“

Predicting the next decade post-Coronavirus 

In the same report, BDO identified eight key trends that they predict could transform FM over the next decade.

The report states that: “These trends aren’t plug and play; operators must have the right strategy and capabilities to get the most from them.”   

1. Integrated value and services to streamline processes and improve performance
2. Workplace personalisation and wellbeing strategies to enhance employee engagement and retention
3. A changing relationship between the client and partner with much more collaboration to develop longer-term partnerships
4. Positive social impact in the built environment 
5. A responsible business model with full transparency and hardwiring good behaviours beyond profit
6. IoT development enabling more visibility across a range of applications with well- defined KPIs to allow data analytics to address costs and performance, thus enabling predictive maintenance 
7. Robotic automation to undertake repetitive and hazardous tasks in order to reduce risk and costs 
8. Augmented reality supporting the operator with remote assisted maintenance 

You can access the report in full here

Picture: A meeting between three people

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 27 April 2020

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