Contractors must embrace FM

Earlier this month the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) published a set of best practice guidelines for the FM function. It is something that all contractors should study carefully.

The Strategic Facilities Management Guidance Note identifies the advantages for businesses which correctly position their FM service. Bam was part of the steering group which developed the guidance.

It’s simple, really - by involving FM at the outset of a construction project, rather than at the end the emphasis is on creating a building that truly has its end users and operators in mind.

The result will be a more functional, efficient and cost-effective building than it would be without FM’s early input, and the client will experience a seamless handover. So the client is happier, the end user is happier, and as a result contractors are happier.

Contractors must embrace the way their buildings are managed and how they perform as being a core discipline for the construction process

No function exists in a vacuum. What does a contractor truly know about buildings if it has never managed one?

For example, all contractors want to drive down carbon emissions. By combining the sustainability capabilities of both construction and FM businesses at the highest level and at the earliest opportunity, we can get far better, long lasting, results for our clients and their projects.

The alternative is to think you know best, keep working in a silo and thus fail to create buildings that are efficient, cost-effective and low carbon at all stages of their lifecycle. 

Construction is always evolving, as are the needs of the people the industry builds for. Contractors must embrace the way their buildings are managed and how they perform as being a core discipline for the construction process. 

Get hold of a copy of the RICS Strategic Facilities Management Guidance Note this week and ensure its messages are distributed throughout your business.

It could be the first step towards preparing your construction company for the future.

Graham Cash is chief executive of Bam Construct UK