It takes a concerted effort to manage facilities—especially as they become larger and more complex. That is why facilities management breaks down into specific facility services, many of which are contracted out to vendors and tradespeople under service-level agreements (SLAs). But what are Integrated Facilities Management (IFM) services, and how do they impact a building or community?
The functions of IFM are broad. They can include something as simple as trimming the shrubs in front of a building, or as complex as a complete remodel of a floor. No matter how simple or complex the task, IFM services are important because they shape the experience residents have in their living environment.
IFM keeps facilities running, from rooftop to basement car park. It spans all segments of facilities management, including the building itself, IT, landscaping, property upkeep, emergency systems, and just about anything else incorporated into the building. With such a diverse scope, SLAs become essential to ensure every aspect of facilities receives proper attention.
To make broad facilities management simpler, facilities services are divided into subgroups depending on what they are and how they are managed. There are two types of facilities services: hard services and soft services.
Hard services pertain directly to the building itself. They are inseparable from the building and are typically considered capital expenditures. They often require specialized expertise to service and maintain, and they are strong candidates for life cycle management. Some examples include:
Heating, cooling, and ventilation (HVAC)
Plumbing and plumbing fixtures
Lighting and electrical systems
Mechanical systems outside HVAC
Emergency control systems, such as sprinklers
It is relatively easy to plan for hard services and put maintenance on a timeline. It is also easier to respond to unplanned issues with these systems, since the scope of work is generally covered under an SLA.
The major drawback of hard services is that they are inherently expensive because they involve the very building blocks of the facility. These are also systems that, when out of service, can dramatically affect workplace quality and disrupt operations. You cannot ask employees to work in the dark or endure extreme heat.
Unlike hard services, which are built into the property, soft services support it. Soft services primarily improve the well-being of the people within a facility and help them make the most of their time there. These services are less specialized but are still usually contracted because they are often situational. It is often easier to form a partnership than to carry them out in-house. Some examples include:
Property management
Cleaning and janitorial services
Waste management and haulage
Interior decorating or furnishing
Building security and surveillance
Parking systems and access control
Landscaping
Pest control
While it is easy to plan these services, such as a weekly landscaping schedule, they are subject to more variability. For example, a landscaping SLA may require different services at different times of the year.
One of the biggest issues in managing soft facilities services is quality. Quality and price tend to move together, which can mean compromising one in favor of the other. The budget for soft services also is not usually as robust as it is for hard services, since they are not always viewed as “essential.” It is up to a good facilities manager to find the balance between excellent service, reasonable cost, and strong return on investment.
More and more, facilities managers are opting for a consolidated approach to facilities services. This practice, called integrated facilities management, reduces the number of SLAs and gives more responsibility to fewer contractors and specialists. It is a smart way to consolidate hard or soft services, or even combine them under one SLA.
For example, instead of separate plumbing and HVAC providers, a facility manager may award a single contract to a company that handles both. Or they may combine a broad scope of hard and soft services into one property management contract that saves money without compromising service. Integrated facilities management creates more opportunities for SLA management, which can lead to vendor simplification, cost savings, and better results.
Some organizations providing integrated facilities management (IFM) in Malaysia include:
Purbly Holdings Berhad — specialized in strata residential (JMB/MC) and commercial buildings
GFM Services Berhad — specialized in commercial and corporate buildings
AWC Berhad — specialized in commercial and corporate buildings
Facility management is a sliding scale, where people tend to notice only the extremes. It is only when facilities are falling apart, or when they are flawlessly maintained, that people notice the breadth of facilities services. More often than not, good facilities management goes unnoticed. Why? Because the many services that keep a building functional operate quietly and effectively in the background.
A seamless experience is what every facilities manager should aim for when organizing facilities services. From neatly trimmed landscaping to an HVAC system that keeps temperatures comfortable, to interior décor that feels welcoming, it all comes together to create the “facilities experience.” Well-orchestrated facilities services are what define that experience.
Content By: Ryan Lee