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FMtoday

THE MAGAZINE FOR FM PROFESSIONALS

TURNING THINGS AROUND

Interview with Gareth Tancred CEO of BIFM

ALSO INSIDE...

RICS

THE CRABTREE PROPERTY GROUP

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INSIDE...

BBC MOVING

‘UP NORTH’ ffice relocations don’t come much bigger than the BBC’s move from London to Salford. It is encouraging, therefore, to see the National Audit Office (NAO) recently issue a report stating the completion of the move will be £9 million below the budget of £233 million initially approved by the BBC Trust.

The BBC has also managed to increase the amount of staff relocating to the north with 38 per cent making the move, eight per cent higher than the original target.

Although controversial, the BBC wanted to address the imbalance between its London-based decision-making and spending with a lacking presence in the north. In 2006, the BBC announced it would move a number of departments to Salford’s MediaCityUK. These departments included BBC Sport, Children’s programming and Radio 5 Live.

In addition to delivering the move under budget, the BBC relocated to Salford on time and maintained broadcast continuity, according to the NAO. Through its move to the modern, dynamic MediaCityUK, the BBC hopes to add value for money to license fee payers by raising its profile in the north of England, improving creativity and benefiting the region economically.

Yet, what is yet to be determined, according to the report, is how effective the move will be on delivering value for money. The NAO said, “Whether the move delivers value for money will depend on the BBC’s ability to achieve a sustained improvement in audience approval in the north, embed new ways of working to achieve efficiencies of £151 million and provide sustainable economic benefits for the region.”

One of the important issues for license fee payers was how the BBC encouraged sufficient staff to move. What caused controversy were the generous compensation offers provided by the BBC. Coming under scrutiny was the remote location allowance that covered the cost of renting property in Salford and travelling to and from London for two years. This enabled staff who were unable or unwilling to commit to moving permanently the option of maintaining their home in the south. The NAO report criticised the BBC for its inadequate controls over exceptions to its relocation policy.

The NAO recommended the BBC clarify its position on employee relocation allowances by maintaining clear records. Robust systems would also show the BBC’s stance is appropriate in all cases. The report also advised the BBC to seek recovery of all allowance payments repayable by staff who leave the organisation.

FM News This month’s top stories

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Gareth Tancred Turning things around

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RICS The home buying ‘time bomb’

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Eddisons Future-proof solutions The Crabtree Property Group Innovation is the driving force

Events Some dates for your diary

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DANIEL STEPHENS EDITOR

FEATURE MANAGERS: VAUGHAN WILKS; JOHN HENSON

ACCOUNTS: NICK CHARALAMBOUS ADMINISTRATION: CHARLOTTE LEWIS

EDITOR: DANIEL STEPHENS ART EDITOR: STEVE WILLIAMS DESIGNER: KATE WEBBER CONTRIBUTORS: JEFF SENIOR; ROB SAMUELS; MATT WARING PRODUCTION: VICKI LINDSAY; LISA POLLINGER

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by CPL (Huddersfied) Ltd. Company registered in England & Wales. All material is the copyright of CPL (Huddersfied) Ltd. All rights reserved. FMToday is the property of CPL (Huddersfied) Ltd. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form whole or part without the written permission of a director of CPL (Huddersfied) Ltd. Liability: while every care is taken in the preparation of this magazine, the publishers cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of information herein, or any consequence arising from it. In the case of company or product reviews or comments, these have been based upon the true and honest opinion of the Editor at the time of going to press.

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THE CATALYST FOR FUTURE BUILDING PROJECTS? AT THE FACILITIES Show, the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) and guests debated the question ‘Is FM the catalyst for all future building projects?’ as part of a panel discussion at the three-day trade show and exhibition.

The session took place on Wednesday 15 May at 11.15am, in the Facilities Show Seminar Theatre, in Hall 2 at the Birmingham NEC. “With the design and construction end of the supply chain starting to look towards facilities management (FM) and occupiers for earlier engagement in the building process, as well as closing the feedback loop to inform future design as part of the post occupancy handover, it seems fair to question whether there will be a time when FMs and occupiers will drive future building projects” said Gareth Tancred CEO of BIFM.

With Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Government Soft Landings (GSL) being mandated from 2016 as part of the UK Government’s Construction Strategy, the discussion aimed to give an overview of some of the key themes and issues being asked of those working at grass-roots across the built environment sector. For example, is the built environment ready for this new way of working together? Do FMs have the skills to be able to engage with the rest of the built environment supply chain? And, whether in practice, designers will ever be interested in a buildings performance after handover has been completed?

The panel discussion was chaired by Gareth Tancred. Taking part was Building Information Modelling (BIM) Ambassador Richard Saxon CBE, James Warne from Boom Collective, Martin

CHANNEL ISLANDS BRANCH FOR BIFM THE BRITISH Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) is set to support the facilities management (FM) profession in the Channel Islands through the launch of a dedicated Branch serving the area.

After identifying a potential need for BIFM support in the Channel Islands, the Institute undertook research to ascertain levels of demand, which showed high interest level for a Branch to serve the needs of FMs in the Islands.

The Branch was officially launched with an event in Jersey on 23 April,

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which was then mirrored in Guernsey on 24 April.

The new Branch is part of the popular BIFM South West Region – winners of ‘Region of the Year’ in the 2012 BIFM Volunteer Recognition Awards, running popular events such as the quarterly training days.

The next scheduled Channel Islands event will be hosted in June, which will highlight the legal issues and requirements of electrical, water and PAT testing.

Read from FM World and Emma Bailey from Agents4FM. Tancred continued: “Richard Saxon’s recent report ‘BIM for Growth’ highlighted the significance of the built environment classified as, property, construction and facilities management all working together. It clearly showed together they contribute 15% of the UK GDP. It also demonstrates how BIM technology can underpin a new collaborative way of working within the built environment, breaking down years of tradition and protocol.”

“BIFM recognises the importance of this and wants to ensure that far from being a paper-based ideology, facilities management understands the role it can play as new BIM protocols become common-place and start to be adopted within building projects.”

FM SHOW MOVES TO LONDON FACILITIES Show 2013 took place in Birmingham’s NEC for the last time before it moves to ExCel London with a number of companies already confirmed to participate In February the organiser of Facilities Show, UBM Live, announced that the world’s largest event solely dedicated to facilities management would be relocating to London’s ExCeL from 2014.

Excitement is already building for the move with a number of exhibitors, partners and associations confirming that they will also

make the move to London in 2014.

Leading associations within the FM sector, the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM and the Facilities Management Association (FMA), have also endorsed the move to London, highlighting the benefits this will offer the industry.

Additionally, a number of leading brands working across the full spectrum of facilities management have also confirmed that they will be exhibiting in 2014 including Grundon Waste Management, MITIE, PHS group along with many others.

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ASSET SKILLS AND CSSA ANNOUNCE MERGER PLANS ASSET SKILLS, the industry skills body for facilities management and cleaning, has reached an agreement in principle with the Cleaning and Support Services Association (CSSA) to look into the benefits of merging the operations of each organisation.

The two organisations have developed a close working relationship over the past ten years and there is considerable overlap in the employers they represent. The aim is to achieve this goal within the next six months, however a final decision will not take place without the approval of CSSA members and an Extraordinary General Meeting will

be arranged for members at an appropriate time.

Steven Proudfoot, Chief Operating Officer of Asset Skills, will act as Interim CEO for the CSSA, following the departure of CEO Andrew Large on 17 May to take up a similar role in another industry. Proudfoot will hold this post for six months with a brief to ensure smooth delivery of all existing service agreements while also working to identify suitable operating and governance models for the merged organisations.

For more information contact CSSA CEO Andrew Large on 020 7920 9632 or Asset Skills’ CEO Sarah Bentley on 0845 678 2 888.

ERIC WRIGHT FM SECURES SPOT ON SOCIAL HOUSING FRAMEWORK

ERIC Wright Facilities Management (EWFM), a division of the Eric Wright Group the property development and facilities management company, has secured a place on a social housing framework for the North West area following a competitive tendering process.

The Preston-based company was appointed to the four-year framework by procurement consortium, Fusion21, which aims to improve lives and communities through its approach to social housing.

EWFM was successful on all nine elements they bid for including fire services, external lighting, periodic electrical inspection, cleaning, commercial catering, laundry equipment and air conditioning servicing.

Kate Bailey, new business manager at EWFM, said: “We are extremely

pleased to have been accepted onto such a worthwhile framework which will enable us to maintain the surroundings of many communities across the North West.

“Our inclusion on this framework will provide a number of opportunities in the future and enable us to further establish ourselves as an innovative company which continually drives new standards in the delivery of FM services.”

During Q1 2013, the Eric Wright Group secured a number of framework appointments, including ones for its construction division with City West Housing Trust and the Homes and Communities Agency. These frameworks will see the firm develop and maintain properties across the North West.

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FMTODAY: GARETH TANCRED

TURNING THINGS AROUND

IT’S BEEN A HARD COUPLE OF YEARS FOR BIFM BUT THE APPOINTMENT OF GARETH TANCRED, LAST YEAR, HAS SEEN A MUCH STRONGER, DYNAMIC AND AGILE ORGANISATION EMERGE areth Tancred’s appointment last year as CEO of the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) was at a critical time for the Institute. It suffered badly during the recession, with membership and income falling as companies cut back, causing a loss in 2011.

Gareth’s immediate task was to turn the situation round quickly. “Last year, our plan was to listen and deliver, and 2012 was about getting the organisation to a place where we could deliver,” he recalls. “We had to repair the Institute financially, restructure it and put in place things our members look for. So we spent considerable time doing that and we’re very pleased with the growth during 2012 and into 2013. We’re now a much more dynamic and agile Institute, we’ve come out of the recession much stronger and we have listened to our members. As a result, we’re positioning the organisation for much more significant expansion over the next three years.”

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FASTEST GROWTH Success can be measured by the BIFM moving from 2011’s large deficit to a significant surplus in 2012, with membership at record levels.

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Consequently, the Institute has generated reserves and is financially secure, with money available to invest in developing new products and services for members.

Improvements have been achieved, as Gareth recounts, through changes that started with the way the Institute works: “We restructured as an organisation. It’s easy just to cull staff but we didn’t do that because I firmly believe the people we had were needed to deliver services to members. So we’ve tried to improve as an organisation, to become more agile, to empower our managers to make better decisions and to get on with things we need to do. I started at the top by reorganising the way we manage ourselves, going from an executive of five to two people. That enabled us to be much faster in our decision making.”

Tough targets were set for some of the BIFM’s commercial ventures, including the annual BIFM Awards. The outcome was a 50% increase in entries and around 100 more attendees.

One of Gareth’s wishes at the outset was to make the organisation more agile and responsive, which has been achieved to some degree. A new branch was opened in southern Ireland to meet demand there, followed in April by a new Channel

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“WE RESTRUCTURED AS AN ORGANISATION. IT’S EASY JUST TO CULL STAFF BUT WE DIDN’T DO THAT BECAUSE I FIRMLY BELIEVE THE PEOPLE WE HAD WERE NEEDED TO DELIVER SERVICES TO MEMBERS. SO WE’VE TRIED TO IMPROVE AS AN ORGANISATION, TO BECOME MORE AGILE, TO EMPOWER OUR MANAGERS TO MAKE BETTER DECISIONS AND TO GET ON WITH THINGS WE NEED TO DO.” Islands branch and a TV documentary on the Business Channel that created interest across the globe with countries seeking facilities management (FM) qualifications.

Those qualifications, as Gareth points out, have increased: “A few years ago we were awarding six qualifications at levels 4, 5 and 6 through three recognised centres and decided we were going to significantly increase both.

“We now deliver nineteen qualifications from level 2, which is GCSE equivalent level example, all the way through to level 7, which is Masters equivalent level example. So we have the complete suite of qualifications accredited within the Qualifications and Credit Framework and internationally recognised, which supports an individual throughout their FM career. These qualifications are delivered through more than twenty recognised centres providing those qualifications.”

REFLECTING MEMBERS’ NEEDS Other achievements include a doubling of attendees at the 2012 ThinkFM conference (www.thinkfm.com), investment in a new website, which when launched will better reflect the needs of members, and FM Leaders Forums that debate hot topics.

The improved fortunes of the BIFM are reflected in the FM sector generally, a recent Barclay’s Job Creation survey

showing 72% of FM providers expect to create jobs this year due to increased sales. Gareth says: “During the recession, there was much focus on cost control. Now the recession is starting to ebb a little, people are going back to more traditional aspects of FM, which is about value and performance rather than just cost. That’s where some of these opportunities are coming in as the sector starts to grow again.”

The growth of FM is creating huge opportunities, both domestically and internationally, that BIFM is keen to exploit. It has representatives speaking at conferences overseas as part of its focus on supporting its members internationally and is frequently asked to deliver qualifications in other countries. “People recognise our portfolio is far better, much stronger and we provide an excellent service for a reasonable membership fee,” comments Gareth.

“We’re proud to be the largest FM Institute in Europe but we want to be the voice of FM across the world. We therefore are focusing on how we develop, support and advance the profession and have challenged ourselves to ambitious development and growth plans over the next three years.” www.bifm.org.uk Tel: 0845 0581356

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FMTODAY: RICS ver a fifth of home buyers who did not take out a home survey are saddled with a property they would never have bought had they been aware of its true condition before purchase, according to new research by RICS. Results from RICS’ survey of home buying consumers, released recently, show that many homeowners who did not take out a home survey are left with a property they regret buying and an average of £5,750 in repair bills.

The survey of 1,017 buyers across the UK found that consumers are clearly aware of the need for independent advice, with 94% of respondents agreeing it is important to commission a survey. However, nearly a third failed to do so. This means buyers are left ignorant of issues with the property, such as structural defects, dry and wet rot, subsidence and many other faults, only for these to become serious

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‘TIME BOMB’ RICS urges homebuyers to consider a survey

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FMTODAY: RICS matters at a later date. The new homeowner may then be unable to afford, or may lose the desire, to fix the faults and may be left with a property they may no longer want to live in but are unable to sell to recoup their losses.

4 89% of respondents who did not commission a survey now think it is important to take out independent advice.

4 73% of people who did commission a survey said it provided them with peace of mind and over 50% felt it was value for money.

Results from the survey of home buying consumers also showed common misconceptions and lack of understanding amongst consumers.

Nearly 60% of respondents incorrectly identified an estate agent’s primary responsibility with 1 in 10 mistakenly believing agent’s act for the buyer, whilst nearly 1 in 5 thinking they act equally for the buyer and seller.

THE LACK OF UNDERSTANDING ABOUT THE HOME BUYING PROCESS IS PUTTING CONSUMERS AT INCREASED RISK AS MANY FAIL TO TAKE OUT FURTHER INDEPENDENT, EXPERT ADVICE. AGENTS CAN AND SHOULD OFFER ADVICE TO BUYERS, HOWEVER, ONLY A SURVEYOR IS TRAINED TO IDENTIFY ISSUES WITH A PROPERTY. THE COST OF A SURVEY IS A SMALL PRICE TO PAY FOR THIS KNOWLEDGE AND PEACE OF MIND. PETER BOLTON KING RICS GLOBAL RESIDENTIAL DIRECTOR

RICS HOME SURVEYS THERE is now a choice of three levels of RICS surveys available to suit the particular circumstances of the client and the property: LEVEL 1 - CONDITION REPORT Provides an objective overview of the condition of the property, highlighting areas of major concern without extensive detail. This option is ideal for buyers purchasing a modern house in good condition and for sellers and owners.

LEVEL 2 - HOMEBUYER REPORT Is most suitable for standard older and modern properties that are in an apparent reasonable condition. It provides a concise report with advice

detailing any significant problems that could make a difference to the value of a property.

LEVEL 3 - BUILDING SURVEY The ‘flagship’ service providing a detailed report on a property. It is particularly useful for older, larger or non-traditional properties, or one which is dilapidated and has been extensively altered or if the buyer is planning a major conversion or renovation.

RICS surveyors are closely regulated and are required to have professional indemnity insurance, which helps to protect buyers if the surveyor fails to detect a fault that later becomes apparent. Buyers can search for a residential surveyor on the RICS

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FUTURE-PROOF

SOLUTIONS AS INNOVATIVE, EXPERIENCED, MULTIDISCIPLINARY CHARTERED SURVEYORS, EDDISONS PRIDE THEMSELVES ON OFFERING A RANGE OF SERVICES TO BANKS, INSOLVENCY PRACTITIONERS, OWNERS AND OCCUPIERS OF COMMERCIAL PROPERTY

ack in 2008, as the economic downturn started to bite, Eddisons took the decision to expand through the down cycle. This was achieved by developing a national office framework of property services, including property and service charge management, and by using the contractual income from those services as the platform on which the business could expand further with minimal risk into other areas such as building consultancy and project management as well as the other transactional and leasing property disciplines.

Eddisons is a leading firm of chartered surveyors that’s been around almost 170 years, historically based in the North of England. The expansion added London, Bristol, Birmingham and Glasgow to its main offices in Leeds and Manchester. It also enabled the company to provide a complete multi-disciplinary offering of property consultancy services right across the country.

Those services include looking after 1,500 properties amounting to 11.5 million square feet

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with 4,500 tenants, which David Rowling has responsibility for as Director of Commercial Property Management. He says: “We deal with all sectors across the entire country including city centre office blocks, multi-let industrial estates, distribution centres, shopping centres and retail parks.

We also manage a large retail portfolio, with one client having about 1,000 retail units nationwide.”

Clients tend to be funds, property companies or high net worth individuals, with Eddisons providing services over the whole life cycle from acquisition to disposal and everything in between including asset management, such as lease surrenders, renewals, re-gearing, maintenance improvement and refurbishment. The day-to-day work is collecting rents amounting to £100 million a year and managing an annual service charge spend of over £20 million.

MAXIMISING VALUE The client is the building owner and the emphasis is on maximising the property value and income.

“It is a challenge but we’re pretty successful at

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that,” remarks David. “We’ve recently carried out an exercise where a major property in the West End of London has all the leases due to end shortly. We’ve completed a series of lease renewals and we’ve largely retained the income for another five years prior to a major redevelopment.”

Leases are usually planned to end simultaneously to provide owners with the opportunity to renew them or redevelop the property and Eddisons is often required to advise the best strategy, often several years in advance, to ensure this opportunity is available without cost or delay. If the decision is to defer development as it was in the case above, the challenge is to retain the tenants to maximise occupancy and income. David says: “We think we know our tenants pretty well and if they want to expand or contract. We talk to them but keeping the building in a good state of repair and good value for money are as important to them as anything else. It’s essential the building they occupy suits them and they feel happy there.”

Keeping the properties in good order can involve a comprehensive offering of FM hard and

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soft services for building occupiers and property management services for owners. In either case, the emphasis is on handling everything fairly for all parties. “We’re big advocates of planning and smoothing cost runs so we don’t have any nasty surprises around the corner,” explains David.

“Our principal aim is to protect the landlord’s interest but we try to do that in as tenant-friendly a way as possible, because ultimately the tenants are our customers as well and without them the value will be reduced.”

THIRD PARTY COMPANIE All maintenance and refurbishments are undertaken by third party companies that go through an extensive approval and selection process that checks health and safety standards, financial standing, insurance and operational performance.

That ensures the quality of the work is high and that buildings are maintained in a safe condition for tenants.

Refurbishments are often recommended by Eddisons to the landlords to keep buildings attrac-

tive to new tenants when leases end. Increasingly, they are also focused on improving the efficiency of buildings in terms of energy use. That’s typified by the Armstrong Point building in Wigan, which has an A+ EPC rating and is the first zero-energy cost business park in the region.

The rising cost of energy is, as David points out, increasingly relevant to building owners and tenants: “We’re improving insulation and building management systems and adding renewable energy. Solar power, rainwater harvesting, heat recovery and making sure the building is as efficient as possible are important. With EPC ratings now having to be provided on any letting or sale, people are taking notice of building efficiency. So it comes into the ongoing management plan preventative maintenance regime.”

In fact, the Energy Act 2011, due to come into force no later than April 2018, will compel landlords to achieve and maintain a minimum level of energy efficiency. This looks likely to be an initial rating of at least ‘E’ as set out in its energy performance certificate.

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FMTODAY: EDDISONS A breach of the regulations may result in a fine and, if the landlord allows the level of energy efficiency to fall below this minimum level, he will not be allowed to let his property until he has carried out prescribed energy efficiency improvements. With some estimates suggesting up to 20% of all UK commercial stock may either be F or G rated, the potential impact is significant and the clock is ticking.

Until regulations under the Act are made, there are a lot of uncertainties for commercial landlords but the underlying message is they need to start thinking about the energy efficiency of their buildings now to stay ahead of the game. If they do not, they face the risk of either not being able to let their property or having to carry out potentially costly improvements in a tight timescale.

Eddisons, through its Synergy team, is able to offer guidance, help and support to its clients in ensuring they are prepared for this change whilst also benefiting from the lower ‘running costs’ a less efficient building will incur.

The attention to detail and extent of services offered are continuing to drive the growth that was instigated in 2008. “Our London office has grown from 25 to over 40 people in the last five years and the other offices are growing as well,” comments David. “The geographical expansion was the key to achieving that growth because it was a case of getting our foot in the door through the property management business and then building on it with the other services.”

www.eddisons.com Tel: 0113 2430101

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INNOVATION IS THE DRIVING FORCE CRABTREE’S MISSION IS TO BE RECOGNISED AS THE MARKET LEADER IN PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

nnovation is driving The Crabtree Property Group in its mission to be recognised as the market leader in property services. This has resulted in a number of acquisitions and new services since the formation of Crabtree PM Limited in 1983, adding sales and lettings, consultancy, property investment and corporate services to its core property management business, all since the management buyout in 2002. In 2012, it set up Crabtree Law to provide legal services, becoming only the seventeenth organisation in the UK to form a law firm by way of an alternative business structure and only the second to do so that wasn’t previously a recognised law firm.

The various parts of the business operate independently but work together to provide complementary services. And the group structure, as

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FMTODAY: THE CRABTREE PROPERTY GROUP

Crabtree currently manages around 17,000 units across some 500 developments. The client list is varied, comprising either companies or individuals that hold freeholds as an investment, resident management companies representing the lessees or property developers that generally hand responsibility to lessees once the property is complete. In the case of developers, Crabtree generally gets involved early in the process. “When they obtain planning permission, they’ll send us a copy of the legal plan,” recounts Terry. “We’ll determine what we believe the budgetary service charges should be because, as soon as the developer starts selling, people want to know the service charges.”

DIFFERENT FOCUS The overall service can run from property acquisition through all aspects of managing it to ultimate disposal, although day-to-day activities mainly revolve around collecting service charges and maintaining properties. It sounds simple but, as Terry

points out, is complicated by serving different types of client: “For resident management companies, our clients are the lessees whereas for investors we’re managing on behalf of the freeholder. We have to follow their instructions but also satisfy the lessees as ultimately they pay our bills through the service charges. So it’s a different focus.”

Irrespective of this, the main concentration is on running and maintaining properties in an efficient and cost-effective manner. This is the responsibility of property managers. A dedicated property manager is appointed to each site, acting as the main point of contact for clients and dealing with everything that arises. Terry says: “The property managers inspect sites regularly, arrange works needed including cyclical works such as painting and decorating, and liaise with the client boards. The accounts department collects the service charges, issues demands and reminder letters, deals with phone calls from people who are unable to pay and looks to collect all service charges from the various

Chairman Terry White explains, provides substantial benefits: “We had four shareholders when we acquired the original business through a management buyout and they’re still in the business. We’re united in our approach and work for each other, so we’re strong together. If somebody needs advice, there’s usually somebody on the Board who knows and we work very well as a unit.”

Property management remains the main activity, accounting for 80 of the 100 plus team and making Crabtree one of the largest independent residential property management companies in the UK. Although there are some commercial elements, generally in mixed use developments, the focus is essentially on residential properties that present different challenges to commercial ones. Not only is there more legislation, but the number of tenants in a block of managed flats tends to be greater than that in an office block of similar size.

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lessees because clients can’t function without the income.”

A major feature these days is that reactive requests come in by telephone or email and an immediate response is often expected. All repairs and servicing are dealt with by third party companies, with the work tendered periodically to ensure a good standard of service at the best possible price.

Contractors are subject to a stringent approval system and, in line with legislation, any one-off work which will cost an individual flat over £250.00 has to go through the Section 20 procedure, which is a three-part consultation process that includes going out to tender and keeping lessees informed of cost and actions.

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Some contractors have been on the books for many years and others are acquired when new properties are taken on but all are subject to the same level of controls. “Much of it is down to talking to people involved with the work,” recounts Terry. “The property managers, for example, have a monthly meeting and talk about contractors. If there are problems, we’ll try to get matters resolved and make sure the work is satisfactory. If not, we have a number of other contractors we can appoint to the position.”

Controls over contractors also apply to health and safety, with Crabtree having a Health and Safety Compliance Officer to deal with internal and client matters. All new properties have communal areas surveyed to identify possible hazards and

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“WE’RE LOOKING TO DEVELOP THE WAY WE DO THINGS SO THEY’RE EASIER AND QUICKER, NOT JUST FOR OURSELVES BUT TO CONTINUE TO IMPROVE THE SERVICE LEVEL TO OUR CLIENTS.” TERRY WHITE CHAIRMAN

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other issues while health and safety conformance is an integral part of contractor pre-qualification. It’s important for clients due to the possible consequences but has cost implications that sometimes need to be explained to persuade clients of the necessity for expenditure.

The overall cost is crucial because a big challenge is ensuring expenditure is limited to the budget agreed at the start of each financial year. That determines the level of service charge to each tenant and the aim is to avoid unexpected costs that may result in additional charges. These usually arise through exceptional circumstances, such as a problem with a roof that needs urgent attention, and can often be avoided by a proactive approach and a thorough PPM regime that identifies and averts potential problems before they arise.

Unexpected one-off demands, especially large ones, aren’t good for tenant relationships and usually the answer is to build reserves from the service charge. However, some leases do not allow sinking funds or similar arrangements so an excess demand or increase to the service charge is sometimes unavoidable. One way Crabtree does try to help is through monthly direct debit payments that spread the cost rather than requiring an annual payment in full. Crabtree hosts a personalised online lessee portal providing account access, text alerts and email correspondence to allow for paperless billing and online payment facilities.

Cost is increasingly affected by rising energy prices, with energy also linked to environmental

issues, and all new build developments have to be carbon neutral by 2016. That has required Crabtree to keep abreast of all equipment it comes across at new properties, such as photovoltaics and combined heat and power systems, with a constant need to research what it has to deal with and provide optimum solutions. At the same time, Crabtree has achieved carbon neutral status in its own operations, with low emission company vehicles, waste recycling and increased online services to cut paper usage. Crabtree was one of the first managing agents to achieve carbon neutral status.

EXPANDING After expanding business services, there are now plans to extend legal services into conveyancing and possibly move into commercial property management. “We’re always looking at new fields and are considering some more online services at the moment,” comments Terry. “We’re looking to develop the way we do things so they’re easier and quicker, not just for ourselves but to continue to improve the service level to our clients. If we can do things more efficiently, they’ll benefit from it. I think we’re fairly innovative, as has been proved with Crabtree Law. I think we’re the only managing agent in the country that has gone down that route and it’s because we see a benefit to clients.” www.crabtreegroup.co.uk Tel: 020 8371 7070

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EVENTS JUNE

5TH – FMA SOCIAL MEDIA TRAINING The aim of the session is to enable delegates to cost-effectively take advantage of the much-publicised social media revolution and how it can help each company to achieve its business goals.

VENUE: London TEL: 07525 727288 EMAIL: Katie@zoodikers.com 10TH – THINKFM 2013 (BIFM ANNUAL CONFERENCE).

This conference seeks to inspire leadership action on all fronts within your role, within your department, within business and within the profession. ThinkFM is the major UK facilities management conference, delivering valuable content to our delegates VENUE: The Royal College of Physicians TEL: 0845 058 1358 WEB: www.thinkfm.com 11TH-13TH – AVEX 2013 AVEX is the largest UK exhibition for vending and water. It takes place every two years and is attended by visitors from around the world. You can expect to see over 150 exhibitors including the industry’s major manufacturers, leading operators and service companies. AVEX offers visitors the most up to date and complete range of products and services available.

VENUE: NEC Birmingham WEB: www.avexshow.co.uk 19TH-20TH – STRATEGIC PROCUREMENT IN FM CENTRAL LONDON BIFM Executive Programme - for facilities professionals working at or aspiring to senior positions in FM and who want to make an impact at board level.

TEL: 020 7404 4440 WEB: www.bifm-training.com/ executive_programmeFS.htm 24TH-25TH – THE 33RD FACILITIES MANAGEMENT FORUM The FM Forum will provide you with face to face meetings with decision makers who have specifically requested to meet with your company to discuss your services. This process will save you months of time and effort.

VENUE: Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire TEL: 01992 374 100 WEB: www.forumevents.co.uk

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27TH – WORLD FM DAY 2013 World FM Day is a Global FM initiative to celebrate the importance of the FM profession. It aims to raise the FM profession profile around the globe, promoting facilities management’s ideals, not only within the profession and industry, but also among governments and the general business community. World FM Day takes place in June every year.

VENUE: Various WEB: globalfm.org

JULY 9TH – THE LATEST BEST PRACTICE IN LEGIONELLA CONTROL AND ENERGY MANAGEMENT The afternoon’s presentation updates are intended to educate facilities managers on different aspects of their latest industry best practice. If this mixed theme is successful it will be repeated at the next Ed SIG event. All feedback is most welcome.

VENUE: Oxford TEL: 0333 323 0207 EMAIL: mark.gale@cataxsolutions.com

SEPTEMBER 12TH – FMA SOCIAL MEDIA TRAINING The aim of the session is to enable delegates to cost-effectively take advantage of the much-publicised social media revolution and how it can help each company to achieve its business goals.

VENUE: London TEL: 07525 727288 EMAIL: Katie@zoodikers.com 12TH-13TH – SIXTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE CENTRE FOR FACILITIES MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT In a time of financial constraints, public sector services have to be delivered with limited resources – and FM is no exception.

But even with the best planning, projects or services depend on procurement models and processes that are aligned to enable them. This conference examines how we develop processes to enable change and manage resources effectively.

VENUE: Sheffield Hallam University TEL: 0114 225 5319/5340 WEB: www.shu.ac.uk

24TH - 25TH – PROPERTY MANAGEMENT & MAINTENANCE STRATEGY FOR FM (BIFM EXECUTIVE PROGRAMME) BIFM Executive Programme - for facilities professionals working at or aspiring to senior positions in FM and who want to make an impact at board level.

VENUE: Central London TEL: 020 7404 4440 WEB: www.bifm-training.com/ executive_programmeFS.htm

OCTOBER 14TH – BIFM AWARDS 2013 Since 2001 the BIFM Awards have recognised excellence in FM VENUE: The Grosvenor House Hotel, London TEL: 01279 712 630 WEB: www.bifm.org.uk/bifm/events/awards/ Awards2013 17-18TH – THE FMP EVENT The Facilities Management & Property Event continues to be the UK's most Senior Conference for End User Delegates from the worlds largest organisations.

Focusing on Key Challenges in FM, Real Estate, Security, Sustainability, and Innovation, we aim to share knowledge and best practice with an advanced workshop programme led by the industries leading professionals.

VENUE: Celtic Manor Resort TEL: 01633 225 040 WEB: www.fmandpropertyevent.com

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FMTODAY SEND ALL THE RELEVANT DETAILS (VENUE, DATE, TEL, WEBSITE) TO STEVE: designer@bdcmagazine.co.uk

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