FM World 2011-3-24

THE MAGAZINE FOR THE BRITISH INSTITUTE OF FACILITIES MANAGEMENT | 24 MARCH 2011

FM MWorld www.fm-world.co.uk

Agile working, shrinking offices... welcome to the

CASE STUDY:

Robots invade Forth Valley Hospital FEATURE:

The issue of employing ex-offenders

001_FMW_Cover 2.indd 1

16/3/11 17:09:28

We’re right behind you.

Harrow Green believes in people and in helping people to succeed.

That’s why we’ve built a portfolio of services to support FMs to make a difference in today’s business world.

Services include: • • • •

business relocation server migration and desktop moves specialist and secure moves warehousing and storage

• asset and inventory management • records and media management • workspace planning • interior design and construction

• • • •

office refurbishment furniture supply recycling and reuse project management

To learn more about how we can help you, call 0800 0325219 or visit www.harrowgreen.com

www.harrowgreen.com

FMW.24.03.11.002.indd 1

15/3/11 11:14:22

VOL 8 ISSUE 6 24 MARCH 2011

CONTENTS

6 | Japanese nuclear threat

16 | Forth Valley Hospital

24 | The rise of the third space

NEWS

OPINION

FEATURES

6 The nuclear crisis in Japan sparks an FM warning in the UK 7 Government set to save millions by slashing spending on office space 8 Project of the fortnight: profiling the first Breeam ‘outstanding’ health centre 9 FM 100 poll: Does cost reduction always hurt key deliverables?

10 Business news: New entrants to the sector eye up secure, long-term contracts 11 Overall market sentiment is more up-beat as larger firms ride the storm

14 Diary of a facilities manager: David Walker’s regular look at the daily challenges he faces in his working life 15 Five minutes with Robyn Jones OBE, co-founder and CEO of CH&Co 42 Felicity Messing

MONITOR

32| Th!nk FM Nottingham

16

Forth Valley Hospital: Twelve robots are delivering FM services at the £300m health care PPP in Larbert, Scotland, finds Cathy Hayward

20

Ex-offenders: Employing ex-offenders in the right roles can be rewarding for organisations, the individual and society at large, finds Greg Baker

24

Third spaces: Ziona Strelitz suggests that the rise of agile working and the subsequent reduction in office space is creating new pressures for employees

28 Legal: The advantages of Breeam-In-Use 30 How to: Drive down business rates at your premises 31 Careers: the business case for absence management systems

REGULARS 32 BIFM news 39 People & Jobs 40 Appointments

20

Ex-offenders: a helping hand

For exclusive online content including blogs, videos and daily news updates

visit fm-world.co.uk COVER ILLUSTRATION: OIVIND HOVLAND

FM World Jobs – the best place to find FM career opportunities online

visit fm-world.co.uk/jobs FM WORLD | 24 MARCH 2011 | 03

03_FM Contents.indd 03

17/3/11 16:56:30

Telephone answering support

Trial Moneypenny - with no obligation to commit further.

REDUCE operating costs

Your own virtual receptionist will handle GEPPW NYWX EW MJ FEWIH MR ]SYV SJ½GI 8EPO XS us about providing support for your in-house team or a fully outsourced switchboard function.

IMPROVE service levels & resilience

Call: 08000 199 944 Email: info@moneypenny.co.uk Visit: moneypenny.co.uk

In association with:

CAPTURE every call We look after telephone calls.

That’s all we do.

We do it superbly.

one vision many advantages

0844 576 3710

Cost Transparency for your Facilities Services what we do UÊÊCleaning UÊÊM&E Maintenance UÊÊFabric Maintenance UÊÊSecurity UÊÊHelpdesk UÊÊReception & Mailroom UÊÊWindow Cleaning

www.anabas.co.uk Follow us on Twitter @AnabasFM

4 | 24 MARCH 2011 | FM WORLD

FMW.24.03.11.004.indd 4

17/3/11 09:34:42

Redactive Publishing Ltd 17 Britton Street, London EC1M 5TP 020 7880 6200 www.fm-world.co.uk EDITORIAL Tel: 020 7880 6229 email: editorial@fm-world.co.uk editor: Cathy Hayward ⁄ news editors: Louisa Roberts and David Arminas ⁄ reporters: Steve Still and Laura Chubb ⁄ sub editor: James Richards ⁄ assistant editor: Natalie Li ⁄art director: Mark Parry ⁄ art editor: Daniel Swainsbury ⁄ picture editor: Sam Kesteven

CATHY HAYWARD EDITOR COMMENT

LEADER

ADVERTISING AND MARKETING email: sales@fm-world.co.uk display sales executives: Adam Potter (020 7880 8543) and John Nahar (020 7880 6230) ⁄ recruitment sales executive: Norman Cook PRODUCTION production manager: Jane Easterman production executive: Aysha Miah PUBLISHING publishing director: Cathy Hayward Forward features lists and media pack available at www.fm-world.co.uk/about-us SUBSCRIPTIONS BIFM members with FM World subscription or delivery queries should call the BIFM’s membership department on 0845 0581358 FM World is sent to all members of the British Institute of Facilities Management and is available on subscription to non-members.

Annual subscription rates are UK £110, rest of world £130. To subscribe call 020 8950 9117 or email fm@alliance-media.co.uk – alternatively, you can subscribe online at www.fm-world.co.uk/about-us/subscribe/ To order the BIFM good practice guides or the FM World Buyers’ Guide to FM Services call Natalie Li on 020 7880 6229.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Simon Ball, business development manager, Interserve ⁄Jason Choy, director, Persus⁄ Ismena Clout, energy consultant, powerPerfector ⁄ Nick Cook, managing director, Haywards ⁄ Rob Greenfield, director for health, safety, environmental and quality, Sodexo ⁄ Anne Lennox Martin, FM consultant ⁄ Peter McLennan, joint course director, MSc Facility Environment and Management, University College London ⁄ Lionel Prodgers, principal, Agents4FM ⁄ Chris Stoddart, general manager, Heron Tower ⁄ Jeremy Waud, managing director, Incentive FM ⁄ Jane Wiggins, FM Tutor and author ⁄ Chris Wood, senior associate at Advanced Workplace Associates

Average net circulation 11, 654 (Jul 09 – Jun 10) FM World magazine is produced using paper derived from sustainable sources; the ink used is vegetable based; 85 per cent of other solvents used in the production process are recycled © FM World is published on behalf of the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM)

by Redactive Publishing Ltd (RPL), 17 Britton St, London EC1M 5TP. This magazine aims to include a broad range of opinion about FM business and professional issues and articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the BIFM nor should such opinions be relied upon as statements of fact. All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced, transmitted or stored in any print or electronic format, including but not limited to any online service, any database or any part of the internet, or in any other format in whole or in part in any media whatsoever, without the prior written permission of the publisher. While all due care is taken in writing and producing this magazine, neither BIFM nor RPL accept any liability for the accuracy of the contents or any opinions expressed herein. Printed by Pensord ISSN 1743 8845

BIFM ENQUIRIES

British Institute of Facilities Management Number One Building, The Causeway, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire CM23 2ER

s crisis management plans go, Japan’s was a well-prepared one. After the 1995 Kobe earthquake, the Japanese have become world leaders in seismic technology and all modern structures are designed for earthquakes – and older buildings retrofitted appropriately. Buildings shorter than three storeys have reinforced walls and foundation slabs of a certain thickness, while taller structures have innovative earthquake-resistant designs that undergo regular review by structural engineers. Mid-rise buildings often rest on huge rubber or fluid-filled shock absorbers which slide from side to side, dissipating lateral motion and turning it into heat. Buildings sway in high winds but that helps to prevent them disintegrating into reubble when earthquakes hit. Every household is instructed to keep a survival kit with a torch, radio, first aid kit and enough food and water to last for a few days, and issued with instructions such as avoiding placing heavy objects in places where they could easily fall during an earthquake and cause injury or block exits; having a fire extinguisher to hand; and being familiar with the local evacuation plans in their area. Earthquake planning is a key part of all organisations’ business continuity planning, and the Japanese view crisis management planning as a core business activity – it is simply an essential way of life.

This is a country used to quakes as the Japanese archipelago is located in an area where several continental and oceanic plates meet. But the recent earthquake in the north of the country, measuring 8.9 on the richter scale, followed by a series of aftershocks many of which were larger than the earthquake which devastated Christchurch last month, a tsunami and the resulting nuclear emergency, demonstrated that no crisis management plan, however carefully prepared and well practised, can cover all eventualities. The crisis management plan for New York’s Twin Towers, for example, included the notion that a plane might strike the towers.

But it was envisaged that this would be an accident on the way back to a New York airport and the planes would therefore be almost empty of fuel. Of course when the planes hit on 11 Septemmber 2011, they were full of fuel which exercerbated an already disastrous situation.

The crisis in Japan is expected to be the world’s costliest natural disaster – in the region of £100bn. As facilities professionals, all we can do is to plan for realistic and anticipated emergencies. No doubt, crisis management plans in earthquake prone areas are being revisited at the moment, and of course it’s a timely reminder for all facilities professionals to dust off the business continuity plan and make sure it’s suitable for today’s business – and continually rehearsed and updated.

But of course it’s not just earthquakes and natural disasters which can rock a company.

Cotswold Geotechnical was fined £385,000 last month after becoming the first company to be convicted of corporate manslaughter (see page 29 for a review of the decision). The sum amounted to 115 per cent of its annual turnover and could well result in the company’s liquidation.

The message is clear: while the horror of earthquakes and the shocking loss of life make the headlines, a lack of proper health and safety management can quickly result in not only reputational damage and massive fines, but also in the company’s demise. And all this is in the hands of the facilities manager.

A

“THE JAPANESE VIEW CRISIS MANAGEMENT PLANNING AS A CORE BUSINESS ACTIVITY AND A WAY OF LIFE”

Tel: 0845 0581356 email: admin@bifm.org.uk web: www.bifm.org.uk

www.fm-world.co.uk

05_Comment.indd 05

FM WORLD | 24 MARCH 2011 | 05

17/3/11 17:10:30

FM NEWS SIGN UP FOR FM WORLD DAILY AT FM-WORLD.CO.UK

Nuclear crisis sparks FM warning The crisis at Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan following the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and the tsunami it subsequently triggered is raising serious questions about highrisk installations all over the world, according to the chair of the BIFM’s business continuity special interest group, Stephen Dance.

Dance told FM World that, while a comparable natural disaster happening in the UK is unlikely, the effect of massive damage to similarly sensitive sites ‘needs looking at, irrespective of the source of the damage.’

Giant waves sparked by the biggest earthquake in Japan’s history flooded generators at the Fukushima plant, shutting down its cooling systems and threatening meltdowns at three separate nuclear reactors. Plant operators scrambled to pump seawater into reactors to cool them down, as batteries for the emergency cooling system depleted very quickly.

As a result of the crisis, the British Embassy has advised that British nationals remain outside of a 80km radius of the plant.

Dance cited a terrorist attack as an example of something that could cause an equivalent crisis in the UK. “Irrespective of the specific threat, we need to ask how we would deal with this kind of damage,” he said.

“I expect that at high levels in regional utilities companies and governments around the world, people are looking at high-risk installations and asking if there are lessons to be learned.”

Japan is renowned for its 06 | 24 MARCH 2011 | FM WORLD

6-7_FM News.indd 06

preparedness in the face of such disasters, with measures including specially designed sea walls to prevent tsunami damage. However,

PA

LAURA CHUBB newsdesk@fm-world.co.uk

Nuclear plant: FMs to reassess

the scale of this month’s quake was unprecedented, and is being described as the fourth largest quake in the earth’s history.

Dance’s comments have been echoed by governments around the world, calling for rigorous reassessments of safety. German chancellor Angela Merkel is re-examining last year’s decision to renew 17 nuclear plants for an average of 12 years in Germany.

She said that the problems at Fukushima “teach us that risks that were considered absolutely improbable are in fact not completely improbable.”

Austria’s environment minister has called for atomic stress tests to ensure that all of Europe’s nuclear facilities are “earthquake proof” and an emergency meeting of EU nuclear safety authorities and operators is expected.

PHOTOLIBRARY

MANAGEMENT

Staff violence reduced by A&E redesign?

Promise of White Paper on energy reform LAURA CHUBB newsdesk@fm-world.co.uk

The government’s White Paper on the electricity market reform package will be published before the summer parliamentary recess in July, energy and climate change secretary Chris Huhne vowed at the House of Commons Energy and Climate Change Committee hearing earlier this month.

Huhne also revealed that plans for a feed-in tariff with contract for difference would be central to reforms, and that it is likely there will be different levels depending on the maturity of different technologies.

He argued that contract for difference would support renewables at a lower cost than the Renewables Obligation (RO).

The RO is the main support scheme for renewable energy projects in the UK, placing an obligation on UK suppliers of electricity to source an increasing proportion of their energy from renewable sources. A Renewables Obligation Certificate is a green certificate issued to an accredited generator, with one ROC issued for each megawatt hour of eligible renewable output generated.

Electricity market reform

aims to ensure that low-carbon technologies are the dominant form of energy generation by 2030, requiring an estimated £110bn of investment.

Huhne insisted that the measures in the package, which include proposals for carbon price support to be announced in the Budget on March 23, would deliver the necessary power market decarbonisation, provided the correct incentives are set.

A Renewable Obligation Certificate is a green certificate issued to an accredited generator, with one ROC issued for each megawatt hour of eligible renewable output generated www.fm-world.co.uk

17/3/11 16:57:58

NEWS

BRIEFS departments safer and more pleasant environments for staff and patients.

A 2009 NHS survey revealed that 11 per cent of staff had experience physical violence from patients of visitors over the past 12 months.

The NHS Security Management Service also found that physical assaults on staff had risen across the health service.

Lord Bichard, Chairman of the Design Council said: “This is a great opportunity for designers to really make a difference to staff and patients and, hopefully, save money.”

The project - Reducing violence and aggression in A&E by design follows the success of similar interventions by the Design Council and the NHS to improve patient privacy and dignity and reduce MRSA and C. difficile.

Hospital A&E departments could be redesigned in a bid to reduce violence and aggressive behaviour towards NHS staff.

A year-long project, commissioned by the Department of Health, is looking for a design team to work on making A&E

Renewable plans Businesses, community groups and households will get cash for using renewable energy sources under a new government scheme.

The Renewable Heat Incentive unveiled this week has ring-fenced an £860m pot designed to stimulate growth in green technology.

Pubs, schools, libraries and health clinics using solar panels and groundsource heat pumps can access the fund.

Energy Secretary Chris Huhne said the aim was to reduce carbon emissions and increase green technology investment by £4.5bn by 2020.

He said: “This is a scheme will support all of the technologies that can replace carbon technologies.”

Households will be able to get payments, which will last for 20 years, from October 2012. Businesses can access the scheme from September and some payments can be applied for from July.

The RHI should reduce emissions by 44 million tonnes of carbon to 2020, equivalent to the annual amount emitted by 20 new gas power stations.

Design Council merge The Commisson for Architecture and the Built Environment will merge with the Design Council on 1st April.

The new body will be the government’s advisor on design in business innovation and the built environment. The organisation will provide advice to councils, developers and communities through major development projects.

Six of Cabe’s 20 staff will transfer to the Design Council, which will retain its name and Royal Charter charity status.

It will no longer be a non-departmental public body, and will have a new governance structure.

Bsria launch guidelines The latest edition of Bsria’s Rules of Thumb - guidelines for building services is due to be published next month.

The 5th edition, which derives information from industry practice and experience rather than theory, is useful for calculating values, setting outline targets and comparing different options during the early stages of the design process.

Visit bsria.co.uk/bookshop for details on pre-launch offers on the guide.

CENTRAL GOVERNMENT

Government to slash office costs The government is set to cut millions in costs by slashing unnecessary spending on office space and reducing expensive property leases.

As part of the strategy, the government has already reduced property related costs by £48m as a result of the lease moratorium introduced last year.

The lease moratorium is a ban on signing new government leases – it was originally imposed for ten months, but has since been extended until 2015.

Francis Maude, Minister for the Cabinet Office, said: “These savings are an excellent example of how across Whitehall we are driving down back office costs so we can protect important services on the front line. www.fm-world.co.uk

6-7_FM News.indd 07

ALAMY

NATALIE LI natalie@fm-world.co.uk

“The moratorium on leases we introduced last year is working well and that is why just earlier this week I announced even tighter national property controls. Our drive for savings doesn’t stop there, the new advisory panel of property experts will help us identify areas

where we can save money and ensure that no longer are millions of pounds squandered on expensive property leases and wasted office space.”

Head of the Government Property Unit, John McCready outlined that the new set of national property controls would be spread across the central, civil and operational estates which go beyond the existing lease moratorium and include approval by exemption for any new property acquisitions over £100,000.

Savings already made include office moves such as the Crown Prosecution Service which moved from Ludgate Hill to Rose Court in SE1 in June 2010, taking over 15,000 square metres off the civil estate and delivering cost reductions of over £9m a year.

Students explore city life Architecture students have been asked to think about how we live and work, and the ways that future building and urban space design could affect that, as part of an industry competition.

The KPF/AF Student Travel Award, called ‘Work/Life Patterns of the Future’ asks students to present a project which demonstrates how the transformation of our cities has been influenced by emerging technologies.

They also need to think about how the way we work is changing, as well as how urban spaces influence our professional and personal lives.

Workplace Law’s jobs arm Workplace Law has launched a new recruitment division, called WPL Recruitment.

The new business, which will be based in London and Cambridge, will focus on filling positions in FM, human resources and health and safety.

WPL Recruitment will build upon Workplace Law’s expertise in employment law, health and safety and premises management, the group said.

FM WORLD | 24 MARCH 2011 | 07

17/3/11 16:58:36

FM NEWS SIGN UP FOR FM WORLD DAILY AT FM-WORLD.CO.UK

PROJECT OF THE

FORTNIGHT NEWS BULLETIN

Environmental health departments struggle Environmental health departments across the UK are struggling to cope with their workload because of staff shortages caused by sweeping budget cuts.

At least 25 councils have reported that they have already lost environmental health staff, are expecting redundancies or have a recruitment freeze in place. Dozens of senior posts remain unfilled.

A survey for Environmental Health News – the journal for the Chartered Institute for Environmental Health, has revealed that departments on average have lost two full-time equivalent front-line staff in the last six months.

Around 35 EHO jobs are threatened in Rochdale by plans to merge environmental health with trading standards. And in Worcestershire, seven authorities are merging environmental health, licensing and trading standards services with a reduction of staff from 165 to 120.

SIA invites participants to a new survey

ISTOCK

First Breeam ‘outstanding’ for health sector The UK’s first ever Breeam ‘outstanding’ health facility has been created in Tyne & Wear.

Wilmott Dixon, in partnership with the NHS South of Tyne & Wear, is building the £17m Houghton-Le-Spring Primary Care and Leisure Centre, which scored 86 per cent in its design stage assessment.

So how has did the company achieve the rating?” To begin with, renewable energy is supplied by 135 sq ft of solar thermal panels that preheats domestic hot water, alongside 3,767 sq ft of photovoltaic panels and an 18m high wind turbine. Ground source heat pumps supply natural heat to the entire building.

The project details read like a environmentalist’s fantasy wish list. Other green features include a ventilation system which uses a 1m thermal wall that runs through the centre of the building, feeding individual rooms via 49 chimneys which provide fresh air at a constant temperature.

The site was designed by P+HS architects, with Mott MacDonald as M&E engineers, LJJ as the building services contractor, Southern Green as the landscape architect, Cundall Johnson as the structural engineer and Breathing Buildings providing the ventilation system. It also includes electric car plug-in points in the car park, exporting redundant heat to the nearby sports centre. There are exposed concrete soffits which provide natural cooling at night, a green sedum roof which encourages biodiversity and attenuate rain overflow to reduce drainage, as well as a rainwater harvesting system. Ninety eight per cent of waste from the project is being diverted from landfill. The building will be completed in June, when it will undergo a post-construction review. It is expected to retain its ‘outstanding’ rating as well as a targeted EPC rating of ‘A’.

08 | 24 MARCH 2011 | FM WORLD

8-9_FM News.indd 08

The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is inviting approved contractors, security suppliers and security buyers to participate in its fifth annual ACS review.

The review is expected to inform changes to the regulatory regime within the private security industry, announced by the government in October 2010.

The government has said there will be a “phased transition to a new regulatory regime”, and the SIA is currently working with the government to plan future regulation.

Although the review will not ask how the ACS or regulation should change, it does seek to build an overall picture of the industry, which will inform subsequent consultation.

Visit the SIA website and click on the 2011 ACS Review link on the homepage to take part in a survey if you are a security buyer, security contractor or an approved contractor.

£550m released for green office grants More than half a billion pounds will be released over the next three years to help UK businesses invest in energy efficiency products as part of a low carbon scheme.

All businesses will be able to apply for ‘green growth finance’ loans from 4 April to install anything from low energy lighting to biomass boilers in their workplace. All applications will be assessed by the Carbon Trust, while Siemens will provide financial backing and manage the funding. The loans will be repayable for a period of up to seven years.

Tom Delay, chief executive of the Carbon Trust, said: “Driving green growth in the UK is key to our economic recovery. A missing ingredient at present is access to affordable finance to enable business to make green investments. This new major finance facility will improve business competitiveness, cut carbon and boost green growth.”

John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace, added: “A green growth strategy can only work if it is backed by green finance. Deals like this, alongside the development of a green infrastructure bank, could be a tipping point that the UK economy needs to get out of the current doldrums.”

Unlicensed guards lands director in trouble A company director has been fined after pleading guilty to supplying unlicensed security guards.

Wilson Bowman was ordered to pay £500 at Hamilton Sheriff Court in Scotland on Thursday for one count of supplying an unlicensed operative.

The 38-year-old was director of Master Site Services which supplied security for construction sites but is believed to have ceased trading.

He repeatedly ignored the formal warnings he received for his offending and claimed the guards were in-house and not subject to the regulations. www.fm-world.co.uk

17/3/11 17:11:22

NO 66%

FM 100 POLL

WE ASKED 100 FMS… Do cost reduction strategies always have a negative impact on organisation’s risk profile considering health, safety, security. environment and customer satisfaction?

Two thirds of respondents to this issue’s FM100 poll say that cost reduction doesn’t have to impact on an organisation’s risk profile.

All will have had experience of this subject over the past few years – there can be very few organisations, from either the public or private sector, that haven’t issued their FM department with an order to reduce costs.

“But it is possible to achieve positive outcomes in all of these

ares,” says one FM. “When producing a strategy, the impact should be considered and a decision made on what is acceptable.”

Another agrees – real cost savings comes from “an innovative re-engineering of delivery which can be demonstrated and should be carefully audited”, he says.

However, he warns of the pitfalls of overpromising cost savings, without considering the consequences on the shop floor.

YES 33%

“It can be a huge ego trip for senior finance and operational managers to promise savings to the board without really knowing how they will achieve it.

“No one in the chain wants to be seen as negative but at some point someone has to face the fact that you cannot squeeze costs any

HSE to cut surprise visits by a third LAURA CHUBB newsdesk@fm-world.co.uk

Recently leaked plans to slash unannounced workplace health and safety inspections will put millions of workers across the UK at risk, the TUC’s general secretary Brendan Barber has warned.

A leaked letter written by the Health and Safety Executive’s chief executive Geoffrey Podger has revealed the body’s intention to cut surprise inspections by up to a third.

Responding to the proposals, Barber blamed government spending cuts for putting UK workers at risk.

He said: “If government cuts to HSE funding do result in fewer safety inspections, unscrupulous employers will simply assume they can get away with taking risks with the safety and wellbeing of their staff, without fear of ever being prosecuted.”

Unannounced inspections have www.fm-world.co.uk

8-9_FM News.indd 09

long formed a key aspect of HSE enforcement. Barber noted that ‘the possibility of an unexpected visit from either an HSE or a local authority safety inspector helps keep employers on their toes’.

Reasons for the cuts range from ‘relative cost-effectiveness’ to cases in which on-the-spot inspections are not deemed ‘necessary or useful’. But plans to remove the practice from entire sectors of industry have come under fire from unions and safety advocates, particularly as Podger’s letter admits that some of the sectors set for cutbacks pose ‘significant risk’.

The HSE’s own workforce has also been quick to condemn the plans, with HSE unions Prospect

and the PCS claiming that there will be an increase in injuries and occupational disease.

Barber added: “The government needs to demonstrate that it is committed to improving health and safety, and show that it is by reversing the cuts to HSE and local authority funding, which are putting the safety of millions of workers across the UK at risk.”

“The possibility of an unexpected visit from either an HSE or a local safety inspector helps to keeps employers on their toes”

more and maintain the quality and integrity of service.”

However, another says that cost reduction initiatives can have a positive impact on areas such as safety, security and the environment. Critics of the HSE’s plans to cut workplace inspections (see below) would disagree.

Refurbs needed to cut carbon An average of one building every minute will need to be refurbished between now and 2050 to meet national targets for carbon emissions reduction, according to the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers.

Around two million commercial and non-domestic premises will need refurbishing together with 26m homes, Cibse says. The institute’s national conference will focus heavily on the refurbishment challenge when it arrives in London in April.

The UK has set an ambitious target for cutting carbon emissions.

It is believed that the UK’s reductions target of at least 25 per cent by 2020 is the most cost-effective way of helping the EU’s international commitment – to cut emissions by 80 per cent by 2050 – to be met.

Cibse’s technical director Hywel Davies said: “The Cibse national conference will explore how the building services industry can provide the knowledge and skills necessary to make [the refurbishment requirements] possible.”

FM WORLD | 24 MARCH 2011 | 09

17/3/11 17:11:43

FM BUSINESS SIGN UP FOR FM WORLD DAILY AT FM-WORLD.CO.UK

ANALYSIS

New players eye up tough FM sector

DREAMSTIME

GRAEME DAVIES newsdesk@fm-world.co.uk

The competitiveness of the FM sector is well known and the March ‘results season’ has shown how, despite the monster order books some companies are sitting on, maintaining margins remains the biggest challenge to most companies out there as customers push ever harder for value for money while input costs edge higher.

Indeed, the FM sector promises to get even more competitive with new players and incumbents eyeing the sector as a source of secure long-term business when elsewhere things are not so certain. In the past few weeks, we have seen construction specialist Kier vow to push into the sector and other incumbents such as Mitie add to their service offering in a bid to remain competitive with the big players who bestride the FM sector.

Kier’s chief executive Paul Sheffield accompanied its solid full year results presentation with a vow to push the business into FM, a market where he reckons the company only has a half a per cent share, currently. And with a war chest of £144m in cash, and banking facilities of up to £70m it could make significant headway rather rapidly through acquisitions. In its construction business, Kier already has a healthy order book secured

10 | 24 MARCH 2011 | FM WORLD

10-11_FM Business.indd 10

through long term framework agreements and obviously fancies replicating this in the FM sector.

Meanwhile mid-scale FM provider Mitie has added to its FM services roster by forming a National Mobile Services division through the merger of its lighting and multi-site FM business which will deliver technical FM services nationwide. With 700 staff, Mitie reckons it will have one of the largest mobile property maintenance businesses in the UK, something it hopes will allow it to win extra business.

And the growing importance of FM services to the property industry was emphasised earlier

this month at the annual property industry shindig in Cannes, Mipim, where delegates were treated to an educational seminar on the future of FM in the real estate sector. This was the first time in the history of the Mipim event that FM was the specific feature of such attention, emphasising the increasing interest among property companies in proactively maintaining and improving their estates.

The property sector is having to readjust to a less expansionary period where development rates are significantly down on previous years, especially with public sector building work drying up. The latest industry figures, for the final quarter of 2010, showed the value of new building projects in the UK had slumped by almost a third to £4.9bn compared with the final three months of 2009. Stand out falls were seen in the education sector, where project value was

down by 30 per cent and in large scale civil engineering projects where the value of work halved.

Such figures illustrate how the emphasis in the property sector is increasingly on sweating existing assets and that means improving and maintaining estates rather than simply relying on replacing themselves and this should benefit the FM sector. But the one other significant theme coming out of the slew of recent results is just how tough it is becoming to maintain margins.

This has never been the most profitable sector but competitive pressures have stretched margins across the board, a situation that usually favours those companies with the broadest service offerings and the strongest balance sheets, hence the drive into diversification and growth by acquisition among middle tier operators.

Graeme Davies writes for Investors Chronicle

Contract wins

NEW BUSINESS SERCO has signed a multi-million contract with the Ministry of Justice to provide Prisoner Escort and Custody Services within the new National Offender Management Service region of London and the East of England. The contract is worth around £42m per annum for seven years, with options to extend by three years on a year-by-year basis.

MORRISON has agreed a deal to manage repairs and response services at 10,500 homes across Bedfordshire.

The contract was awarded by Salix Homes to cover the Central Salford, Beechfarm and Rainsough Brow estates and starts on April 1.

COMPASS GROUP UK has won a number of new retail contracts with hospitals around the country. The deal worth £1.7m in turnover includes Tunbridge Wells Hospital in Kent,

OCS has won a contract with Sprucefield Shopping Centre in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, which is owned by Marks and Spencer. OCS will be managing the control room

which will now have a Costa outlet onsite.

and providing manned guarding.

BABCOCK has signed a three-year deal to manage nuclear sites in Didcot and Dorset. The firm will supply environmental monitoring services.

NORLAND MANAGED SERVICES has won the contract to manage maintenance at Heron Tower, set to be the City of London’s secondtallest building when it’s completed in spring. The company will supply mechanical and electrical support for its office accommodation, restaurant and three floors of retail, parking and management services for £1.3m a year.

WILLMOTT DIXON has secured a multi-million contract to revamp a leisure building in Hertfordshire.

The deal with St Albans City and District Council is worth £19.5m. The three-phase project is to replace Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre. www.fm-world.co.uk

17/3/11 16:27:12

FM sector sees some light at the end of tunnel Despite UK GDP falling by 0.5 per cent in January there is no doubt that overall market sentiment in FM has improved since the dark days that followed the demise of Lehman Brothers in October 2008.

Hold on for the good times Many medium-sized and larger companies have ridden out the storm and conserved cash in anticipation of increasing growth through acquisition at or near the foot of the market. Conversely, smaller companies have struggled through the downturn. Many

small business owners will have personal guarantees on overdrafts and will have worked practically unpaid for two years. With larger companies tendering contracts tighter and tighter to protect or grow turnover, surely it is the right time for small business owners to press the button and consider a trade sale. As the old truism goes if you can’t beat them, join them.

M&A now?

For opportunistic companies with cash reserves, 2011 offers business owners the chance to complete excellent value deals.

Organic growth remains hugely challenging for the majority of firms in our sector, with tighter margins and increased internal costs the order of the day. Firms are continuing to undercut each other, and price has become more important than quality for many FM customers. Many small and medium sized companies continue to struggle despite the

BUSINESS BRIEFS

better overall economic outlook.

As a recent FM World poll of SMEs confirmed, consolidation throughout the market looks inevitable.

What is a good deal?

A good deal is when you pay your adviser more than you pay for the company you are acquiring. Small businesses are continuing to look for bigger, safer homes. Although sale prices have declined considerably since the heights of 2008, vendors will still prefer to consolidate rather than go into liquidation. For larger companies with geographical and speciality gaps surely this is the right time to pick off the smaller, weaker companies who have overstretched themselves and are now on the brink of bankruptcy.

Nick Atherton is the managing director of Morphose, an M&A advisory firm specialising in FM

Strong growth at Balfour Beatty Balfour Beatty reports strong profit growth in its full-year results for the year ending 31 December 2010.

Balfour Beatty has reported pre-tax profit up 20 per cent to £319m, lifting its group operating margin to 3.2 per cent, up from 2.7 per cent.

The firm also boasts a record order book up 8 per cent at £15.2bn (2009: £14.1 bn). Revenue grew more modestly, up 2 per cent to £10.5bn.

The facilities management and business outsourcing sectors, which come under Balfour Beatty’s Support Services division, were intensely competitive but volumes of work held up reasonably well, the firm said.

Revenue in the overall division was £1.4m, profit £51m and the order pipeline £4.5m. Margins www.fm-world.co.uk

10-11_FM Business.indd 11

stood at 3.6 per cent, down from 3.8 per cent.

“We are pleased with the resilient set of results achieved in challenging market conditions in

a number of our major markets.

The diversity and strength of the group is evident in the overall performance, said chief executive Ian Tyler.

Balfour Beatty full year results (£m unless otherwise specified) Revenue including joint ventures and associates Group revenue Profit from operations ● before exceptional items and amortisation ● after exceptional items and amortisation Pre-tax profit ● before exceptional items and amortisation ● after exceptional items and amortisation Earnings per share ● adjusted1 ● basic Dividends per share Financing ● net cash before PPP subsidiaries (non-recourse) ● net borrowings of PPP subsidiaries (non-recourse)

2010

2009

Change (%)

10,541 9,236

10339 8,954

+2 +3

338 206

280 295

+21 -30

319 187

265 265

+21 -29

34.7p 21.0p 12.7p

34.4p 37.1p 12.0p

+1 -43 +6

518 (270)

572 (248)

2009 accounts restated for the adoption of IFRIC 12 Service Concession Arrangements Per share data restated for the bonus element of the 2009 rights issue 1 before exceptional items and amortisation of intangible assets

G4S looks to China Security services giant G4S is planning to make acquisitions in Brazil and China this year after emerging market growth helped deliver a 4.2 per cent rise in 2010 profit.

Chief executive Nick Buckles said: “Acquisition spend will be around £200m this year and there will be a focus on building businesses in developing markets such as Brazil and China.”

The announcement comes as the FTSE 100 company’s revenues in Britain look likely to take a hit, owing to the government’s spending cuts.

Interserve profits surge Interserve has announced its pretax profits are up by 32 per cent on the first half of 2010.

The group has £1.6bn worth of work secured for the year. This year will be stable compared to 2010, the group said, with margins improving in the support services division towards an expected 5 per cent.

CEO Adrian Ringrose commented: “Interserve traded in line with expectations during challenging conditions in 2010, with an excellent performance from project services.”

He added: “We believe we have the capability to double earnings per share over five years.”

RBS saves Fountains The environmental management arm of Connaught is now part owned by the Royal Bank of Scotland.

The deal means that Fountains, the ground maintenance firm bought by Connaught in 2009, is believed to be secure after Connaught went into administration in September.

The group that bought Fountains also includes financial services specialists Alchemy Partners.

FM WORLD | 24 MARCH 2011 | 11

17/3/11 16:27:22

FM EVENT MIPIM ANNA KING

Thoughts turned to the public perception of the property sector at this year’s Mipim conference in Cannes, after several high-profile arrests, reports Anna King

PERCEPTION PERCEPTION PERCEPTION? M

ipim, the annual property forum in Cannes, acts as a health-check of the market, part of which takes place before delegates even arrive. The price of a flight (a cool £650 in my case this year – reasonable

by Mipim standards), the sheer number of invitations and locations for receptions, lunches and presentations and the quantity of press releases received, all give an indication of what to expect in the week ahead.

Despite attendance figures being similar to last year, reportedly up 7 per cent to 18, 600 (investors comprising a vital 25 per cent of that figure), it was still nowhere near the dizzy heights of 2007/2008.

Yet this was a very positive Mipim, as Gill Parker, joint managing director of design business BDG workfutures, explains: “Mipim is just about the best barometer of the marketplace.

The cautious optimism I observed

12 | 24 MARCH 2011 | FM WORLD

12-13 mipim.indd 12

reinforces just how delicate recovery will be, but it is happening and there is a lot of action in the pipeline. The bankers were present not because they felt they should be but because they have money to invest in schemes that will boost opportunity for business.”

A couple of reports prior to the event had suggested that the flashy yachts would be back in abundance along with returning market confidence and that the property fold had brushed themselves off and were ready for a week of selfcongratulation and celebration.

However, any bullish behaviour would have felt unseemly after the arrest of the Tchenguiz brothers in connection with the collapse of the Icelandic Kaupthing bank. As well as being a moment of high drama among the Mipim crowd, it was a timely reminder of the public perception of the wealthier factions of the sector, while also re-emphasising the need to talk about why Mipim counts back in the real world.

Why it all matters And it really does matter. While a cynical eye may question the wisdom of many County Councils spending public money on a gathering like Mipim, the reality is that they have to be there to ensure that their region – be it Manchester, Birmingham or Leeds – is well and truly on the map for investment, which will create jobs and improve the standard of living from which many will benefit.

We operate in a global economy

and this recession has proved more than ever that no-one can rely on one source of funding.

The merging of public and private money was very much an underlying theme, Alex King, co-chair of the UK Country of Honour steering committee explained that as the UK government get to grips with the national debt, there would be new opportunities for investment in the country’s infrastructure.

He anticipates a new variation on the public-private partnership (PPP) arrangements that have gone before.

A true trump card for the UK this year was the accolade of being named as Mipim 2011 Country of Honour. Mipim & Mapic Asia director, Filippo Rean explained why: “The UK has played a vital role in the creation of cross-border investment and the real-estate sector becoming international,” he said. “London remains Europe’s largest financial centre.” This gave the UK contingent the perfect www.fm-world.co.uk

17/3/11 13:49:06

MIPIM

London Mayor Boris Johnson addresses delegates (top)

“ANY BULLISH BEHAVIOUR WOULD HAVE FELT UNSEEMLY AFTER THE ARREST OF THE TCHENGUIZ BROTHERS”

opportunity to remind those willing to listen of some key achievements; for example, the enduring influence of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors through its Red Book; and the Building Research Establishment’s most successful innovation, the BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) which is now used all over the world, with more than 200 ‘000’ buildings certified and over a million more registered for certification.

Destination London Of course, we cannot forget the Olympics, which is huge in terms of property investment and legacy. For those with a keen investment eye, the international spotlight has been well and truly shone on East London. Property consultants CB Richard Ellis estimates that since 2007, almost 360,000 sq ft of offices, 70,000 sq ft of shops and 2,700 homes have been developed across Stratford, Canary Wharf, Greenwich www.fm-world.co.uk

12-13 mipim.indd 13

Peninsula and the Royal Docks.

As the new property world begins to take shape, I also observed FM and property departments strengthening their links – possibly the result of having to consider multiple bottom lines that include finances, sustainability as well as the social interaction of the people that occupy the buildings.

As a long-term attendee of eight years and exhibitor for the last four, David Clements of Future Designs, a business that designs and supplies lighting solutions to major blue chip clients, thinks that times are changing: “Mipim is evolving and Future Designs is proof of this. There is more synergy now between FM divisions and the developers, construction companies and fit-out contractors, which is influenced by the constant drive to reduce carbon usage.”

David goes on to explain why Mipim is still a very powerful tool for business. “Our client base seems to have more time and inclination when away from the day-to-day dramas that confront us all at home. Additionally, I see many people just by chance who perhaps I don’t have contact with in the UK. Mipim brings people together.”

It is clear that before the economy recovers, collaboration and co-operation will be key – let us hope this remains at the forefront of business strategies as the financial benefits start to roll in again. FM

AWARD CATEGORIES BUSINESS CENTRES Chèque Déjeuner Headquarters at Carré 92 Gennevilliers, France Architect: Art & Build Architect Execution architect: Jean-Paul Rozé Developer: AG Real Estate FUTURA PROJECTS Sustainable Urban Redevelopment Takamatsu, Yamaguchi, Nagahama, Numadu, Ohita (five cities), Japan Planner & Architect: Tokyo University Machizukuri Graduate School All projects, Planner & Architect: Machidukuri Company Sheep Network Takamatsu project, Developer: Takamatsu Marugamemachi Machidukuri.

Yamaguchi project, Developer: Machidukuri Yamaguchi.

Nagahama project, Developer: Nagahama Machidukuri.

Numadu project, Developer: Life Style Center Numadu Minami GREEN BUILDINGS 3M Italy headquarters, Malaspina Business Park Pioltello – Milan, Italy Investor & User: 3M Italia SpA Architect: Mario Cucinella Architects Developer: Prelios HOTELS & TOURISM RESORTS The Park Hotel Hyderabad Hyderabad, India Architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP Developer: Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels REFURBISHED OFFICE BUILDING First Tower Paris La Défense, France Redeveloper & Project Manager: Altarea Cogedim Investors: AXA REIM / BEACON CAPITAL PARTNERS Owner: BEACON CAPITAL PARTNERS Architects: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates and SRA Architectes RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS Savonnerie Heymans Brussels, Belgium Architect: MDW Architecture Developer: CPAS de Bruxelles As part of the Country of Honor program, the jury has also awarded the best project located in the UK: W Hotel London, United Kingdom Architect and Interior Designer: Jestico + Whiles Developer: McAleer + Rushe FM WORLD | 24 MARCH 2011 | 13

17/3/11 13:49:27

FM OPINION THE DIARY COLUMN DAVID WALKER

David Walker is facilities project manager at Northumbrian Water

“NOW IF I AM HONEST WE DON’T HAVE A SPACE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY IN PLACE” ROOM F OR IM P ROV EM EN T

management proves a headache S pace this week as the management team dictate the transfer of 12 members of staff to another office. But a golfing break in Turkey offers a welcome escape from it all Despite carrying out quite a large refurbishment project over the past year or so in which the building and the way we work within the building have been transformed, I still find myself struggling with a problem I guess many of you have – that of space allocation and the use of available space.

Now if I am honest we don’t have a space management strategy in place – it is something I have looked at over time and tried to implement on occasions. But due to the ever-changing needs of

the business and the demands it places on the space, at times, this has proved difficult as I find myself responding to the needs of a particular department without considering the bigger picture.

I also find that, at times, the business makes decisions without considering what else is going on and indeed, whether the decision taken can actually be accommodated.

A perfect example of this happened just last week when there was a brief issued by the

management team that a particular department would be transferring from one office to another office.

Fine in theory, however, prior to the announcement of the brief there was no consultation with myself as to whether they would actually fit.

In fact, the move only required 12 staff to be transferred, but with storage etc would require in the region of almost 1300 sq ft – not a lot but when space is at a premium this has caused me a headache, since we don’t have the space.

I have come to the conclusion that a one-size-fits-all approach would not work or indeed best serve the interests of the business.

A strategy would require support from the top and support the needs and priorities of the business. It would also cover working practices, cost effectiveness, budgets and space guidelines.

I think, at times, you can get bogged down with office politics, but as long as you take into account the impact and implications of the change on work and customers then you can continue without a strategy in place.

Aside from that, I have my design hat on with the aim of coming up with a plan for a building which used to be part of our logistics department. The challenge this time is that we have a large void of six metres between the raised floor and ceiling height.

I am therefore trying design a form of bulkhead to the suspended ceiling which would enable me to drop the ceiling height while maintaining straight, clean lines.

On a personal note, I am off to Turkey next week to play in the pro am golf tournament. I am looking forward to this as I have played lots of team sports over the years.

BEST OF THE WEB The latest views, comments and reaction across the web

1⁄

What mobile phone apps are useful for facilities professionals?

Find out at http://linkd.in/ fCr6l0

2⁄

#FMCoach Liz Kentish talks about the gender debate in FM World article http:// bit.ly/fp20WE

3⁄

Check out Rollright’s finest on their Boris bikes http:// twitpic.com/47uqot 14 | 24 MARCH 2011 | FM WORLD

14-15_Opinion.indd 14

4⁄

Listen to BIFM volunteers talk about why they’ll be going to Th!nk FM this year (5-6 April in Nottingham) http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=tGbA9YzAsxk

5⁄ NetworkwithBIFM Posted by Wendy Mason: I’ve been blogging at Wisewolf Talking for the last couple of years!

Now I’ve decided to

add another blog to the Wisewolf family – Leaving the Public Sector – and I’m seeking help.

Following the 2010 UK Government Spending Review it was revealed that between them, UK government departments were expected to shed over 100,000 civil service posts as part of their efforts to reduce administration costs. The UK government’s cull of quangos, in which 192

public bodies are to be abolished and a further 112 will be merged, will also contribute to an overall headcount loss in the civil service. Many public servants have already been invited to consider taking voluntary redundancy, and many more will be invited to do so as reorganisation plans begin to take shape.

Compulsory redundancies cannot be ruled out.

For many public servants this is a time to consider

the future and the challenge it presents.

I will welcome contributions from those with experience of leaving, or supporting people leaving, the public sector.

6⁄

Do you agree with this definition of facilities management? No? Then get editing! http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Facility_ managementindeed www.fm-world.co.uk

17/3/11 17:14:06

You can follow us at twitter.com/FM_World and cathy_fm_world facebook/fmworldmagazine

BEST OF THE

FMWORLD BLOGS 1⁄

Universities: What do we know?

Michael Pitt/professor of FM Innovation at UCL In terms of what universities know it is always easier to speak from experience. At UCL, we have an MSc course in FM which is fed by research itself often carried out at the university. The key here is that the people who are actually doing the research are also teaching the latest techniques that they themselves have developed. Good practice is to recognise where gaps in knowledge exist and to fill them appropriately through guest or visiting lecturers. Many years ago, my own MSc at Heriot Watt University was delivered in part by staff from Reading University enabling the best student experience possible. I went on to work at Heriot Watt for ten years. Research projects in FM should be viewed as value-adding exercises.

2⁄

FIVE MINUTES WITH NAME: Robyn Jones OBE JOB TITLE: Co-founder and chief executive COMPANY: CH&Co

It was a surprise and a delight to be recognised on the New Year’s Honours List in 2011. I’ve since received more than 250 congratulatory phone calls, texts and emails.

February 18 2011 was an important day in my career when I received my OBE at Windsor Castle.

I was made redundant in 1991 so set up my business in the back bedroom of my home.

Keeping my expectations low, I thought I’d be very happy if I could win three contracts. Today, our annual turnover stands at almost £75m and the group employs almost 2,000 people nationwide.

Fate is a fickle mistress

John Bowen/chair of BIFM’s Procurement Sig I wrote here the other week about how we might be remembered, a thought brought on by having seen a couple of the buildings I used to manage demolished. Time passes; things move on. This week other incidents have sparked me off along the same lines though. One was being reminded of two 40-something ladies meeting on a road I frequent two or three times a week, and the other was the pictures of the water sweeping in across north-eastern Japan.

Success requires persistence, commitment, and a strong drive.

Delivering promises is crucial to the success of a business. You need to be able to see projects through.

Over-delivering is a must.

A stagnant business is a dead business, in my opinion.

My very first contract was with Guide Dogs for the Blind, closely followed by Brooklands Museum and Sony UK, both in Weybridge.

3⁄

Can FM be socially responsible but still be competitive?

Lauren Grest/FM graduate at Rollright Facilities One of the key incentives for companies to outsource is reducing their expenditure on facilities and this is reflected in something we all feel; the ever decreasing opportunities for higher margins. In today’s tough economic climate and with the formalisation of the tender process, this has led to some service lines becoming commoditised (http://blog.rollright. co.uk/2010/10/is-fm-a-commoditised-industry/) especially in cleaning.

A typical tender for a single service line such as cleaning is often a slash and burn exercise. Reducing hours, reducing numbers and ultimately, starting the process of downgrading pay to as close to minimum wage as possible.

www.fm-world.co.uk

14-15_Opinion.indd 15

Working through two recessions has been tough but working from a low base and not overspending was the way to cut costs. First time around we worked from home, no plush offices for us. It’s all about being lean and mean.

Maintaining high standards is so important to me.

I like to stand back and view operations as a customer would.

My husband Tim, a chartered accountant, joined us full-time in 2000. He was voted in as chairman during a dinner party with friends.

FM WORLD | 24 MARCH 2011 | 15

17/3/11 17:19:39

FM FEATURE CASE STUDY CATHY HAYWARD

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCT: LAING O’ROURKE HARD AND SOFT FM SERVICES: SERCO FINANCE: BANK OF SCOTLAND AND EUROPEAN INVESTMENT BANK CIVIL AND STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING: WSP BUILDING SERVICES: DSSR IN-PATIENT AND DAY CARE SPACES: 860 COST OF THE HOSPITAL: £300M LENGTH OF THE PFI CONTRACT: 32 YEARS ROBOTS ON SITE: 12

Photography: Peter Searle

Cathy Hayward meets the robotic recruits of Scotland’s Forth Valley Royal Hospital who are helping to deliver FM safely and hygienically

16 | 24 MARCH 2011 | FM WORLD

16-19_ForthValley.indd 16

RISE

OF THE

ROBOTS icture a hospital and images of bustling corridors spring to mind, full of patients being wheeled on beds or wheelchairs from A to B, visitors bearing fruit and flowers, nurses wheeling trolleys of medication with FM staff banging trolleys of food and drink, rubbish and dirty linen from end to end.

Noise levels are high as people shout to be heard over the din of trolleys trundling up and down and banging into walls.

Which is why, when FM World visited the new Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert, Scotland, we could have been forgiven for thinking we were in a corporate HQ or retail environment.

Walk through the doors of the £300m PPP hospital, which opened

P

last August and whose final phase will open this July, and the first thing the visitor sees is a Starbucks, swiftly followed by a WH Smith and an M&S Simply Food.

And while there are a few people milling about and sitting around on the comfy (and stylish) reception sofas, the main entrance doesn’t have that usual hurried feeling of a hospital where people dash around looking confused about where they are. Partly that’s because of good signage (each floor has a different colour scheme reflecting the changing seasons) but also because there are several entrances to the facility – the main entrance, an A&E entrance, a separate access to the mother and baby department, the renal department and mental

healthdepartment. There is also a discrete blue-light road straight to the A&E department. “The different entrances take the flow of traffic to different parts of the building, which allows the main entrance to retain a sense of calm,” says Mike Mackay, Serco’s contract director who oversees the 32-year PPP contract for soft and hard FM services.

Going with the flow Delve further into the building and that sense of peace pervades.

Not just in the circular multifaith facility on the ground floor, but throughout the wards and common areas. There is little bustling to be done at Forth Valley, partly because the hospital is not yet fully operational – services www.fm-world.co.uk

17/3/11 16:53:47

FORTH VALLEY HOSPITAL

Serco’s Mike Makay (bottom) oversees hard and soft services for the PPP contract

FM QUICK FACTS

£300m 860 12 PPP cost

in-patient and day care spaces (when complete)

robots

WATCH An FM World tour of Forth Valley Royal Hospital at fm-world. co.uk

and patients from Stirling Royal Infirmary will transfer in July – but mainly because of the decision, by NHS Forth Valley at tender stage to request the segregation of flows.

Mackay explains: “They didn’t want the public wandering around areas where patients were going for operations.

“They wanted to avoid lift lobbies where patients, visitors and FM staff with clinical waste or patient food competed for the lifts, for reasons of privacy, dignity, security and infection control.”

Mackay has been with Serco for more than 20 years, working at hospitals in Scotland, Leicester and Surrey.

That segregation also creates a calmer environment for patients www.fm-world.co.uk

16-19_ForthValley.indd 17

as you don’t have linen, food and waste trolleys rattling up and down corridors mingling with patients and their visitors, he explains.

Visitors can only access patient areas at set times, although they are free to use the hospital’s other facilities throughout the day.

And the facilities management traffic is kept completely separate from patients and clinical staff so you will never see trolleys of dirty laundry, clinical waste or food and drink being wheeled around.

A segregated lift strategy helps: there are 11 service lifts; six visitor lifts and four beds lifts – two of which go down to the basement to access the mortuary. This is all supported by half a kilometre of subterranean service tunnels allowing FM

staff and goods to move unseen, underneath the building, popping up in the lift to certain areas.

Mechanical wonders While the ‘segregated flows’ strategy is the key success of the hospital, it has been the introduction of automatic guided vehicles which have caught the headlines – and patients’ imagination. Serco purchased 12 robots, looking a little like small white forklift trucks, which act as unseen porters around the hospital. They take food trolleys from the kitchen in the basement in the FM lifts to one of 30-40 hub areas where it is then collected by housekeeping staff and served to patients. Food is cooked fresh on site, delivered

to the wards in bulk and plated in front of the patients. The robot pages the ward housekeeping staff on their PDA to let them know the food arrived. When the ward housekeeper places the used food trolley in the robot bay, the system automatically dispatches a robot to collect it; when the robot arrives an electronic card using RFID technology is read by the vehicle which instructs the delivery location.

Other ‘dirty’ hubs contain waste chutes which carry general waste and soiled linen to waiting wheelie bins in the basement.

Sensors tell the robots when the bins are full and they carry them along the concrete service tunnels to the waste compound.

All cardboard is separated at source but all other waste taken away by a third party and sorted – around 85 per cent is then recycled. Clinical waste containers are collected from the ‘dirty’ rooms via the lifts by a robot. The robots also deliver sterile clinical supplies to theatres and a robotic pharmacist dispenses drugs.

“The idea is that a robot moves along the tunnel and can go up to any floor without meeting the public or going into any clinical space. This improves privacy and dignity for the patient; reduces the risk of healthcareacquired infections; improves FM efficiency as we’re not waiting for lifts and trying to squeeze in among general and clinical traffic; and the patient and visitor FM WORLD | 24 MARCH 2011 | 17

17/3/11 16:15:16

FM FEATURE CASE STUDY CATHY HAYWARD

experience is calmer,” says MacKay. Importantly, it also frees up support staff time to focus on patients.

The robots follow preprogrammed routes and have sensors on their front and sides, but Mackay points out this is more to protect the robot than people – although he demonstrates that if you stand in front of the robot it will stop immediately. On the top of the robot sits a revolving laser which triangulates the robot’s position with reflective strips on the walls. The robots are selfcharging – when they reach 60 per cent of power they take themselves to the charging area.

Automatic pilots The robots are part of the hospital’s FM helpdesk system, supplied by SoftSols. It monitors the robots, generating performance management statistics as part of an automated system which flags an alert if the robots fail to deliver on time, automatically allocates and dispatches porters based on their location in the hospital, takes food orders, and manages reception, estates maintenance, security and cleaning.

Although Forth Valley Royal Hospital is the first in the UK to install robots, they are a tried-and-tested technology elsewhere. Before the Forth Valley installation, Mackay visited Ohio State hospital to look at the robots which also move food and waste. The same technology is in use across Europe and Serco is a preferred bidder for the Fiona Stanley hospital in Western Australia which will have robots.

Although the health board had asked for segregation of flows, apparently they were surprised when the consortium of which Serco is part, presented the robot solution. “We are not contracted to provide the robots, we are contracted to provide portering, catering and waste management services. How we do it is our call.”

18 | 24 MARCH 2011 | FM WORLD

16-19_ForthValley.indd 18

Twelve robots operate in the 0.5km of tunnels that run beneath the hospital site

MacKay emphasises that robots are a new build not a retrofit option. “Robots need space. To retrofit robots into a building would be challenging. You need to think about the space and how the robots interface with different systems such as fire and lifts.”

And more automation is on its way at Forth Valley. In October the hospital will introduce a mail sorting machine that scans mail at high speed with an optical lens and then posts it into pigeon holes.

The robots work off an advanced wireless network which exists throughout the building and extends into the car park and supports a variety of FM activities such as the real-time data transfer for PDAs. For example, housekeeping staff order patients’

food on PDAs, usually at the preceding meal that information is immediately received by the kitchen. This ensures that food waste is minimised.

Keeping tabs Asset tracking is also a key issue: MacKay and his team are in the process of putting RFID tags on key equipment. This includes motion sensor RFID tags so they can tell whether, for example in the case of a wheelchair, it is in use. The tags also have a temperature sensitivity so they can monitor temperatures within areas – for example in fridges, so they can be monitored centrally.

Eventually, food temperature monitoring will also be done wirelessly.

Other technology innovations include one card which acts as a security access control card, opens automated lockers and provides the staff subsidy in the impressive canteen.

From the outside, the building looks different from more traditional hospitals. Its circular structure is reminiscent of Bexhill’s De La Warr pavilion but owes its shape less to architectural desires than practicality.

The hospital was built from the inside out, unlike other buildings which are typically designed the other way around, explains Mackay. The clinical adjacencies took priority over everything else.

The theatres are all together in the core of the building with the other services and departments designed www.fm-world.co.uk

17/3/11 16:16:50

FORTH VALLEY HOSPITAL

TIMELINE

May 2006 Serco is selected to provide support services for the new NHS Forth Valley Acute Hospital under a 32-year PPP deal

May 2007 financial close reached

August 2010 services from Falkirk and District Royal Infirmary move to Forth Valley

September 2010 mental health services transfer to Forth Valley

18 April 2011 Phase 3 of the building will be handed over to Serco

July 2011 services from Stirling Royal Infirmary will transfer and the 32-year PPP contract for Serco begins

around them. This makes for more efficient use of space and it is also very logical from a maintenance perspective.

The theatre ceilings are sealed for infection purposes and so the plant is situated on the floor above, all in one place, making it easier to service and maintain.

Expansion has been built into the design – it can easily accommodate another ward should the need arise. The wards can also be converted to single rooms.

A dose of good design Infection control has been taken very seriously in the design phase – the blinds in every room, for example, are placed within the double glazing; the patient TVs can be fully submerged in www.fm-world.co.uk

16-19_ForthValley.indd 19

water; 50 per cent of the rooms have single beds; and there is a minimum 2.2m between beds (this used to be 2m). Microfibre cleaning, disposable curtains and ozone disinfection are also used to control the risk of infection.

The patient areas of most hospitals in the UK face south so the patients can benefit from the sunshine. At Forth Valley, they face north because the sun sets so low in Scotland that it would result in glare and blinds would then be used which would shield the view. It also prevents the patient areas from overheating

in summer. Huge windows mean the whole building is infused with light and views across to the Forth Bridges and the Lomond Hills and of the hospital site itself where there are woodland walks, ponds and landscaped courtyards.

The building has also been cleverly designed with all users in mind. Walk down one of the main clinical corridors and windows of different size and shape, looking out over the internal courtyards and atrium, ensure that patients in wheelchairs, on a trolley or walking all get a view of the outside.

The Forth Valley Royal Hospital is the first UK hospital to have a Starbucks and also a break in tradition for Serco, which doesn’t often use third party coffee providers. But the move has been popular not just for visitors but also for patients – when their visitors take them down to the Starbucks (which is every inch the same as the highstreet equivalent) they feel as though they are having a break from hospital environment which can be hugely beneficial.

Under one roof The building is one of the largest NHS construction projects ever built in Scotland and one of the most modern and well equipped hospitals in Europe.

Due to its sheer size and scale, services have moved across to the new site on a phased basis.

On 2 August last year, acute services from Falkirk and District Royal Infirmary moved into the building, followed by mental health services last September.

The third and final phase involves the transfer of acute

services from Stirling Royal Infirmary, including A&E, which will transfer on 12 July 2011.

Stirling and Falkirk Infirmaries are being redeveloped as community hospitals. Mackay and NHS Fit Out will be handed over the third phase of the building in April. When complete, the hospital will have 860 in-patient and day care spaces.

Serco is part of the project team led by Forth Health, a joint venture between John Laing and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, which includes Laing O’Rourke as the design and construction partner, who have funded, designed, built and shall provide the hard and soft FM services for the next 31 years. The FM services, which have been procured under an output based contract, will be market tested, either by benchmarking or full tender, every seven years.

Work in progress Mackay acknowledges that the building needs some minor modifications. A wall in the service tunnel is being knocked down and the tunnel configuration slightly changed to improve the efficiency of the robots. At the same time the waste compound, which currently has three sides will be completely enclosed because of low temperatures for the staff working there.

Despite his obvious passion for technology, Mackay is circumspect about the application of the technology in the hospital: “You can have all the toys and technology but at the end of the day, it’s the people who make the building exceptional.” FM

“THE PATIENT TVS CAN BE FULLY SUBMERGED IN WATER AND 50 PER CENT OF THE ROOMS HAVE SINGLE BEDS” FM WORLD | 24 MARCH 2011 | 19

17/3/11 16:18:59

FM FEATURE EX-OFFENDERS GREG BAKER

HELPING

HANDS GETTY

Despite the significant stigma, ex-offenders can be a valuable part of a facilities management team, if appropriate steps are taken, writes Greg Baker

20 | 24 MARCH 2011 | FM WORLD

20-23_Offenders.indd 20

he United Kingdom has the unfortunate status of leading the Western European league table in the proportion of its population who have been convicted of a crime. With re-offending rates stubbornly high and the government promising a ‘rehabilitation revolution’, just what can be done to reintegrate ex-offenders back into the workplace?

Probably the greatest single reason for the rate of re-offending is a lack of stable paid work, according to the UK’s National Action Plan to Reduce Re-Offending; seventy five per cent of offenders leave prison with no form of paid work to enter into.

Tim Pogson, head of Asset Skills Scotland, says: “Many inmates in Scottish prisons attain their BICS qualification and work within the prison cleaning and leave with many of the relevant skills for FM work.

Showing how this can lead to a fulfilling career is an essential part of getting ex-offenders back into the workforce.”

Pogson, who recently ran a series of employability training schemes at HMP Addiewell West Lothian notes that “one common objection raised by inmates was that of the difficulty of getting into work with a criminal record. The fact that getting a job interview is seen as extremely difficult for ex-convicts makes acquiring confidence and employability skills vital if they are to succeed at gaining employment.”

T

www.fm-world.co.uk

17/3/11 16:54:30

EX-OFFENDERS

A pilot scheme by FM group Mitie in conjunction with A4e in Hollesley Bay Open Prison, Suffolk is looking at ways to correct this. The course, which involves 12 offenders, runs for 12 weeks and is designed for prisoners with between three and six months left on their sentence.

“One problem with courses currently run in prisons is, although they provide valuable skills, all too often they lead to nothing as the prisoner is unable to find employment on release,” says Colin Dobell, managing director of Mitie Care and Custody.

The course is designed to provide both industry level training in a variety of skills, while also providing broad ranging employee skills, such as timekeeping, communication and motivational skills.

At the completion of the course the participant is provided with an electronic record of their performance – called the Mitie passport – designed to provide employers with a realistic assessment of the abilities of the ex-offender. Furthermore for those who excel during the course there is the real prospect of a job with Mitie on release.

Dobell stresses the importance of bringing the realities of the workplace into the scheme, he says: “The course is about getting people used to working at an almost industrial pace in a disciplined working environment, enabling them to communicate with www.fm-world.co.uk

20-23_Offenders.indd 21

colleagues and getting them used to the general requirements of the workplace.”

However well prepared an ex-offender is for work, there is the problem of Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure, Tim Linehan, Change the Record campaign manager at Nacro (National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders), says: “Far too many employers require a CRB check where it is clearly unnecessary, and what is worse, around 90 per cent of these are enhanced checks (specifically designed for people working in especially sensitive areas).”

Linehan believes that the law surrounding disclosure is unclear, stating that some 11 per cent of all CRB checks are carried out illegally as evidence of the confusion that is rife. “Local government and health authorities are particular offenders and have a tendency to make huge numbers of totally unnecessary checks.”

The deterrent effect of disclosure on ex-offenders is clear, over half of employers would not offer work to ex-offenders and only 18 per cent would take on a trainee with an unspent conviction according to a MORI survey. As such, when disclosure is required, it is worth considering reinforcing that only relevant convictions will be taken into account in order not to discourage legitimate ex-offenders from applying.

Linehan believes that this is compounded by

“TOO MANY EMPLOYERS REQUIRE A CRB CHECK WHERE IT IS CLEARLY UNNECESSARY”

FM WORLD | 24 MARCH 2011 | 21

17/3/11 16:23:17

FM FEATURE EX-OFFENDERS GREG BAKER

“OF 144 HR

PHOTOLIBRARY

MANAGERS WHO HAD EMPLOYED EX-OFFENDERS, ONLY 8 HAD ANY PROBLEM WITH RE-OFFENDING” the law surrounding the rehabilitation of offenders bringing increasing numbers of people into the problems of disclosure. He says: “Although the act itself is well intentioned, it is long overdue for reform. Our evidence, and that of a review by the previous government, looked at heavily reducing the rehabilitation times, but up to now nothing has been done.”

By bringing the employment organisation Working Links into the recruitment, FM firm OCS who service Plymouth’s Devonport Naval Dockyards, has been successfully both recruiting and retaining ex-offenders.

Working Links provides initial work readiness training and then OCS take on the candidate for a short work trial, normally leading to full-time work.

Although employees require security vetting, however this does not prevent ex-offenders from a wide variety of backgrounds working at the yard, Lee Roberts, senior projects manager at OCS says: “We ensure their managers are informed of their past record, but informing other employees could lead to problems with morale. We have only ever had one issue with confidentiality, which involved a convicted murderer, who decided to announce his previous crime during a heated argument with a colleague, after that we had to dismiss him.”

Such outbursts are the exception rather than the rule, Roberts has several staff who have been with him for up to four years having received work via referral from Working Links. He comments: “I’d honestly say

22 | 24 MARCH 2011 | FM WORLD

20-23_Offenders.indd 22

I’ve had no more problems with the ex-offenders I employ than with any other part of the workforce.”

This experience is far from uncommon, a survey by the CIPD found that of 144 HR managers who had knowingly employed ex-offenders, only 8 had any problem with re-offending. Two thirds of those surveyed actually found employing ex-offenders to have been a ‘positive experience’.

With its variety of roles and opportunities for advancements, FM provides a good potential career path for ex-offenders. Pogson says: “Working with ex-convicts should be seen as part of an employer’s CSR strategy. Bringing ex-offenders back into work has been proven to cut re-offending rates dramatically. By providing suitable employment and career paths for them a company can provide a route away from a criminal life.”

A criminal record is one of the greatest barriers to gaining employment in the modern age and a lack of sustainable employment is one of the greatest causes of criminality. This dichotomy can all too frequently lead to a self-perpetuating cycle of crime.

By taking active, but careful measures the FM sector can provide a way of breaking the offence and re-offence cycle that is the unfortunate reality faced by a significant section of the nation’s population, providing an alternative to returning to a life of crime and punishment. FM Greg Baker is a freelance journalist

www.fm-world.co.uk

17/3/11 16:54:51

RISK ASSESSMENT

CRB CHECKS AND ASSESSING RISK standard CRB Disclosure may be made if a role is exempted from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. These exclusions include work that involves contact with vulnerable groups, national security, the administration of justice, and health workers. Enhanced disclosure is limited to those roles in places such as schools, children’s homes, young offenders institutions and those roles who have one-toone contact with vulnerable groups.

Mervin Barrett, head of resettlement information at Nacro, says: “The vast majority of ex-offenders pose no more risk to an employer than any other ‘normal’ employee.”

However, there are exceptions, in order to properly assess the risk a particular applicant may pose, there are several factors that need to be taken into account: the length of time since the offence was committed and the longer ago the offence was committed the lower the likelihood of its reoccurrence. Barrett says: “Two years

A

after a conviction there is normally no more probability of an ex-offender committing a crime than someone with a clean record.”

The relevance of the crime to the job role needs to be assessed carefully. A conviction for grievous bodily harm is of little relevance in a cleaning role, but would impact work in a security position, for instance.

Another aspect to assess is the seriousness of the offence. This is best done by looking at the sentence shown on the record. The UK’s sentencing tariffs, which generally attempt to avoid imprisonment in favour of community sentences and community sentences in favour of conditional discharge sentences, provide a solid guide to the seriousness of the offence.

The circumstances of the offence is another important part of any detailed risk assessment. As many crimes have their backgrounds in substance abuse, mental illness and bad debt, determining these root causes is a central part of accurate risk analysis.

www.fm-world.co.uk

20-23_Offenders.indd 23

17/3/11 16:25:02

FM FEATURE STRATEGIC FM ZIONA STRELITZ

THE THIRD DIMENSION N Driven by technology innovation, the rise of agile working is reducing office space requirements. Ziona Strelitz discusses the pressures created by this brave new world

Illustration: Oivind Hovland

24 | 24 MARCH 2011 | FM WORLD

024-026 Third Spaces.indd 24

ot even the most entrenched Luddite can deny that technology dissemination has made our work patterns more agile. Wherever we go, whatever the reason – holiday, conference, meeting, romantic assignation – people around us will be using an iPad, PC, Blackberry or iPhone; and some of these will almost certainly be working. Agile work is very much here and on the increase – work is where you are.

The evidence is all around us and will tally with readers’ own experiences. Indeed, the assumed connection between work and a fixed location is increasingly less entrenched. In UK office culture today, the need to campaign against a management insistence on presenteeism is diminishing.

Many organisations have now introduced activity-based working as a way to define workplace provision, using various models to conceptualise the range of modes in which people work – from high autonomy with low interaction to low autonomy with high interaction.

An important strand of this thinking is that work that is done on a solo basis and not based on essential interaction with colleagues does not need to be done in the office. From this perspective, the physical collective workplace is conceptualised as a nexus for ‘exchange’, harking back to the agora or forum – the office as a market for information.

As organisations adopt this approach, considerable opportunity has opened up in the numerous supply streams involved in workplace provision. For CRE and FM executives in the UK, the advent of agile work has been a catalyst for countless workplace transformation projects, based on the view that space for people doing work on a solo basis, need not be provided

as a matter of course. On the contrary, as utilisation studies indicate that individual workspace is often under-used, efficient CRE and FM strategies typically reduce such provision, and property professionals have encouraged colleagues in operations to embrace the view that where people do individual work is a matter of their own choice, rather than a business responsibility.

This thinking dovetails with business and political drivers in both the private and public sectors, affording measurable benefits that are now widely familiar in transformation business cases. If space for people who don’t ‘need’ to be in the office is not provided, the overall amount of workspace can be reduced. The contingent savings in capital and building running costs have paved the way for innumerable projects to replace larger quantities of poorer workspace with less, but more up-to-date, accommodation – a move that usually pays for itself in just a few years through associated property disposal.

This approach makes perfect sense! Like many in our industry, I’ve been proud to help shape such winwin initiatives. They offer major potential for supplier www.fm-world.co.uk

17/3/11 16:25:41

STRATEGIC FM

“IN ESSENCE, THE THINKING IS THAT WORK UNDERTAKEN ON A SOLO BASIS DOESN’T NEED TO BE DONE IN AN OFFICE”

involvement across a wide range of services – from briefing, business case formulation and design, through change management and construction, to FM. Technology is another crucial part of the picture – requiring input on specification, procurement, commissioning, maintenance and training. This is the key that enables remote working – ICT facilitates communication, file access and document sharing wherever people may be working.

And technology’s already-vital significance is increasing, as continual advancements facilitate remote collaboration and offer more competitive alternatives to the physical office as a place for exchange. Change is constant, and workplace transformation in response to agile working is now a business stream.

But there’s the rub. While this aligns with the assumption that workers will jump at the chance to work at home or wherever they choose, a different picture emerges if you really engage with people and listen.

Yes, people value choice and welcome knowing that they can work at home, especially in contingencies, but many want to work in a collective setting, even when they’re undertaking activities on an entirely solo basis, or when their collaboration is virtual.

ZZA’s research and data from workplace strategy assignments highlights numerous reasons that people give as to why they value working in a shared physical setting. There are ‘work-related’ reasons, such as being spotted for a task that may be career defining, picking up leads and information, the opportunity to show what you know, mentoring and being mentored, the scope for chance encounters and spontaneous collaboration, the motivation of being in a business milieu, and the resources on hand.

And there are the personal or ‘human need’ reasons that in turn influence peoples’ productivity and effectiveness: being in a professional and social environment, having the benefit of structure and a degree of formality, and enjoying a sense of belonging.

Collective workplaces are not just about transacting information and knowledge; they are also marketplaces for labour and settings for social interaction.

Meanwhile, workplace transformation is resulting in office rationalisation. Organisations are reshaping their portfolios across the UK and across sectors, consolidating into fewer buildings of better quality, typically in just one building or a campus on single www.fm-world.co.uk

024-026 Third Spaces.indd 25

sites. While this frequently results in a bigger presence that can support a higher level of staff amenities and project a stronger occupier image, the negative impact for staff is longer travel to work, and often, more awkward and onerous journeys.

This would matter less were it not for the fact that many people value working face-to-face in a collective place of work. Having to traverse a large city or part of a conurbation to achieve this is an impediment to productive work and sustainable living.

With recognition of related societal change in demographics, gender relationships and house prices, the implications are even more notable. The days of working dads and stay-at-home mums are largely over, with women now participating fully in economic activity alongside men. This means that many families struggle with the interface between parents’ work commitments and the responsibilities and realities of childcare.

Meeting both sets of expectations and requirements often involves considerable tension and stress, and the high costs of entering the housing market and then maintaining the financial burden that this entails means that parents don’t have the choice of quitting work to mitigate the constant challenge of juggling work and family.

And as the ageing population expands and lives beyond the capacity of traditional fiscal structures to maintain the senior sector in the manner many think appropriate, people are increasingly drawn into a role in their ageing parents’ care. This will affect increasing numbers, resulting in many workers being impinged by three sets of active responsibilities – to work, to children and to parents.

Is it this a precisely the problem for which remote work can be the saviour, liberating people from the impossible demands of being in two different places across large cities with narrow margins of time to move between them? ZZA’s research shows why this is not a neat and tidy universal solution. Apart from demonstrating that many people still want to work in a collective setting for much of their work time at least, the data evidences that many are constrained from working at home by a variety of reasons that makes this infeasible.

And while there’s recognition of the forces that impinge on working parents, contemporary diversity FM WORLD | 24 MARCH 2011 | 25

17/3/11 16:26:15

FM FEATURE STRATEGIC FM ZIONA STRELITZ

policies are propelling companies to recognise that workers who are not parents also have personal needs, rights, aspirations and pressures to reconcile with their work lives.

There are numerous scenarios that consistently arise where people are reluctant or unable to work at home or in other informal settings like coffee bars, libraries and places like trains and airports that they pass through when they are on the move. When this is combined with the fact that many people actively want to work in a predictable, collective, professional milieu, these scenarios become recognisable as predicaments of 21st century dysfunction.

At their core is the specific challenge of working in company buildings that require crossing large metropolitan areas, and then getting back to relieve nannies or fetch children from nurseries, be home to provide a presence for older children in contingencies and after school, or to tender to infirm spouses or elderly parents. ZZA’s data also suggests that long commutes can be debilitating when people are trying to start a family, and for those without dependants but with significant involvements outside of work – like participation in a music group.

According to current reasoning, these are exactly the situations where technology-enabled knowledge workers could spare themselves the stresses described, and work from home. But besides the many reasons already set out as to why people value working in a collective workspace, there are factors that can challenge the ability to work at home. These include lack of suitable space, other household members such as children, partners and housemates, whose presence can be disturbing, a partner running a business at home, as well as the myriad of competing claims on time and attention in the domestic setting – from dealing with the laundry to planting daffodil bulbs.

People widely report an inability to discipline 26 | 24 MARCH 2011 | FM WORLD

024-026 Third Spaces.indd 26

“DATA SUGGESTS THAT LONG COMMUTES CAN BE DEBILITATING FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO START A FAMILY”

themselves to ignore these alternative activities when they try to work at home. At the same time, many find working in informal spaces too unpredictable in terms of available space and IT connectivity, too distracting, too anonymous and too risky in respect of confidentiality.

The report ‘Liveable lives: addressing dysfunction in 21st century work’ describes a range of typical predicaments that pull people to professional workplaces and push them from home. Resolving the inherent tensions is especially hard in major cities where physical scale necessitates long commutes, straining workers’ ability to dovetail their responsibilities and aspirations in both work and personal life. But there is a relevant strategic response – it’s one that requires FM, CRE and HR to engage with, rather than overlooking the conflicts, and leaving the requirements for workers to juggle.

The facilitative approach is centred on spatially distributed professional workplace hubs close to residential areas, in which companies can buy capacity for their people to use in accordance with their work and personal requirements, and in association with their use of the organisation’s centralised office or offices when those are the optimal venue.

This way all parties benefit. Companies still provide fewer workplaces in their own buildings, but provide workspace for their people’s use elsewhere through venues like business centres that obviate the need for capital investment, long lease terms or duplication of FM. Employees have a collective professional place to work outside of home, without the need to endure onerous commuting all the time. They can use such hubs on an as-and-when basis, working in different locations or at the corporate office as their activities, schedules and specific responsibilities require.

Technology enablement is at the heart of the approach, but it affords a real option for work still to be the socially connected, face-to-face experience that so many people want, in settings that afford concentration, motivation and professionalism.

The wealth of ZZA’s empirical research points to this as a key ingredient in responsive workplace provision, mediating the worlds of work and home, and mediating physical scale by bridging travel distance. Distributed workplace hubs offer strategic scope for employers to sustain their people’s energy, enthusiasm and productivity. FM Ziona Strelitz, social anthropologist, town planner and designer, directs ZZA Responsive User Environments, providing research and strategy for occupier and developer clients. Strelitz is a visiting professor at University of Reading, author of Buildings that Feel Good, and will be a keynote speaker at Th!nk FM 2011 taking place 5-6 April in Nottingham.

Visit www.thinkfm.com for more details.

www.fm-world.co.uk

17/3/11 16:55:43

2011-Time to ThinkFM, brought to you by the BIFM, is a fresh, exciting concept, designed to equip every FM practitioner for challenging times.

Conference 2011 Delivering Value in Facilities Management Innovation and adaptation for today’s economics 5-6th April 2011 East Midlands Conference Centre Nottingham

www.thinkfm.com

Shape your own personalised one or two-day agenda from the interactive Four Hub programme of essential workshops and seminars: s s s s

Tough Decisions for Tough Times Future Ways of Working Sustainable Business - Actions Not Words Professionalising FM

Add in motivational speakers, refreshments when you want them, structured networking and a bustling exhibition and experience the most rewarding conference of your career.

Visit www.thinkfm.com for the full conference programme and booking details or call 08701 632804.

ThinkFM is open to anyone with an interest in FM and is not restricted to BIFM members.

Think FP.indd 1 FMW.24.03.11.027.indd 1

10/3/11 12:28:43 10:04:02 11/3/11

FM MONITOR VICTORIA HUGHES

LEGAL UPDATE

Victoria Hughes is innovation and sustainability manager for Vinci Facilities

BR EEAM-IN -U SE

reeam In-Use is an online selfB assessment tool designed to improve a building’s sustainability profile and integration with the existing built environment Measuring an existing building’s sustainability profile using Breeam In-Use is a simple process which has become increasingly important in the facilities management profession.

Legislation such as CRCEES and the requirement for Display Energy Certificates (DEC) in public buildings has sharpened the focus on energy efficiency while finance directors are increasingly aware of the impact of sustainability on the bottom line.

If used correctly, BIU can be a powerful tool in the campaign to improve environmental performance across a property portfolio.

BIU is made up of three parts: parts 1 and 2 are relevant to all non-domestic commercial, industrial, retail and institutional buildings; part 3 focuses on offices. The scheme is then split into three broad assessment areas – asset performance (the building), building management performance (the operation of the building), and organisational effectiveness (how occupiers manage their activities within a building). There is an easy-to-use question set and the process is designed to be fast – in a pilot for EDF, one assessment took around four hours to complete and nine buildings were assessed within 12 days.

All three parts of the rating scheme use the same categories as existing Breeam schemes, specifically energy, water, 28 | 24 MARCH 2011 | FM WORLD

28-29_FM Legal.indd 32

materials and waste, health and well-being, pollution, transport, land use and ecology and management. The weightings of the categories differ in each part of the assessment, as each category covers slightly different areas. However, energy has the highest weighting of all categories in all parts. This split allows facilities managers to focus their attention on the management of the building (ie organisational effectiveness) and then expand into improving other areas depending on the wishes of the client.

BIU also provides a better appreciation of the ‘design gap’ – the difference between how a

building is designed and its actual operational performance. While there is a greater weighting towards energy, BIU is not just about energy certificates. It adds value to existing energy certification schemes such as those based on issuing nondomestic energy performance certificates and DEC. The big difference between BIU and Design and Construction is that it is a self assessment tool; making the facilities manager responsible for completing the submission. Which means it is a great business tool as well as a sustainability performance tool.

Breeam vs Breeam In-Use Achieving Breeam status is now a benchmark for quality in the UK built environment. BRE claim it is the leading and most widely used environmental assessment method for buildings. It sets the standard for best practice in sustainable design and has

become the de facto measure used to describe a building’s environmental performance.

But it is focused on designers, builders and developers. Breeam In-Use, on the other hand, addresses the challenges posed by existing building stock – it allows the facilities managers and the occupiers of a building to obtain an indication of its sustainability performance before any independent auditing verifies the findings.

It is a great tool for FMs and something to be embraced and trained to use.

The three elements of the scheme can be summarised as follows: ●

●

“BIU can be a powerful tool to help to improve environmental performance” BREEAM TOP TIPS Top ten tips for FMs to drive the Breeam In-Use assessment 1. Liaise with customer’s to obtain quality data 2. Ensure accurate monitoring of energy use (ideally remotely) 3. Monitor water use in the building 4. Liaise with waste management providers to obtain accurate waste reports 5. Promote source segregation of waste to improve the percentage of waste recycled 6. Maintain good records for maintenance and compliance 7. Procure and purchase materials that have a low environmental impacts 8. Consider a cleaning ‘policy’ and occupant satisfaction surveys 9. Develop meaningful targets and communicate to building occupants on progress 10. Obtain feedback from the building occupants and provide training to designated champions

●

Asset performance – the inherent performance characteristics of the building based on its built form, construction and services Building management performance – the management policies, procedures and practices related to the operation of the building, the consumption of key resources such as energy, water and other consumables, and environmental impacts such as carbon and waste generation Organisational effectiveness – the understanding and implementation of management policies, procedures and practices, staff engagement, and delivery of key outputs.

All three are central to the role of any FM in supporting client lead initiatives. Breeam In-Use when used effectively in collaboration with your customer will drive greater performance. FM www.fm-world.co.uk

17/3/11 12:34:43

LEGAL NEWS

Court report FIRST CONVICTION FOR CORPORATE MANSLAUGHTER

On 15 February 2011, Cotswold Geotechnical (Holdings) Limited became the first company to be convicted of corporate manslaughter under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007.

The conviction came two and a half years after Alexander Wright, a junior geologist and employee of the company, was killed when taking soil samples from the inside of an excavated pit.

Cotswold Geotechnical was fined £385,000, which amounted to 115 per cent of its turnover for the year of the accident, to be payable over ten years. This was notwithstanding the fact that the sentencing judge considered that the fine and payment plan might well cause the company’s liquidation. Mr Justice Field said that this was an unfortunate but unavoidable consequence of the serious breach.

The Offence The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 came into force in April 2008.

The Act removes the necessity under the old law of identifying and establishing the guilt of a “directing mind” – a senior individual who could be said to embody the company in his or her actions and decisions. In a large or medium-sized organisation, such an individual is often far removed from the events surrounding the death, making establishing his guilt for gross negligence manslaughter unlikely.

Instead, the Act concentrates on the way in which the organisation’s activities are managed or organised, commonly referred to as a “management failure”, and whether that caused

www.fm-world.co.uk

28-29_FM Legal.indd 33

the death and was a gross breach of a relevant duty of care. Further, the way in which its activities were managed or organised by its senior management must be a substantial element of that breach.

In this case, as the company had only four employees at the time of sentence, the judge found that the company’s sole director, Mr Peter Eaton, was “in substance” the company. The company’s approach to trial pitting, for which Mr Eaton was responsible, was found to be wholly and unnecessarily dangerous and to have ignored well recognised industry guidance.

Prosecutions The Act adds to the range of offences available to the police and the CPS when investigating/ prosecuting an organisation and its employees following a fatal accident. An investigation following a fatal accident will now be undertaken with a view to prosecuting: ● ●

● ●

●

An organisation for corporate manslaughter An organisation for breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 An individual for gross negligence manslaughter A director/manager/etc for secondary liability in relation to breach of the HSWA by the organisation An employee for breach of section 7 of the HSWA

Indeed, in Cotswold Geotechnical, as well as the corporate manslaughter charge, the company was originally also charged with an offence under the HSWA. In addition, Mr Eaton was charged with gross negligence

manslaughter under the common law and an offence under the HSWA. The case shows that the CPS is willing to deploy the full arsenal of applicable criminal offences following a fatal accident and the CPS and the HSE will undoubtedly continue to target senior individuals with prosecutions for health and safety offences that carry significant sentences, including imprisonment.

Sentencing The main sanction on conviction for corporate manslaughter under the Act is an unlimited fine. Individuals cannot be convicted of corporate manslaughter and, accordingly, no individual can be sentenced to a term of imprisonment under the Act, although directors and senior individuals can be sentenced to imprisonment if convicted of one of a number of health and safety offences.

In Cotswold Geotechnical, representations were made on the company’s behalf that it was in a dire financial position.

However, this was insufficient to take the fine far below the £500,000 starting point for an organisation convicted of corporate manslaughter.

In Cotswold Geotechnical, Mr Justice Field also said that the fine marked the gravity of the offence and the deterrent effect that it would have on organisations to strongly adhere to health and safety guidance. FM Guy Bastable is a partner at BCL Burton Copeland

Utilities company fined An international utilities company has been fined after a worker suffered prolonged exposure to a hazardous chemical. Laing O’Rourke Utilities was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive after Peter Johnson, 48, from Exeter, suffered sore skin around his face after several weeks of exposure to isocyanate between July and August 2007.

The company pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 7(1) of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 and was ordered to pay a £4,000 fine and £15,062 in costs.

Fined for asbestos failure The director of an asbestos surveying firm has been sentenced after failing to manage the spread of asbestos at a demolition site in Leicester.

Shay James, a director of Redditch-based Amencon, which has since ceased trading, was appointed by Bovis Homes to carry out an asbestos survey of a factory unit in the city’s Humberstone Lane earmarked to become a new housing development. In 2008, James carried out the survey but failed to identify 1,252 sq m of asbestos insulation board (AIB) and lagging. He pleaded guilty to breaching Secton 36 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 at Leicester Magistrates’ Court.

Unsafe roof prompts fine A Surrey roofing company has been fined after two workers were spotted working on a roof almost 30 feet high without using any safety equipment.

On 5 January this year, HSE inspector Russell Beckett was driving past the site when he saw two BRC employees standing on an asbestos roof. The men had no means to stop them falling from the eight-and- ahalf metre fragile roof. The company’s managing director, Lee Berbridge pleaded guilty to Regulation 4 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

He was fined a total of £3,500 and ordered to pay costs of £1,653.

FM WORLD | 24 MARCH 2011 | 29

17/3/11 12:35:04

FM MONITOR CHRIS BARKER

HOW TO…

Chris Barker is a senior rating consultant at business rates specialists CVS

RED U CE BU SINESS R AT ES

usiness rates are a major overhead for any organisation. These rates can often be reduced by applying, with evidence, to the VOA. Chris Barker explains how to maximise your chances of success

B

At the same time, because VOA caseworkers can only visit and assess a small proportion of the UK’s total rateable non-domestic stock, a high degree of valuation work is based on past records, without the individual property, its use and locality being fully scrutinised.

How to appeal There are ways you can appeal against the charges being proposed. By submitting a formal appeal, it is often possible to agree a reduction with the VOA. The most important thing is to provide evidence arguing against the new Rateable Value and explaining why it is not appropriate or justified.

These are some of the things that could help you secure a successful appeal and a reduction in your rates bill:

PHOTOLIBRARY

Vacant space: driving down business rates can create financial breathing room

Every penny counts in the current economic climate and reducing operating costs is a business critical issue. Business rates can be a significant and often overlooked overhead – typically the third highest cost after wages and rents – but there are simple steps companies can take to manage down their liability and what they pay.

The values for charging business rates are set every five years by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), which manages the periodic Rating Lists upon which collecting business rates on behalf of the government are based. The last revaluation took place in April 2010 so we are into a new value regime for charging.

This is why many businesses will have seen an increase in their rates bills.

30 | 24 MARCH 2011 | FM WORLD

30_How to.indd 30

How rates are calculated The government’s system for charging business rates is based on complex calculations relating to property rental value, the uses which are made of that property, and circumstances around the property which are seen to have impacts on it.

The new values are primarily based on the annual rental value on full repairing and insuring terms that would apply to the property as of 1 April 2008. Before that, of course, the UK economy has seen substantial turmoil and property values have been affected substantially. In many cases, the rental value is out of step with the VOA assessment as taken in April 2008 and is considerably lower.

1⁄

Change of use

Do you still use your property in the same way as you did two years ago?

If you have reconfigured your space or are involved in a period of reconfiguration, you may be being charged more than you should. Even relatively minor changes to layouts and how you use your property may make a difference in the rates bill.

2⁄

Material change

Have there been major roadworks or other physical events outside your control which have reduced access to your premises?

They could be grounds for an appeal if these have impacted upon the trade at your premises.

3⁄

Competition

Has any new development in your area changed the balance of competition in the area (eg a new shopping centre, leisure centre or hotel development)? Again, any new development could have a knock-on effect on what you should be paying.

4⁄

Vacant buildings

Has there been any increase in vacant commercial buildings in the locality? This could have had a negative impact on trade.

5⁄

Calamity

If your property has been subject to flooding, fire damage or other similar calamity, there may be grounds for a reduction in the rateable value.

If any or all of these apply to your property you should consider appealing and would be well advised to seek specialist representation. The new Valuation Tribunal Regulations for the 2010 Rating List will put greater onus on the ratepayer and the professional representative in producing a coherent case within strict time limits. Seeking professional help early can make all the difference. CVS typically saves its clients 10 per cent on their rates bills at appeal so the rewards can be significant. FM

“In many cases, the rental value is out of step with the VOA assessment from April 2008 and is much lower” www.fm-world.co.uk

17/3/11 12:35:30

FM MONITOR JAMES METZGER

CAREERS ADVICE

James Metzger is chairman of Metzger Search and Selection

AB SEN CE M ANAGEM EN T

ffective use of absence management data systems can reduce absence by as much as nine per cent saving facilities managers thousands of pounds per year

E

Absence management falls under the remit of most managers in most organisations. Almost always there are some employees who play the system at considerable cost to the organisation. Equally, almost every company has employees who genuinely become ill and need time off work to recover. Distinguishing those who are medically unfit to work from those that are seeking an extra day’s holiday is not easy without an absence management system that maintains accurate day-to-day data.

1⁄

Recording absence

The absence database should include the stated first day’s reason for sick leave, whether and when medical evidence is provided, and incorporate a reporting function showing individuals’ absences over a period so that patterns can be identified.

2⁄

Establish patterns

Decide upon specific lengths of absence or frequencies of absence that will trigger specified management interventions – eg two weeks of absence, or seven days of absence in three months, or three spells of absence in a 12 months rolling period. Incorporate reporting capability into your absence management database to bring absence patterns to HR notice so that management interventions can begin. Set and abide by definite numbers of days absence after which specified actions are taken.

3⁄

Budget to pay for OH specialists

Organisations lose money by giving line managers or HR departments too much leeway in deciding when www.fm-world.co.uk

31_Careers.indd 031

absent employees are assessed for fitness to work, either by managers or by occupational health (OH) specialists. Include, in the triggers, set numbers of days before (for example) employees with back pain or stress disorders are required to see OH specialists – and consider budgeting for the company to pay private consultations, because they will cost less than paying an absent employee for an extended NHS waiting period.

4⁄

The purpose of OH consultations

Make it clear to employees that management interventions and OH consultations exist to help people who are unfit for work to find a means of getting back to work: only those who are ‘swinging the lead’ or feigning sickness will find an OH consultation threatening. An occupational health consultant may, for example, recommend a return to work on different or light duties.

5⁄

Return to work policy

Every employee returning to work after sickness must be interviewed to establish health progress and what medical advice they have been given. The date and results of the interview must be entered on the absence database. A reporting function must be incorporated into the database so that a history of return to work interviews can be seen and printed.

6⁄

Training techniques

Line managers must be trained in absence management policy and techniques: if managers don’t know how the system operates, why it is in place and how it benefits the organisation, the system will not work. Managers’ understanding, co-operation and involvement are essential.

7⁄

Triggers and outcomes

Managers must monitor the triggering and outcomes of interventions and OH consultations at regular meetings: involvement in how significantly the absence management policy is reducing absence and benefiting the organisation financially will motivate managers to operate the system more effectively. Data from the absence management system on acknowledged problem cases should be discussed and next action agreed.

“Organisations lose money by giving line managers or HR too much leeway in deciding when absent employees are assessed for fitness to work”

8⁄

Sick notes

Communication with employees about the function and importance of sick notes is essential: everyone must understand that a GP’s sick note or fit note is not final proof of unfitness or fitness for work, and is primarily a document for the payment of statutory sick pay.

9⁄

Monitoring costs

Reports from the absence database indicating total days absence and the percentage of paid time lost to sickness should be on the agenda at every board meeting: directors should make the reduction of the ‘days lost’ a major financial control issue.

10⁄

Reviewing KPIs

Absence management should be a key performance indicator for all managers. The success of the absence management system in reducing the ‘days lost’ percentage and individual managers’ contribution to that success should be constantly reviewed. FM

CASE STUDY A healthcare service provider with 1,500 employees managed to reduce absence levels from 8 per cent to 2.2 per cent in just fifteen months, producing an efficiency saving of £2m using AbsenceCare. The company also achieved a 50 per cent reduction in the frequency of stress and musculoskeletal absences and a 40 per cent reduction in the average duration of long-term absences. 98 per cent fewer people who took sick leave were still absent after three months.

FM WORLD | 24 MARCH 2011 | 31

17/3/11 12:36:57

BIFM NEWS BIFM.ORG.UK

The East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham

CONFERENCE

Last chance to Th!nkFM There are less than two weeks until Th!nkFM (5-6 April at the East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham).

There is still time to register for the event, which is open to anyone with an interest in FM. The allinclusive two day package is priced at £495+VAT. It includes the full conference package and overnight accommodation and breakfast on campus. There is also a one-day attendance package available.

The package includes a number of other superb benefits: ● Attend a range of the available sessions, hubs and plenaries ● Practical learning to implement in your own roles and businesses ● Networking and contact building, informally and at one-to-one appointments ● A great evening of informal dining, networking and top class music and cabaret ● Briefing papers, guides and information from the databank Making the break from traditional conferencing with a standard fixed timetable of content, Th!nkFM delegates are invited to take control of their own itinerary by choosing from a menu of topical workshops and seminars, which are categorised into four interactive learning hubs (running concurrently): ● ● ●

●

Tough Decisions for Tough Times Future Ways of Working Building a Sustainable Business: Actions Not Words Your Career in FM

i Book at www.thinkfm.com, call 08701 632804 or email conference@thinkfm.com

32 | 24 MARCH 2011 | FM WORLD

33-35_BIFM news.indd 33

AWARDS

Recognition Awards open The BIFM need your nominations for the 2011 Recognition Awards. It is our way of saying a big thank you and that we value your massive contribution and efforts. Aimed at Regions, Sector Forums and Sigs, the Recognition Awards have been specifically designed to recognise those who have contributed immensely to the development of the BIFM. Recipients will include individuals and organisations who have helped to shape the institute’s future and build awareness through their amazing contributions; those who commit so much of their own time and effort to the advancement of BIFM. The awards ceremony will take place on Thursday, 30 June 2011 and will be a key part of our Members’ Day and AGM event.

There are six categories: ● Best BIFM Region of the Year ● Best BIFM Regional/Sig Committee Member of the Year ● Best BIFM Sector Forum and Special Interest Group ● Best BIFM Member of the Year

KEEP IN TOUCH » Network with BIFM @ www.networkwithbifm.org.uk » Twitter @BIFM_UK » LinkedIn » facebook

Best Corporate Supporter of BIFM ● Best Rising FM of the Year Entries are invited from all the BIFM groups and all those on group committees. To enter complete the entry form (bifm.org.uk/ recognition2011) confirming your interest and indicating the award category. Completed submissions must be received by Friday, May 13. The finalists for each award category will be notified by Friday, June 3 and the winners will be announced at the event. ●

i Full details are at bifm.org.uk/ recognition2011, or contact Sandra Light at FMevents on 0141 639 6192 or email sandra@fmevents.biz

Global FM International Workshop at Th!nkFM

Global FM organises International Workshops in different locations each year. Following the success of the workshops in London and Atlanta in 2010, Global FM

INTERNATIONAL SIG PROFILE Chair: David Millar, Hochtief Facility Management Number of members: 3,500 Year established: 2006 Key dates and events for 2011: ● April: Th!nkFM – discussion on challenges in implementing an international FM strategy ● May: Pecha Kucha debate on the role of design in the workplace Aims of the group: Raise awareness and understanding of

international FM developments.

Why should members join your group? Networking and exchange opportunities with more than 18,000 facility professionals throughout 67 countries.

Thanks to: Sponsors BPR Group, Gensler, Metzger and Steelcase i To join this group go to bifm.org. uk/bifm/groups. Join the networking group networkwithbifm.org.uk/group/ internationalspecialinterestgroup

www.fm-world.co.uk

17/3/11 12:37:32

Please send your news items to communications@bifm.org.uk or call 0845 058 1356

will organise its first 2011 International Workshop as part of Th!nkFM. The New Economy – the Right Time and Right Place for FM will be the theme for all 2011 workshops.

The Nottingham International Workshop will take place on 5th April from 2pm to 3.30pm, the agenda includes: ● Introduction by workshop chair (David Millar, BIFM International Sig chair) ● Welcome by Global FM and BIFM (Teena Shouse and Ian Broadbent) ● Message from Global FM International Workshop Sponsor, Qube Global Software ● Cross-border working case study ● Facilitated group working The workshop will include a combination of presentations and discussion on international FM issues with informal delegate participation throughout the day. The output will be to communicate some suggested solutions to commonly occurring challenges faced by FMs practicing across multiple geographies.

A number of thought provoking questions or statements will be issued two weeks before the workshop, and FMs will be invited to respond to these prior. The questions/statements will be posted at the workshop, along with selected responses received in advance.

This format is designed to encourage the participants to work up solutions and ideas to overcome the challenges faced by FM professionals across borders.

This workshop will be the first of a series scheduled for 2011. Two confirmed locations are Vienna, Austria, in May and Phoenix, USA, in October.

Ismena Clout is the deputy chair of the BIFM

BIFM COMMENT T WO M O R E Y E A R S

t’s been a year since Ian Broadbent, Stuart Harris and I were elected into our chair and deputy chair roles. As I was elected into the deputy chair position left vacant

by Ian, it meant that my role was up for re-election after only a year. I am pleased to say that I was recently elected to continue as deputy chair for another two years which is a great vote of confidence in the work I have achieved so far.

There is great work being carried out by the board and to know that I am going to be part of it for two more years is reassuring. There is a lot to do to keep advancing the profession of facilities management and the continuity of members of the board will help the BIFM achieve this. In my time so far as deputy chair I have been able to speak at various conferences and events, attend other institute events and also work with other institutes to agree best practice.

I like to think of the institute as a living body that needs good, high quality inputs to get good outcomes. The membership is of course the lifeblood of the body, feeding it; coursing through the veins and keeping it going. The body relies on the membership not only for its fees but for its involvement at every level; from reading FM World and applying any learning from that in your workplace and role; to attending networking events and participating in discussions, speaking to the sponsors and networking with colleagues; to attending national events such as the Th!nkFM conference and annual awards to share experiences and learning; to volunteering at regional level all the way up to the board, a chance to use experience gained outside of the body to help it grow.

And the body needs to intake good, wholesome food to make it function and grow.

We can all feed it junk food, we can all find fault and negatives but that won’t help progress. Instead positivity, new ideas, encouragement and good quality feedback will allow the institute to develop what is most useful to its members.

The bones holding the whole operation together are the fantastic team at head office, they are dedicated and determined to carry the weight of the industry and deliver the operation plan for 2011. And finally, the brain is the board, with the executive making up the left side, the thinkers and logicians, and the non-executive being the right side, the creative thinking side. Being on the board is a real privilege and an opportunity for me to bring my commercial and industry experience to the institute and ensure the delivery of our strategy and the development of the body.

So I hope that in the next two years I can bring about development and health for the institute and the industry. With the wider economy still in bad health let us hope facilities management continues to buck the trend, growing into our gangly teenage body.

I

“POSITIVITY, NEW IDEAS, ENCOURAGEMENT AND GOOD QUALITY FEEDBACK WILL ALLOW THE INSTITUTE TO DEVELOP WHAT IS MOST USEFUL TO ITS MEMBERS”

ismena.clout@bifm.org.uk

For more information about this and other Global FM events, please visit Global FM website globalfm. org. To attend this event email globalfm@kelleneurope.com i

www.fm-world.co.uk

33-35_BIFM news.indd 34

FM WORLD | 24 MARCH 2011 | 33

17/3/11 12:37:56

BIFM NEWS BIFM.ORG.UK

BIFM TRAINING

Dawn Marshall: first to complete BIFM Level 4 Diploma

N E W E - L E A R N I N G PAC K AGE : GE T TING STA RT E D I N F M

AWARDS

QUALIFICATIONS

BIFM Awards 2011

Focus on BIFM’s first achiever

Oliver Jones, (pictured) partner at EC Harris and chairman of the judges of the BIFM Awards looks forward to rewarding the best of FM: “For all of us who are judges, it is an exciting time. The awards have always striven to demonstrate continuous improvement year-on-year in our pursuit of excellence.

In reflecting on the entries for 2010, we made quite a leap forward. We saw an increase in the number of entries overall last year to nearly 100 across all categories. The short-listing process demonstrated some exceptional examples of the best management, innovation and service delivery our maturing sector is able to offer.

Our priority is to enable the awards to be the benchmark of success for teams in every quarter of the FM world in order to allow every team in every context to have an award that they can aspire to.

This year’s three new categories (Client of the Year, Consultant of the Year and Service Provider of the Year) alongside the vaunted individual FM of the Year category will really throw down the gauntlet to see who and which organisations are leading our industry.”

Dawn Marshall, general services manager for Sodexo Corporate Services became the first person to gain a BIFM Level 4 Diploma in December 2010, after studying at the Xenon Group. Three months on, we caught up with Dawn to ask her about her experiences during the diploma, and how the qualification has helped in her role.

Marshall began her studies on the old Part I course in February 2009 and had completed two modules before the old examinations were replaced by the Level 4 qualifications. She then transferred to the new Level 4, attending workshops held by Xenon Group on two consecutive days a month, and passed just ten months later.

Since passing, Marshall said: “I now have so much more confidence and knowledge within the FM field, it has given me an excellent background in the profession.

The expectations of clients are growing and I feel this qualification, alongside my new knowledge has really helped me when dealing with contractors in particular, and also given me a better understanding of health and safety issues. Finally, what would Marshall say to any potential learners out there? “Go for it, just go for it. It has opened up a whole new world to me, and has really built up my knowledge of the profession – don’t think twice about it!”

Entries must be received by29 April. To learn more about the awards, or to enter go to bifm.org.uk/ awards2011 i

34 | 24 MARCH 2011 | FM WORLD

33-35_BIFM news.indd 35

i For details on FM qualifications visit www.bifm.org.uk/bifm/ careerdevelopment

new exciting online introduction to FM will soon be available from BIFM Training called ‘Getting started in FM’.

Designed for staff new to FM, or those taking on responsibilities for specific elements of the role, the package aims to provide a highly practical, handson guide to the basics of good practice FM based on ‘real life’ expertise.

It covers four key building blocks: ● Knowing your building (and the role of the FM) ● FM support services ● FM projects ● Providing a healthy, safe and sustainable workplace.

A

Each of the four modules includes good practice information on the relevant topic areas well as example tasks, checklists, references and weblinks. Key concepts and terminology are clearly explained, and the highly visual format is designed to maximise interest and engagement. Selfassessed quizzes provide an opportunity to test understanding of key learning points and facts as learners progress.

The package should take approximately four hours to complete, but learners can work through it at their own pace, and return to areas previously covered if they wish to, including reviewing their answers to individual tasks.

Getting started in FM will be available on a licence basis, either to individuals or corporate groups in the UK and overseas. A customisation service will also be available to allow companies to tailor the package and, if required, develop additional content to suit their specific needs.

Commenting on the new package, editor Jane Bell said: “We’re all really excited by the possibilities this will open up for individuals and corporate groups. As a complement to our face-to-face courses, the E-learning option will make good practice information more widely accessible, and offers learners the flexibility to study when they want to. In the corporate context, the package could be a valuable addition to the induction process, as well as offering a practical alternative to conventional classroom study”. i Want to know more?

To register your interest in the new E-learning package and to receive further information on the launch, please contact info@bifm-training.co.uk.

www.fm-world.co.uk

17/3/11 12:38:27

v

FM DIARY NATIONAL BIFM EVENTS 5-6 April Th!nkFM conference: Delivering value in FM Venue: The East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham Contact: conference@thinkfm.com or visit www.thinkfm.com 26 May WiFM Forum - Networking Skills Venue: TBC Contact: Liz Kentish on coach@ lizkentishcoaching.co.uk or call 07717 787077 2 June CPD Event - Procurement Venue: Food Standards Agency, Aviation House, 125 Kingsway, London Contact: stuart.bonner@northants. pnn.police.uk or call 03000 111 222 Ext 2060| 30 June BIFM AGM and Members’ Day Venue: TBC Contact: Karen Weeks on 0845 058 1356 or email communications@ bifm.org.uk

Send details of your event to editorial@fm-world.co.uk or call 020 7880 6229

21 June London region Golf day Venue: Highgate Golf club.

Contact: Don Searle on Don@c22. co.uk or call 020 7821 1134 HOME COUNTIES REGION 30 March 2011 Home Counties and Rising FMs - DSE Assessments Venue: Kinnarps - Newlands Drive, Colnbrook, Slough Contact: Steve.Jones@kinnarps. co.uk or call 075 2510 0052 13 April BIFM Home Counties: Legal Update event Venue: Pitman’s Solicitors, The Anchorage, 34 Bridge Street, Reading Contact: claire.knapp@capita.co.uk or call 07740803347 26 April Home Counties presents a case study of the BSF development of St Bartholomew School Venue: St Bartholomew’s School, Andover Road, Newbury, Berkshire Contact: Ashleigh Brown on ash@fm-recruitment.co.uk or call 01635 43100

presentation: Secure Data and Storage of Critical Information Venue: RECALL Secure Data and Storage Centre, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire Contact: Graham Price at g.price@ forumevents.co.uk 14 April East Region Golf & Networking Day Venue: Stockbrook Manor Golf & Country Club, Essex Contact: tim.jonck@60tns.com or call 020 7260 1821 23 June East Region Golf day Qualification” Venue: To be confirmed Contact: Graham Price at g.price@ forumevents.co.uk 3 July East Region Cricket Challenge Venue: Great Hyde Hall, Hertfordshire Contact: Graham Price at g.price@ forumevents.co.uk SOUTH WEST REGION

FELLOWS EVENTS 13 April Cash Kilowatts and carbon Venue: BACB, 8 – 10 Mansion House Place, London Venue: Joanna Lloyd-Davies Contact: joannalloyddavies@ btinternet.com or call 07778812315 INDUSTRY EVENTS 25 March Bsria Best Practice for Facilities Managers Venue: Institute of Physics, 76 Portland Place, London, Contact: www.bsria.co.uk 5-6 April Workplace Law Annual Conference and Dinner Venue: The Radisson SAS Hotel, Stansted Contact: 0871 777 8881 or book online at www.workplacelaw.net 6-7 April The National FM & Property Event Venue: The Celtic Manor, Wales Contact: leighhussain@ globalbusinessevents.co.uk or call 01633 290 951

MIDLANDS REGION 24 August WiFM Social Event Venue: London Contact: Liz Kentish on coach@ lizkentishcoaching.co.uk or call 07717 787077 21 September WiFM Forum - FM and Organisational Change Venue: TBC Contact: Liz Kentish on coach@ lizkentishcoaching.co.uk or call 07717 787077 10 October BIFM Awards Venue: Grosvenor House Hotel Contact: Sandra Light on 0141 639 6192 or email Sandra@fmevents.biz SCOTTISH REGION 26 May Scottish Region golf event Venue: Renfrew Golf Club Contact: bill.anderson@ telerealtrillium.com or call 01977 598914 LONDON REGION 29 March Joint event with business continuity Sig We will look at how board directors and senior managers look at risk, Venue: Haworth, Cannon Court, Brewhouse Yard, St Johns Street, London Contact: steve.dance@riskcentric. co.uk to register

www.fm-world.co.uk

36_Diary.indd 35

30 March Tour of the new home of the Royal Shakespeare Company Venue: Stratford-upon-Avon Contact: Ann Inman, ann@echomarketing.co.uk or call 07970 255240

28 March Free Legionellosis seminar Venue: Gloucester Rugby Club, Kingsholm Stadium, Kingsholm Road, Kingsholm, Gloucester Contact: beth.goodyear@ fmhsconsulting.co.uk or call 07901 858875

21 June De-mystifying the different models of FM provision Venue: Whittlebury Hall Hotel, Spa and Management Training Centre, Northamptonshire Contact: Ann Inman, ann@echomarketing.co.uk or call 07970 255240

10 June SW Region June Training Day Venue: Hilton Bristol Hotel, Aztec West, Bristol Contact: joanne.bartlam@telereal trillium.com or call 07808 908052

30 June What makes a world-class reception?

Venue: Office Depot, Leicester Contact: dave.bright@halfords.co.uk or call 07808 573854 NORTH REGION 1 April Breakfast Event sponsored

by The Cooperative Venue: Co-operative Financial Services 24th floor CIS tower, Miller St, Manchester Contact: justin.lawson@ norlandmanagedservices.co.uk or call 07796 882008 EAST REGION 6 April BIFM East Region

15 July South-west region 2011 Golf Day Venue: Orchardleigh Golf Club Frome Contact: Gareth Andrews on gmahome@tinyworld.co.uk or call 07540 079978 9 September SW Region September Training Day Venue: Hilton Bristol Hotel, Aztec West, Bristol Contact: joanne.bartlam@telereal trillium.com or call 07808 908052 25 November SW Region November Training Day Venue: Hilton Bristol Hotel, Aztec West, Bristol Contact: joanne.bartlam@telereal trillium.com or call 07808 908052

7 April CIBSE National Conference: One building a minute - The great refurbishment challenge Venue: Grand Connaught Rooms, Covent Garden, London Contact: 020 8772 3660 or email eventbookings@cibse.org 13-14 April Landscape Show Venue: Olympia, London Contact: Colleen Smith on coll@ landscapeshow.co.uk or call 07966 333061 11 – 13 May BCO’s annual Conference 2011 Venue: Geneva Contact: Visit www.bcoconference. org.uk for more information 17-19 May The Facilities Show Venue: NEC Birmingham Contact: www.thefacilitiesshow.com for full details 23-25 May EuroFM Conference: Cracking the productivity nut Venue: The Vienna University of Technology, Vienna Contact: www.eurofm.org 23 June World FM Day Venue: UK-wide events, and primary BIFM event Contact: Karen Weeks at communications@bifm.org.uk

FM WORLD | 24 MARCH 2011 | 35

17/3/11 15:47:58

FMW.24.03.11.022 - 023.indd 2

11/3/11 13:03:19

FMW.24.03.11.022 - 023.indd 3

11/3/11 13:03:41

Are you prepared for change?

A total ban now applies to the use and sale of virgin HCFC refrigerants (including R22) as used in older air conditioning equipment. What does this mean for you and your customers? Speak to Space Air for reliable, well informed advice on the implications and energy efficient alternatives, grant availability, finance support and other replacement incentives. For further information call...

01483 504 883 or email: r22@spaceair.co.uk

We keep business simple.

Fast Keys QP 100211.indd 1

26/1/11 11:40:43

Sponsors:

BIFM North Region Summer Ball Saturday 2nd July 2011 The Hilton Hotel, Manchester Individual tickets £110.00 + VAT Table of 10 £1100.00 + VAT Table of 12 £1320.00 + VAT Tickets include champagne reception, dinner and full programme of fabulous entertainment.

Dress code Black Tie, Carriages 1am.

To book, please contact northball@bifm.org.uk In association with:

BIFM Summer Ball.indd 1 38 | 24 MARCH 2011 | FM WORLD

FMW.24.03.11.038.indd 38

4/3/11 09:39:21

17/3/11 09:35:48

FM PEOPLE MOVERS & SHAKERS

BEHIND

THE JOB How did you find out about the position?

I was actually approached by John Davy, the group COO, who was looking to take the business to the next level and wanted to bring in new experience and leadership to grow the business into new markets.

NAME: Stuart Davies JOB TITLE: Operations director ORGANISATION: GSH Group JOB DESCRIPTION: The most important responsibility is strategic leadership of the integrated/multi-services business across all hard FM and energy management solutions.

It’s also important to me that it’s a fun place to work with a winning team ethos.

How did you get into FM and what attracted you to the industry?

I wanted to develop my career into management.

After pursuing a professional career having originally trained as a chartered electrical engineer, I sidestepped into FM when one of the process industry companies I used to work at started to develop a maintenance services business. I became responsible for running and growing this business and from then on my career just continued to develop and become more and more exciting. The diverse nature of the roles within the FM market also attracted me, along with the opportunity to work in varied positions with so many different clients and cultures.

If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be?

An increased awareness and understanding within corporate organisations about the role and importance of the FM industry.

Do you have any qualifications in FM? No, but I have 20 years experience and a BEng Hons in electrical and electrical engineering. I’m a corporate member of the Institute of Engineering and Technology

(IET) and a Chartered Engineer (CEng), as well as a corporate member of the Institute of Directors (MIOD).

What’s been your career high-point to date?

Growing a very small business within the south east of England of circa £7m per annum turnover to a UK business of circa £50m turnover in just over three years.

Who is/was your mentor?

A number of people have mentored me over the years and I now have a good network, both professionally and personally who constantly shape and influence the things that I do. But probably two individuals stand out in my career –Roy Pearman from my early years in the water industry and in more recent times William McCall, the ex-chairman of Norland.

What song best sums up FM? Hot N Cold by Katy Perry comes to mind.

What’s in my desk pedestal?

My big finger calculator, a few pens and lots of highlighter pens and markers as I’m always putting up ideas and talking through matters on a white board.

What three people, dead or alive, would you invite to a dinner party?

Bob Paisley to ask him how to build a winning team as he was an excellent leader for the mighty Liverpool.

Then Cheryl Cole for fairly obvious reasons and Tommy Cooper to liven up the party.

Ingenuity welcome here

-RKQVRQ &RQWUROV

www.fm-world.co.uk

41_People and jobs.indd 61

ZZZ MRKQVRQFRQWUROV FR XN FDUHHUV

FM WORLD | 24 MARCH 2011 | 39

17/3/11 15:48:32

Appointments

Call Norman Cook on 020 7324 2755 or email jobs@fm-world.co.uk For full media information take a look at www.fm-world.co.uk/mediapack

XXX D DP VL

Regional Director, North, ÂŁ60,000 plus bonus Our client works in partnership with universities to provide a service that includes the funding, design, build, management and operation of residential student accommodation and academic buildings. With a proven track record at a senior level in Property, PFI, FM or related discipline, this is a key role which manages the delivery of FM and Asset Management services to the University sector. The Regional Director has particular responsibility for maximising revenue streams, managing the ProďŹ t and Loss accounts; maintaining relationships with partner Universities, student customers and key stakeholders; motivating and developing staff, including succession planning in their region. It is essential that candidates can demonstrate experience in change management, managing operations and a good knowledge of contracts, and health and safety practices. CVs to ed@c22.co.uk

Account Manager, North (M62 corridor), ÂŁ50,000 - ÂŁ60,000 plus bonus & car allowance A growing national facilities maintenance provider, requires an Account Manager to lead, manage and develop a mixed property portfolio contract.

You will ensure that customer requirements are fully understood, met and exceeded by effective management of a competent internal team and suitable subcontractors. The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate strong organisational and communication skills and the ability to develop relationships at a senior level. Through this relationship building the Account Manager will be expected to identify opportunities to retain existing business as well as increasing turnover and proďŹ tability. CVs to ed@c22.co.uk

Engineering Manager, London, cÂŁ55,000+ A Banking Organisation has speciďŹ ed the need for an Engineering Manager based at their HQ within the heart of the City. Reporting to the Head of the Facilities and Engineering Unit you will assume a key role in developing and coordinating planned maintenance strategies and resulting programmes for the HQ building engineering infrastructure; preparing and following through to completion tenders for the engineering improvement projects. You will work closely with relevant managers within Administration, in particular coordinating activities with the Facilities Management Unit in connection with facilities-related non-engineering projects in the HQ building as well as liaising with and supporting the Facilities Operations Unit and provide advice on maintenance activities and technical engineering issues. Experience should include, but should not be limited to: QualiďŹ ed engineer (e.g. OND, HND or university degree in engineering) with vast experience in M&E ďŹ eld, including experience in building maintenance industry. CV and cover letter to steve@ c22.co.uk

Technical Servcies Manager, West Yorkshire, cÂŁ45,000 An exciting opportunity for a Technical Servcies Manager with solid commercial experience to manage the day-to-day running of a multi-site PFI education contract. You will lead, motivate and develop an in-house team to enable the Contract to carry out its business activities in a safe, comfortable, productive and cost effective environment. Candidates must have an eye for detail and offer the necessary technical expertise to deliver the highest quality of service to the client. CVs to ed@c22.co.uk

Facilities Manager, Croydon, cÂŁ30,000 to ÂŁ35,000 plus beneďŹ ts.

A client in the light manufacturing sector is recruiting a Facilities Manager to oversee the provision of a high quality hard and soft FM service to two industrial sites in the Croydon area. The role has been created to support the UK Facilities Manager with the delivery of a productive, safe and environmentally friendly working environment for ofďŹ ce and factory staff. Some involvement and visits to other regional sites may occasionally be required.

Candidates should have a leaning to hard services, be environmentally conscious through ISO14001 and be very keen on Health & Safety. Strong admin skills are essential. Candidates are likely to have worked within FM for several years and have gained experience within light industry or manufacturing.

Personnel management, contract management and budgetary experience are also required. Please send CVs with cover note to russell@c22.co.uk

Contract Manager, West London, ÂŁ30,000 plus beneďŹ ts A cleaning ďŹ rm require and experienced manager to run a contract at a land mark building in West London. You will be responsible for the direct management of a large team, ensuring operational excellence and for maintaining a strong relationship with the client. Experience of recruitment, vetting, budgets, wages, auditing, KPIs, H&S, administration, report writing and customer service are essential. Some exibility will be required with working hours due to building usage. Please send CVs to russell@c22.co.uk

2 x Maintenance Technicians, London and Sussex / Kent, cÂŁ32,000 + ÂŁ2,000 on call allowance, bonus, vehicle etc An international blue chip organisation is looking for 2 x Maintenance Technicians to oversee M&E contractors at an ofďŹ ces and data centres in London and Sussex/Kent. You will also be responsible for the supervision and safety of specialist contractors that visit site and ensure their compliance to Planned and Preventative Maintenance Schedules though regular audit Candidates must be qualiďŹ ed with a technical building services qualiďŹ cation and, although the role is essentially ‘hands off’, applicants must be able to carry out emergency M&E repairs. Other areas of responsibility include risk assessments, monitoring of data room environments, power supply/ UPS, air conditioning, permits to work, ďŹ re and water systems, heating and cooling and M&E systems. CVs to russell@c22.co.uk

Assistant Contracts Manager, Brighton, ÂŁ22,000 Our client a leading support services company specialising in cleaning and security with an excellent track record of delivering high quality solutions is seeking a Assistant Contracts Manager to support the contract manager in the following areas: Recruit, induct and train suitable staff, prepare monthly wages and control wage spend in line with agreed budgets, execute the contract in accordance with the agreed speciďŹ cation to keep within the established cost parameters and time requirements, carry out frequent quality audits to ensure service delivery is being met, escalating any issues to the contract manager and ensure health and safety of all employees and appropriate client or public. CV and cover letter to steve@c22.co.uk

providing quality people

banner.inddWORLD 1 40 | 24Catch22 MARCH 2011 | FM

FM New appoints 240311.indd 40

Leeds 0113 242 8055 London 020 7630 5144 16/3/11 17:31:57

17/3/11 10:55:11

Facilities Management

Building better futures

Senior Facilities Manager North West – £50-55k + car + benefits Join a leading and reputable FM provider where you will manage multiple total FM contracts within a PFI environment. You will lead and coach teams to ensure optimum delivery and be responsible for P&L, contractor management and client liaison. The ideal candidate must be commercially focused. Ref: KN/62691 Contact Katie Noble on 0161 834 8666 or at katie.noble@juddfarris.co.uk

Regional Facilities Manager North/East Midlands – £65k + excellent package Join this prestigious property client as regional facilities manager to manage a portfolio of properties and manage total FM delivery via a well known contractor whilst dealing with internal customers, P&L, compliance and projects. The ideal candidate must have experience of £multimillion delivery of TFM. Ref: KN/62105 Contact Katie Noble on 0161 834 8666 or at katie.noble@juddfarris.co.uk

Senior Account Manager Bedfordshire – £45-£50k You will be a senior account manager accountable for directing all facility services.

Your responsibilities will include FOH, cleaning, catering, technical services, project management, H&S and budget control. You must have a TFM background, strong interpersonal skills and a NEBOSH. Ref: CORE/62619 Contact Claire O’Reilly on 020 7845 5770 or at claire.oreilly@juddfarris.co.uk

property recruitment

London – £45-55k + benefits Are you an experienced senior FM Consultant with broad experience of operational FM management including implementing FM strategy? Join this leading property company where you will manage hard FM services.

The ideal candidate must have excellent understanding of the interaction between FM services and the operational impact and efficiency of the core business. Ref: CORE/62683 Contact Claire O’Reilly on 020 7845 5770 or at claire.oreilly@juddfarris.co.uk

Facilities Manager

Senior Facilities Manager

Midlands – £28k + flexible benefits package

North West – £45-50k + package

Are you a commercially focused facilities manager able to manage a multi-site property portfolio?

Join this property company where you will manage costs, space, budgets and deliver to agreed SLA’s.

The ideal candidate must have a track record of sustainable service improvement to customers in a commercial property environment. Ref: AK/62626 Contact Amanda Kontzle on 0161 834 8666 or at amanda.kontzle@juddfarris.co.uk

www.juddfarris.com

Senior FM Consultant

Join this market leading property company as a senior facilities manager responsible for managing a multiple portfolio of prestigious properties and delivering all FM services strategically. You must be experienced in managing TFM contracts and be able to prove where you have added value. Ref: AK/62708 Contact Amanda Kontzle on 0161 834 8666 or at amanda.kontzle@juddfarris.co.uk

Judd Farris acts as an employment agency for permanent or fixed-term contract roles and an employment business for temporary roles.

BUILDING SERVICES MANAGER

Directorate of Estates and Facilities Management

Competitive salary ł Excellent Bene½ts

Buildings Maintenance Manager Starting salary: £36,862, rising annually to £40,280 Oxford Brookes University is proud to be part of the city’s rich academic tradition, but even more excited about its future. That is why we are investing £150m to create a new learning environment, which will not only help us meet the challenges of education in the future, but help us lead them.

You will be: ■ responsible for the strategic, planned and day-to-day buildings maintenance of the university’s academic and residential estate You should have: ■ a technical/professional qualification in construction/buildings maintenance or be qualified through significant practical experience ■ up-to-date knowledge of building, health and safety and environmental law ■ recent practical experience of buildings maintenance operations ■ proven experience of developing and delivering maintenance programmes ■ a self-motivated approach and the ability to supervise external contractors ■ the ability to motivate and manage in-house staff teams ■ IT skills and familiarity with MS Word and Excel ■ a driving licence and the ability to travel between university sites, sometimes at short notice ■ the flexibility to take part in out-of-hours call out Closing date: 22 April 2011 Ref: 104/10608/AAP

Eastgate Shopping Centre is a thriving 750,000 sq. ft. scheme in central Basildon which bene½ts from over 100 tenants including Debenhams, Next, River Island, H&M, Primark and Asda.

An opportunity has arisen for a Building Services Manager, to take responsibility for all aspects of the building services and fabric, maintenance and repair. The role is key to the successful day to day operation of the Centre, ensuring that high standards are consistently achieved in relation to all services, including contracted cleaning and security, health & safety and environmental policy.

The ideal candidate will have a strong background of facilities management, preferably with a mechanical engineering or similar background, with experience of working in a retail property or shopping centre environment. Strong customer focus and communication skills together with a good working knowledge of M&E systems plus experience of budget management are essential together with a building services quali½cation (preferably to degree level).

Reporting directly to, and deputising for, the Centre Manager, the Building Services Manager will ensure the effective management of the building and be responsible for ensuring that the Centre’s high standards of operations are consistently achieved.

For any further information about this opportunity please contact: Anne Owen, Human Resources Manager on 0207 0107765.

Alternatively to apply, please e-mail your CV and a covering letter to aowen@mkaml.co.uk Closing date for applications: 8th April 2011

Apply online or contact Human Resources Tel: 01865 484537 (answerphone) Minicom: 01865 485928 Follow us at http://twitter.com/BrookesJobs Working for equal opportunities

www.brookes.ac.uk/vacancy FM WORLD | 24 MARCH 2011 | 41 Eastgate.QPV.indd 1

FM New appoints 240311.indd 41

15/3/11 14:11:58

17/3/11 10:55:26

FINAL WORD FELICITY MESSING

FELICITY

MESSING

UN-BRIELIEVABLE! A cheese-rolling festival in Gloucestershire is to start charging spectators for tickets, after overcrowding fears threatened to cancel this year’s event.

Local councillors warned cheesed-off organisers that the centuries-old event in Brockworth would have to modernise or close after 15,000 spectators mobbed the 5,000-capacity site last year.

A £20 ticket offers visitors the spectacle of a group of oddly dressed men tumbling down a local slope known as Cooper’s Hill in hot pursuit of a whole cheese – most would agree this still represents great value for money.

The cash will be used to fund safety measures such as traffic and parking control. Initial fears that organisers plan to employ a child labour force at the site, paid only in portions of Dairylea, have yet to materialise.

Is this a case of health and safety grating against tradition, or a cracker of a way to safeguard a historic pastime for future generations of fanatical fromologists?

Either way, it’s hard cheese.

A FLIC-ER OF RECOGNITION? Within the space of a week, I was amused to be told that someone is acting as a pseudo-Felicity by tweeting on Twitter under the same name about things to do with FM and life in general, and someone else (or it could be the same person for all I know) has taken to blogging about the ‘drivel’ that I write in this column. Well, at least we are creating a reaction – even though this is intended to be somewhat frivolous.

At a time when the power of instant and mobile communication is galvanising revolutions against despots, FM bloggers worry about what the Felicities of this world are saying. “Vive la Révolution!”

While I am content to accept that imitation is the greatest form of flattery, and I am bemused that the stupidity I write about is creating a reaction, I seriously hope that critical readers aren’t missing the irony. As they say, “it takes all sorts to make up the world”, and long may this continue to be the case – except in the case of tweeters and bloggers!

As Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and the like become the new channels of hearsay and unedited information, maybe the FM industry could start a new category of Awards; The Pointless Blogger Award, or the Tweeting Twit of the Year Award?

On second thoughts, maybe not – it might only encourage them.

APPRAISAL LINGO Maintains professional attitude: A snot.

Spends extra hours on job: Miserable home life.

IN THE NEXT ISSUE OUT 7 APRIL

AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE FM TEAM AT 02 AND A TOUR OF THE NEW SLOUGH EUROPEAN HQ/// LOW-CARBON DEVELOPMENT FOR THE PRIVATE SECTOR/// THE DEFAULT RETIREMENT AGE /// MANAGING SWITCHBOARDS /// REPORT ON LONDON FIRST CONFERENCE/// PLUS: SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT ON TECHNOLOGY AND SOFTWARE IN THE WORKPLACE

42 | 24 MARCH 2011 | FM WORLD

42_Felicity.indd 50

www.fm-world.co.uk

17/3/11 15:49:06

HOT DATES planning your future with us

“

The tutor was a good communicator and there was very good interaction in the course - Centre Manager, Nutgrove Shopping Centre [Ref. Cutting Costs but Maintaining Services]

MAY COURSES 10-12 10 11 11 12 17 17-19 24-26 25

”

The Professional FM 1 [Intermediate] The Tender Process Cutting Costs but Maintaining Services Contract Management Negotiating to Win IOSH Safety for Senior Executives Understanding FM Foundation - (optional) ILM Level 3 Award or Certificate in FM The Professional FM 2 [Intermediate] Fire Safety Law & Risk Assessment

JUNE COURSES 7-8

Managing Relocation, Fit-Out & Move

+44 (0)20 7404 4440

Telephone info@bifm-training.co.uk | www.bifm-training.com

AWARDS2011 This year’s BIFM Awards are now open for entries The search is on for the award winning FM teams and individuals of 2011. You and your team could be picking up a prestigious industry award at the most influential FM event in the UK. Entries close Friday 29th April 2011 (with the exception of Facilities Manager of the Year, Friday 15th July 2011) Contact us: 0141 639 6192 or Email: sandra@fmevents.biz

www.bifm.org.uk/awards2011 Awards ceremony: 10th October 2011 at Grosvenor House Hotel, London.

FMW.24.03.11.043.indd 4

11/3/11 13:42:12

We can turn you on. Quickly.

When a loss of power means you can’t do the business, you can trust MEMS to get you up and running again.

Specialists in power generation, we know how damaging an outage can be; that’s why 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, we guarantee an unrivalled response to emergency requests for temporary power.

In fact, we can be on site in under two hours*, so you’ll be fully functioning in no time at all.

MEMS: power to you.

08452 230 400 | www.memsgen.co.uk *Data provided by independently audited source.

FMW.24.03.11.044.indd 1

11/3/11 12:27:48