Early contractor involvement is still an issue

More thought needs to be given to bringing FM in at design stages.

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Considering FM at the completion stages of a project is still happening and is still a problem, said experts.

At fmME’s recent round table meeting, representatives from Duserve FM, Emrill, Farnek Avirreal, EFS and Khidmah said they are still facing the challenge of carrying out FM on buildings in which FM has been considered at the very last minute.

"A challenge is sometimes the way the buildings are built. It makes it really difficult for us to service on the inside. It must be stated that at the building design stage FM companies are involved," said Abdulla Mohammed Al Amri, services supervisor, Khidmah.

"You recognise from maintaining buildings – had you been involved from day one, many of the issues wouldn’t be present," said Ben Churchill, MD, Emrill. "Early contractor involvement is really important. That starts to show in maturing markets. A lot of projects here are complete or nearing completion so we have to work with what exists."

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But there was confidence that as the market matured and understanding of the value FM could bring in improving the long term lifecycle of a building, the situation would improve.

"Post the financial crisis, the yields are so much lower that they have to extend the lifecycle of the assets," said Ryan Darnell, senior services manager, Khidmah.

"That’s really important because total value is whole cost of ownership not just the transactional cost. The whole idea of forward maintenance registers and extending lifecycle and energy management is part of that. What the cost of owning this asset over a long period of time is [needs to be established] and ways we can maximise that value," said Churchill

"It’s interesting that developers now see the value in that and are willing to work with maintenance companies to ensure their reputations are maintained," he added.