Category: Facilities Management

Facilities Management is becoming increasingly important, appreciated, and innovative than ever before. But what are the basics of Facility Management? A Facilities Manager has a range of responsibilities, which include:

– Ensuring proper operations and efficiency

– Safeguarding workers

– Complying with codes and regulations

– Saving the company money

– Increasing productivity

– Creating a comfortable environment for employees, clients and customers

What areas are covered by Facilities Management?

Facilities Management is involved in both strategic planning and day-to-day operations, some areas of responsibility include:

– Building maintenance

– Cleaning

– Catering and vending

– Archiving

– Health and safety

– Mail

– Contract management

– Security

– Waste disposal

– Recycling

– Utilities

Day-to-Day Responsibilities:

A Facility Manager has a lot on their plate. Among other things, Facilities Managers need to:

– Prepare documents

– Supervise and coordinate the work of contractors

– Plan for future development

– Meet with vendors and contractors

– Negotiate prices

Health & Safety Management

Health & Safety is a key part of the Facilities Manager and managing the Health & Safety of the site is the key to a thriving and successful work environment.

The consequences of not complying with health and safety regulations can be quite severe. Apart from the obvious risk of injury or death to an employee or client, they can also include:

– Fines

– Imprisonment

– Bad publicity

– Loss of customers

– Loss of staff

Practice good communication, get feedback from the customer and, most importantly, act on problems as soon as you hear about them. You must ensure the customer or client is kept in the picture at all times. This is vital to good customer relationship management.

Facilities account for a huge part of the assets and expenses of a company. Still, Facilities Management often doesn’t get the amount of attention other parts of the organization enjoy.

Here are just a few of the responsibilities of Facility Management:

– Risk calculation

– Waste management

– Facility accessibility

– Health and safety code compliance

– Strategic planning for future maintenance

– Use and disposal of harmful substances

Well-organized Facility Management

Company assets—everything from air conditioners to fire alarms to servers and appliances—run more efficiently and live much longer when they are properly maintained on a regular basis. That’s one of the crucial jobs of a Facility Management department. They track all these needs and complete the required maintenance on each part of a building’s structures and components. In turn, this reduces or eliminates equipment downtime, thus upping your company’s overall productivity. It produces a greater return on your investment over time.

Economical

Although facility management requires a big initial investment, it ends up paying for itself long-term. The pros of facility management far outweigh the cost of implementation.

However underappreciated it usually is, the role of facility manager is a crucial one to a company’s efficiency, profits, and the well-being of employees, customers, and tenants. A competent, experienced facility management department will allow you to focus on moving your business forward, as they keep the infrastructure of your workspace running smoothly.

Guidelines for Facilities Service Requests

Facility Maintenance service requests generally relate to repair and maintenance of structures and their installed utilities. This can involve repairs to roads, drainage systems, elevators, and exteriors. They’re different for every company and organization, but we will explore the basics of Facility Service Requests.

Routine Maintenance

Routine Maintenance service requests can be entered online, or by calling an agent at 301-435-8000. This covers any requests for utility repair or maintenance, including:

– Housekeeping

– Plumbing

– Ventilation

– Lighting

– Electrical Repairs

Outside Help

From time to time, a service request is outside the scope of Facility Maintenance. For these cases, the Maintenance Department should consult with the requester and arrange for a capable body to execute the task.

Facility Service Request Basics

Non-maintenance work is usually handled internally and includes tasks which are:

– Not dangerous or specialized

– Not time-sensitive

– Can be completed during normal working hours

– Don’t require special permission to resolve

Works Projects

Special projects like alterations and building renovations should be handled through your organization’s internal work order system. This is usually overseen by the director of facility management or maintenance administration. Sometimes outside contractors must be hired to assess the cost and scope of a given project. One example: an office building is in need of a structural renovation because its concrete floors have developed a large crack. In this case, it cannot be handled by the company itself, so an outside contractor would be contacted to figure out next steps.