Facilities management is a corporate function that seems perfect for outsourcing. As a multifaceted endeavour requiring a wide range of skills and competences, it's difficult for one organisation to command the expertise and technological resources to be able to carry it all out in house. For these reasons, more and more companies are looking to transfer their facilities management functions to single source providers.
Outsourcing involves transferring business processes from one company, known as the parent company, to an outside organisation that specialises in that process. The benefits are economies of scale, and increased efficiency from the expertise, experience and specialised equipment of the third-party company. Thus the parent company is able to increase competitiveness by focussing on its core competences.
As facilities management comprises many fields, it's possible for companies to outsource any number of them. A recent survey showed the following were the most popular facilities to be outsourced - custodial and Housekeeping, design and architecture, landscape maintenance, major moves, security, preventive maintenance, engineering and utilities maintenance.
While the outsourcing of facilities management offers many advantages, it's a far from perfect system and one that requires considerable thought and examination. A recent survey revealed that 40 percent of companies brought services back in-house after outsourcing. The major reasons cited were costs and service quality.
Choosing the right company to outsource to is the key task and the most difficult. Competitive procurement is the main method and having prior experience with the contractor or being referred by a satisfied customer are some ways to succeed.
Outsourcing involves transferring business processes from one company, known as the parent company, to an outside organisation that specialises in that process. The benefits are economies of scale, and increased efficiency from the expertise, experience and specialised equipment of the third-party company. Thus the parent company is able to increase competitiveness by focussing on its core competences.
As facilities management comprises many fields, it's possible for companies to outsource any number of them. A recent survey showed the following were the most popular facilities to be outsourced - custodial and Housekeeping, design and architecture, landscape maintenance, major moves, security, preventive maintenance, engineering and utilities maintenance.
While the outsourcing of facilities management offers many advantages, it's a far from perfect system and one that requires considerable thought and examination. A recent survey revealed that 40 percent of companies brought services back in-house after outsourcing. The major reasons cited were costs and service quality.
Choosing the right company to outsource to is the key task and the most difficult. Competitive procurement is the main method and having prior experience with the contractor or being referred by a satisfied customer are some ways to succeed.