Redefining facilities management
FM experts from across the industry have come together to create a new model of service delivery for the 21st century. Based on the premise that existing agent-led models have become unwieldy due to unnecessary red tape and layered profit margins, a new Alliance has been formed to provide a streamlined alternative for customers nationwide. Mercury Alliance brings together best- in-class hard and soft FM service providers in a quality assured, integrated service that eradicates complex supply chains and achieves significant cost savings in the process. With public and private belt tightening set to impact upon the industry in the coming years, the Alliance model is expected to be a welcome move for procurement managers with responsibility for large property portfolios.
The brainchild of Larch Consulting’s Mike Cant and former Diageo Procurement Director Chris Brady, the new model is a response to client requirements for a leaner, more efficient approach, which offers transparent pricing models and quantifiable savings.
Chairman Mike Cant, believes that the current economic climate dictates a smarter, more collaborative working model from service providers: “Facilities management accounts for more than £40bn of the UK’s annual economy, yet the ‘professionalisation’ of the industry is a fairly recent development, which has been almost entirely construction-focused. The ‘Total FM’ model which has evolved over the last 15 years has become over- complicated and inefficient. This is partly due to the overlaying of individual profit targets and overheads, but is also a result of non-specialists coming into the industry with limited understanding of the strategic value of an integrated FM service. “It is our belief that there is an alternative solution which can benefit both clients and contractors. We are therefore delighted that the industry’s brightest and best are already responding positively to the challenge, joining the Alliance in a bid to fundamentally reconstruct FM service delivery. The new model will deliver between 10 and 20 per cent cost savings alongside massively improved service
Workspace Mobile –
NFS Hospitality provide scheduling solutions to clients in the private and public sectors around the world, including the NHS, where their Rendezvous software has been deployed to help better understand and manage Clinical and Non-Clinical Rooms at a Community Hospital and Health Centres; and at Cardiff City Hall, where it has cut admin time by three quarters by offering staff instant access to accurate information about any aspect of their events.
Rendezvous Workspace offers a host of features, including hot desk management, visitor management & badge processing and live dashboards. Now NFS has made a ground-breaking development with Workspace Mobile. This nifty solution has all the useful functionality of Rendezvous Workspace combined with the added convenience of mobility and a familiar user interface. Initially designed for the iPad, Workspace Mobile will soon be available to other mobile platforms including iPhone, BlackBerry and Android.
This innovative new technology offers three main benefits: • A seamless business process for attendee notifications direct to calendars (i.e. Outlook)
• The ability for staff to locate and book hot desks and handle booking- related matters whilst on the move
28 feature :: total fm
levels, making it the smart choice for partners and clients alike.”
The new Mercury Alliance already includes national building services experts EIC, cleaning specialists ICM, leading workplace management firm Harrow Green, intelligent technology providers complyNC, international security giant Securitas and a choice of independent specialist catering providers. Between these organisations, the Alliance offers clients access to a combined workforce of 15,800, a turnover in excess of £286m and a national delivery capability across 52 offices. Each is already operating at the top of its specialism, with a blue-chip client base, which includes Asda, the BBC, Kelloggs, Lloyds Bank, Microsoft and Tesco.
www.mercury-fm.com
for meeting bookings on the move
• An intuitive and restricted ‘box on the wall’, or self-service kiosk version, for last-minute meeting needs
NFS developed Workspace Mobile following increasing customer demand for a more convenient way to book rooms and resources. “Employees don’t always have the time to go back to their desks,” explains David Mapps, NFS Sales Manager for Rendezvous Workspace. “They don’t always know where they’re going to be, or how long for. This new technology not only saves time but also makes employees’ lives easier.”
Mapps continues: “This is not only a powerful and
convenient tool for the mobile employee, but as iPads can be mounted in a secure manner, they offer exciting possibilities for a modern look and feel when booking outside the meeting room itself. Most importantly, staff members are able to make quick
decisions on a room booking or a room
Building & Facilities Management – April 2011
move with the full confidence that all relevant colleagues will be notified and all services will be automatically arranged/re- arranged as a background task.” These are just some of the features of the NFS room and resource booker, with a complete service tracker coming soon. “The design of our Workspace technology lends itself well to the flexible approach of room and resource booking, which is increasingly popular in the modern and mobile working population we see today,” concludes Mapps.
www.nfs-hospitality.com
Total FM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52