News analysis with BESA
A big year ahead for digital FM
2024 will be all about harnessing, analysing, and using digital data to deliver more fl exible and responsive facilities management (FM), according to the team behind the UK and international industry standard SFG20
T
he industry will have to address growing demand for smarter and more fl exible commercial spaces this year. Part of its response will have to involve making better use of all the digital tools available to take on the competing
challenges posed by new legislation, the pressure on budgets, and the need for organisations to be more transparent about their environmental and social performance. Regulatory compliance will be fi rmly in the spotlight this year with owners, managers, and contractors under increased scrutiny to provide evidence they are carrying out statutory maintenance works. The changing responsibilities created by the Fire Safety Act 2021, The Building Safety Act 2022, and the Fire Safety Regulations (England) 2022 will also be keenly felt by everyone involved in the maintenance of built assets this year. Legislation has also prompted signifi cant changes to the Building Regulations and planning processes with regulators now insisting on more comprehensive and easily accessible operating data. It has also increased the focus on individual and organisational competence with fi rms specifi cally challenged to ensure people with the right skills are carrying out the right work at the right time. Improving connectivity will be a key priority for many property professionals as meeting their responsibilities will only be possible if they can share data and maintenance strategies more seamlessly with their supply chains.
Transparency
This will also be vital for the environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting of buildings which is assuming greater importance as pressure grows on building clients to provide legal and reputational transparency. Another pressing issue is the looming deadline for all newly leased commercial buildings to achieve EPC ratings of C or higher from next year – with existing leases required to meet the same target by 2028. Many organisations will either start relocating to buildings with better environmental characteristics or their landlords will need to invest in signifi cantly improving their existing spaces. Either way, FMs will also have to adapt quickly by using technology and data to develop the necessary strategies. 2024 will also see much better use of predictive maintenance to make facilities
more responsive to user needs and supportive of occupant well-being. This is becoming essential to many more organisations as ‘hybrid’ working practices have become embedded in the years since the pandemic. Asa more workforces are now operating from multiple locations, there is
greater pressure on FM strategies to provide a fl exible approach. So, gaining better understanding of trends in space usage, for example, can help managers focus resources more eff ectively, increase employee productivity, and reduce costs, all while improving effi ciency and sustainability. However, there is still a tricky balance to be struck with the budgetary pressures
that have persisted since 2022. While infl ation and other cost pressures are expected to ease somewhat in 2024 this is not likely to dramatically alter the continued pressure on FMs to provide persuasive arguments to defend maintenance
budgets. Digital systems will be essential to focus resources most eff ectively and effi ciently, reducing wastage and costly reactive maintenance, particularly in the many sectors facing large and growing maintenance backlogs. With all of this in mind, the launch of a new smart software solution developed by the SFG20 team is a timely response. Facilities-iQ is a completely new technology approach designed to help manage
fi nancial and technical risk, achieve regulatory compliance, improve auditing, and, critically, smooth the collaboration between building owners, managers, maintenance teams, contractors, and consultants necessary for successful FM strategies.
The new software is designed to reduce the burden on FMs by carrying out more automated updates linked to the constantly reviewed legislation, best practice, and British Standards that shape the maintenance tasks highlighted in SFG20. It also harnesses the general content within the standard to an FM’s specifi c knowledge of their buildings making it easier to strike the right balance between compliance and business criticality. The launch follows a rigorous development process guided by the fi ndings of a
comprehensive survey of the sector carried out by SFG20 last year. Respondents from across the industry provided detailed insights into the unprecedented challenges facing FM professionals and their clients.
Critical
One key concern highlighted by the survey was the requirement for a ‘Golden Thread’ of operational information which is now enshrined in legislation. 66% of asset owners/property managers said that keeping information up to date was “a major or critical challenge for their business”. It has also led to a proliferation of digital platforms aiming to capture operating
data, which many respondents said was “a major headache” as it meant they had to use more than one CAFM system, leading to confusion and ineffi ciency. They also pointed to their diffi culties managing the mix of internal and external
workforces along with a seemingly never-ending cycle of developing new asset registers each time a new contractor was engaged. The survey also showed that
8
January 2024
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