The role of facilities management at the design stage

Facilities management is a new discipline, an exciting profession that embraces many essential areas of the built environment. The last two decades have witnessed a significant growth in the profession to the extent that there is the need to be clear on its roles both in the industry and organisation. This study looks at the role of facilities management in the procurement of a facility. It tries to highlight the advantages of the early involvement of the facilities manager in the procurement process. The methodology for this study is through interviews of professionals in construction and service providers as well as facilities managers and designers. Emphasis is placed on the attainment of value for money, Customer satisfaction and the delivery of a better building; that is economic to run, easy for the occupiers to maintain, control and manage, better able to respond to the needs of the occupants .In promoting the role of facilities managers, their influence and contributions to the design process, the facilities manager ensures the effective management of the supply chain. By promoting team work and collaboration through the design process, facilities management also encourages dialogue by indicating the benefits of partnership amongst the project team members. And while the project team takes decisions that will meet the business need of the facility over its useful life, they also make provisions for the future maintenance of the facility. The facilities manager's concern at the design stage will be the delivery of an efficient facility that is cost effective, and will respond to their subsequent roles in the facility on a day to day basis. Cost effective design solutions are then generated to meet the needs of the building objectives.