Inside a Facility Management Partner

What to Look for in Your Facility Management Partner

Four trends that should drive the decision-making process

The world of facilities management is constantly evolving with change being the only constant. When searching for a facility partner, great deal of strategy should go into this process with the four trends listed below guiding the hiring decision.

1. THEY PLACE AN EMPHASIS ON THE PLANET: Research gathered via the United States Green Building Council shows that by the year 2023, commercial building owners will invest $960 billion on greening existing buildings. Companies are looking to partner with companies who have a proven track record of making daily operations more environmentally friendly through waste management and green product usage.
2. EMPHASIS BEING PLACED ON THE NAME: Facilities management operators with a national presence will enjoy a higher level of success in 2017 and beyond. These operators typically have a much broader range of services to offer and will give the building a far greater ROI than they would realize with a small, local operation with a limited scope of service.
3. AGGRESSIVE INTEGRATION OF TECHNOLOGY: When it comes to facilities management, technology has finally arrived. As the years progress, the emphasis that is placed on technology will only increase due in large part to the cost savings they typically bring. Cloud-based solutions that allow managers to manage everything from scheduling to supply orders using smartphone devices will steadily increase over the next five years. This fact has not been lost on facility managers and will play a huge role in their hire decisions.
4. FOCUS ON HYGIENE: Facility decision-makers are more educated than in years past in a number of areas including how best to manage hygiene challenges. A number of public health threats including the Zika virus and H1N1 have caused consumers to become vigilant and aware and this in turn has forced facility managers to opt for vendors who are knowledgeable in this area.

These trends will all be integral parts of the facility management spectrum in the coming years. Operators will continue to build models that mirror these trends and place them in the best position to provide solutions that meet the needs of their rapidly expanding customer base.