Building Maintenance Vs Facilities Management

Many people think that Facilities Management (FM) is only related to property management, operation, cleaning, security, catering, transportation and other building-related services. However, it’s not that simple. FM covers comprehensive services which also include construction, building maintenance (BM) and other strategic approaches.

There three possible core issues when discussing FM. The three issues involve cost, process and quality. Reducing the cost but maintaining a high standard of services quality is a kind of challenge. The operation processes that maintain a high quality services involve a strategic planning. Building Maintenance (BM), which is a sub-category under FM, is an example. It requires strategic directions for maintenance strategy.

FM combines with many aspects to meet the need of users of a building. It’s also concentrate on the environment of the building. To succeed, FM requires operational staff to perform appropriate process with supervision and control. It’s also a strategic development that requires maintenance personnel at the operational level to manage its operational processes, such as strategic planning and daily routines. Therefore, FM is not a standalone activity and it’s a kindly of support to the top management. Clear directions and instructions to operational and frontline staff should be made in order to realize a strong organization in core business.

By Hong Kong College of Engineering (HKCE)