NEWS & ANALYSIS FMJ.CO.UK
RICS INTEGRATED PROPERTY SERVICES CONFERENCE 2019
A CALL TO ARMS
With a change in name from
‘Strategic FM Conference’
to ‘Integrated Property Services
Conference’, this year’s annual RICS
FM conference, supported by IFMA
and the IFMA UK Chapter, saw a
renewed focus on property and its
relevance for those working in all
strands of the sector. The theme
was the issue of trust – in particular
whether a decline in the public’s
confidence in construction and
outsourced services could adversely
a
ect commercial prospects within
the built environment.
The event, chaired by Lucy Jeynes,
Founding Partner and MD of Larch
Consulting, examined the role of the
profession’s senior leadership in creating
conditions conducive to sustained
success. It included an illuminating
discussion on how the procurement
process for FM contracts can take a
less transactional and more cohesive
approach.
In his keynote address, Walter
Boettcher, Chief Economist and Director
of Research and Forecasting at Colliers
International, outlined the state of both
the world and the UK economy, honing
in on how this could impact the health of
the UK’s commercial real estate market.
With Brexit uncertainty overshadowing
the economy and political uncertainty
here and abroad, he spoke of a sense
that “the wind is shi… ing and the
economy is at a turning point”, which
10 JULY 2019
might not bode well. “Part of my job,” he
advised, “is tracking the property cycle,
and the good news is that companies
still have cash to invest. Brexit certainty
down the road may even lead to a
surge in demand. However, the current
level of uncertainty is eroding business
confidence.”
In the end, he concluded, “it takes
educated people in a position of power
to keep business flowing.”
PROCUREMENT PRACTICE
His remarks segued neatly into the topic
of the next session, which asked whether
the FM market is putting enough value
on procurement excellence. Derrick
Tate, Director of FM Strategy and
Transformation Lead at PwC, opened the
session with an update on the progress
of RICS’ dra… Procurement of facility
management: global code of practice,
2nd edition (see Institute news, page 8,
for details).
Tate outlined three important criteria
for success in procurement: preparation,
transparency and professionalism. “I
think it’s really important to prepare
carefully before you go to market,” he
said. “Know what you want, understand
your needs, prepare your documents
and determine your criteria.
“The next important area is
transparency; be very clear with your
potential suppliers on the timeframes
and subtleties of what you are looking
for and what you’re hoping to achieve.
And finally, approach the supply market
professionally, treat the companies
you want to work with as partners, be
professional in your communications
and follow the code of practice.”
Nicholas Caton, Director of
Procurement, Barclays, also had some
salient advice. “If you’re going to drive
business change you need to listen and
be clear on the outcomes you want to
drive for your organisation, including
your cost chain against revenue, your
talent agenda, your real estate portfolio,
and look for innovation around all those
ideas. Overall, you’ve got to listen and
engage with the market.”
A MATTER OF TRUST
The main panel debate of the day
brought together a group of FM
professionals to discuss how facilities
managers should act as ambassadors
for the profession. The session, which
was moderated by Russell Stevens,
Operations Director – Facilities at Mace
Macro, kicked o— with a presentation
by Margot Slattery, Country President –
Ireland and NI, Sodexo, who dived right
into the most pressing question of the
day: how to rebuild trust.
“The services sector has become too
transactional,” she argued. “FM has great
professional pride but we’ve become
too transactional, and driven contracts
to the bottom line. The facilities sector,
she concluded, needs to become
more transparent and be prepared to
demonstrate that it experiences both
successes and failures.
Satvir Bungar, MD and Head of FM
at BDO UK, argued that FM needs to
be seen less as purely transaction
but instead as a huge enabler for
the workplace environment. This,
he counselled, “demands strategic
partnership and engagement. The future
for FM is very positive, but it must be all
about collaboration – not just a nice to
have.”
The day also included some practical
advice sessions, such as the primer
by Terry Hayward, HR consultant for
Workplace Law on outsourcing and the
impact of employment law. There was
also a review of the lessons learnt from
the Edelman Trust Barometer, which
helped to show why trust is a valuable
asset for all institutions.
There was also a look at the potential
of blockchain technology on the
built environment and a case study,
presented by Rory Murphy of VINCI
Facilities, on the challenges of providing
integrated operational services to the
London Stadium.
CALL TO ARMS
Finally, Kath Fontana, Managing Director
– Government and Critical Infrastructure,
MITIE, and RICS Senior Vice President,
gave a stirring talk on her ambitions for
the sector. Her perspective was valuable,
not least because from 2020 she will be
the first FM to take on the presidency of
the RICS.
“What excites me about facilities
management is the opportunity to
influence people’s lives,” she said. “Most
of the people who work in this industry
are not white collar, they’re much more
likely to be blue collar professionals,
many of whom are on minimum or
living wage. We have a great opportunity
to influence their futures and achieve
lifelong employment in our industry.
“That’s what excites me, the ability to
a— ect that social value. But achieving this
sort of change requires e— ective senior
leadership and trust. We need therefore
to prove that our decisions stem from
the very highest standards of practice,
and demonstrate that we understand
what makes communities tick.
“The FM sector o— ers us a unique
playground to find ways of making
things better for society. We have a huge
opportunity as professionals to reframe
our value add for clients, and most
importantly to reframe the social value
we generate with our employees and our
communities.”
The RICS Integrated Property Services Conference 2019, which took place in London
on 1 July, focused on how to build trust in the facilities management profession