FMJ.CO.UK INTERVIEW FOCUS
SEPTEMBER 2021 29
complex nature of the industry he decided
to set up his own company, to help clients
better understand their buildings, have
more control over them and ultimately
enhance their estates.
INTEGRATED ESTATES MANAGEMENT
IEM was launched to oƒ er a full range of
estate management services. This includes
compliance in areas such as electrical
and water management and lighting, the
delivery of specific projects and expert
maintenance services; ranging from a small
fix to project managing a large estate.
Says Scott: “Prior to forming the company,
potential clients, including Chatham House
and CVS Group, were asking if we could help
them. That enabled us to build the brand
from there. Our core market is SME covering
a sub £4 million spend where the big players
don’t go but is still a vast market that needs
our support.”
The heart of the company ethos is to make
estate management simple, transparent and
eƒ ective. To help achieve this, IEM created
a Five Point Plan that covers endtoend
estate management. These are designed to
help clients:
Know their assets;
Understand their condition;
Control compliance;
Package priorities;
Manage delivery.
According to Scott the plan can be tailored
to meet a client’s exact requirements or IEM
can work on one or all five points with
them.
Scott explains: “One of our main mantras
at IEM is simplicity because if you make
something simple it is understandable and
if it’s understandable it’s easy to explain
– and only then can you get the buy in,
whether that is financial or support from
the wider business. This is ultimately what
we’re looking to do in the industry, and
one of the core lynchpins on how we go to
market is in understanding the heart
of what our clients are trying to
achieve.”
Significantly, when it
came to the company
title, Integrated Estates
Management was a
carefully thought out
brand name.
Explains Scott:
“We wanted to make
a statement to the
sector that it isn’t
traditional facilities
management. Because
what you are getting from
us is that competency and
strategic approach, but it does go
down to the delivery and the detail.
“Three or four months in our journey,
we found it really hard not to mention FM,
as it does enter that sphere of influence,
but our integrator model (integrating
our technical expertise into the facilities/
property department) supported by the
5point
plan framework enables us to
bring in the right teams to bear when you
need them.”
CLIENT NEEDS
IEM primarily works with clients who have
been ‘yellow paging’ it or have tried working
with the bigger companies but find they
are just a number within that company.
The aim is to get them to a position where
they know their assets, they know their
condition, their compliance position and
they have a priorities list to meet. That may
involve support based on the 5point
plan
where IEM will work with them over 12 to 18
months until they’re ready to go to tender
or they can choose to stay with the
company.
“That’s one of our core routes to
market,” says Scott. “We’ve also
worked hard with our internal
The heart of the company
ethos is to make estate
management simple, transparent
and eff ective. 7o help achieve this,
IEM created a Five 3oint 3lan
that covers end-to-end estate
team on our framework,
determining what we want
to be known for and that’s
allowed us to introduce
things like the client’s
health check.”
This threetier
process
starts with an hour’s zoom
to go through key compliance
areas, such as fire, gas and water,
giving clients information on where
they are on a score system. If clients want
a bit more help, IEM can go in and carry out
an audit that can range from a half day to a
fiveday
process.
“With some, we work on a consultancy
role sitting between them and the services
provider and adding clarity,” says Scott. “It’s
all about our own learning too, as the more
clients we engage with the more we’re going
to learn, and add even more value.”
Scott believes strongly that understanding
management.ƌ