FOCUS INTERVIEW
client needs means making even the most
complex engineering or asset management
solutions accessible. With FM being such
a broad church and many coming in from
a so¥ services side, not being blinded by
science when it comes to meeting M&E
objectives is important.
“Buildings are probably the largest asset
an organisation will have and therefore our
job is in making it easier for the client to
understand what is required. We all know
how to look a¥ er cars, we need an MOT
etc., to go out on the road. It’s exactly the
same with buildings, but o¥ en is made so
complex.
“Most people don’t know what goes into
an MOT, but we do know we need that
certificate. In a similar way we are engaged
to ensure your building and the people in
them are kept safe and secure. This is why
we turn up and discuss how we can enable
you to achieve the aims of the organisation.”
As an example
a potential client was
taking their M&E contracts to tender, but it
was clear they could do it diƒ erently.
“We had all the supply chain lined up and
the technical expertise to give them a level
of control and a vision to see how much
the spend is and that it is all in one place.
This removes that old school approach of
tendering at cost. We go in and ask, ‘what
are you looking to achieve and how much
have you got to play with?’ We’ll act as
your interim between that contractor and
management.
“That point of diƒ erence allows us to play
in the field and while we’re engaging with
the clients we give them that personable
touch as we aim to understand and enable.”
POST-COVID CHALLENGES
Commercial estates management looks set
to face a whole new set of challenges as
many organisations look to adopt hybrid
working patterns. Scott advises that they
start with the basics: “Where are you in
the lease pattern? What would it cost to
return that building early? What does that
disposal cost look like and what would an
enhancement cost be? This goes back to
really getting into the detail with the client
to understand what they are looking to
achieve and then assisting them in making
the right decision.”
30 SEPTEMBER 2021
Scott believes that IoT solutions will play
a huge part in the future in helping manage
estates; whether it’s using a noise sensor
to carry out a generator test or pressure
sensors to ensure li¥ s go to the right areas.
A healthcare client is currently adopting air
quality sensors that monitor surgical areas
to check on the air quality.
The result of utilising digital solutions is
also the rich stream of data they produce,
but many FMs are uncertain on what is
useful and what is white noise. This is
another area that Scott feels strongly
should be simplified.
“Data is absolutely critical and there are
a lot of systems out there that can gather
all the data but it’s how you review and use
that data which is key. Ask, what are we
looking to measure and why do we need to
measure this?
“We work with a simplistic data
overview, because we could produce
figures for everything, from meantime until
failure or the potential spend on certain
areas, but that equals a lot of unnecessary
detail.
“Instead on a daily basis we give clients
the key enablers, what’s working, what’s
costing them time or loss of trading, what
the spend is to date and where they are
against plan.
“We find that goes down really well,
because should they ask a question e.g.
‘when was the last time that piece of
equipment failed?’, we can tell them but we
don’t bombard with lots of data because
very quickly you can get lost.”
FUTURE TALENT
A huge challenge for the sector going
forward is the skills shortage. It’s been
estimated that 20–30 per cent of all UK
engineers are employed in FM, but the UK
faces an engineering skills shortage. IEM
is dealing with this is by engaging with the
supply chain regularly and working with
contractors on a tiered regional basis using
local contractors to deliver services. This
also of course ticks the sustainability box.
“Long term I feel strongly that
apprenticeships are important,” says Scott.
“Engineering hasn’t been supported for
years in this country so what we need to
do as an industry is help the government
understand what FM is in the first place as
their daily interactions are numerous. Going
back to where I started, there is also the
military which oƒ ers a pool of selfmotivated
engineers ready to come out and go into
industry. A lot of service leavers struggle
with that transition but we’re ready to take
them on.”
With the economy opening up, Scott is
seeing a lot of opportunities for IEM to
build on relationships that were nurtured in
supporting clients through the pandemic.
Says Scott: “As organisations make plans for
the future, we’ve been engaging with them
to understand how we can help and how we
can add value. We’ve also just brought in our
new MD Derrick Hidden from CloudFM. He
brings a wealth of knowledge with him and
along with some other team moves we’ve
made we are really in a great place to move
forward.
“This sector is finally getting to the top
table, whether that’s in returning to work,
or whether it’s in dilapidations and moving
them on. We want to add value to the FMs
and property directors so they’re winning
board recognition. When you look at it from
a monetary value, FM o¥ en holds the biggest
budget and the greatest risk. So within that
we want to help move from risk and cost to
value added.”
Buildings are probably the largest asset an organisation will have and
therefore our job is in making it easier for the client to understand what
is reTuired. We all know how to look after cars, we need an MO7 etc., to go out
on the road. It’s exactly the same with buildings, but often is made so complex.ƌ