Only time will tell
I'd just like to start by offering a very warm welcome to all of our
readers attending the Facilities Show this year. If you would like to
meet us in the flesh you can find us on stand B25. Any comments on the
magazine or facilities management issues in general would be much
appreciated.
I think the highlight of The Facilities Show is going to be the
one-day workshop, Marketing Facilities Management Services, which has
been developed specifically to build on the new facilities management
industry market intelligence report that was published in April. Well
worth a look. The workshop will look at buyer behaviour, market size,
growth and trends in the facilities management market and apply them
to the real-world marketing strategies that can be adopted by
facilities management contractors.
If you want to see the marketing of facilities management services in
practice then look no farther than British Telecom. BT in conjunction
with Stiell Facilities, Haden Building Management, Turner & Townsend
and Interior Services Group, has just launched Outsmart, a facilities
management package for large private clients with a heavy IT
requirement. Alba Management Consultants will market the service to
clients under the corporate PFI (private finance initiative) banner.
Ed Smyth, managing director of Alba said, 'companies will now be able
to enjoy the fruits of the PFI that their public
sector counterparts have enjoyed for some years.' Outsmart aims to
give private sector companies all the benefits that a large collection
of specialist companies can offer, with the added bonus of just a
single point of contact.
That said the government's PFI came in for some stick recently (BT
take note). John Gains, chief executive of John Mowlem said that
Mowlem was spending between �5 million and �7 million a year on
preparing bids for PFI contracts. He said there is, 'no consistency'
in the bidding process, with bids often taking 18 months to two years
to come to fruition. He certainly has a point. Every education
authority and regional political authority manages the PFI process in
its own particular way. This makes bidding for contracts a costly and
unpredictable process. How long before the government introduces a
standardised contract? And will BT at al.
experience the same problem with corporate PFI? Only time will tell.
You may want to take a peek at our special location supplement. It
looks at various locations throughout the UK and has lots of useful
advice, hints and tips for those planning on re-locating or expanding
to new premises. As you are all too aware, the facilities manager is
becoming more and more involved in the decision making process when
locating to a new site. Our guide may well hold that vital piece of
information you are looking for. If you are not seeking a location
yet, save it, it could prove invaluable in the future.
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