What is Facilities Management Consultancy?

Facilities management consultancy helps businesses plan and run their buildings. It also focuses on improving the performance of these buildings.

This article explains what a facilities management consultancy is and how it works. It also covers how it fits into facilities management and integrated facilities management.

Key Takeaways

• Consultants in facilities management help with planning, analysis, and advice.
• It is not the same as the usual tasks of managing facilities.
• Integrated facilities management combines services into one plan.
• Consultancy helps with compliance, efficiency, and planning for the life cycle.
• To deliver well, you need to think about your workforce and talent.

What is Facilities Management Consultancy and What Does It Do?

Facilities management consultancy is a branch of facilities management that provides impartial advice. It helps develop and run buildings, infrastructure, and support services. Instead of doing everyday chores, it focuses on evaluations and strategy formulation. It also handles benchmarking and performance improvement.

1. Planning for assets and their life cycles
2. Using space and making plans for the workplace
3. Managing risk and following the rules
4. Models of service delivery and governance
5. Controlling costs and measuring performance

The discipline fits with widely accepted definitions of facilities management. These definitions combine people, location, and procedure. Its goal is to support fundamental business objectives through the physical environment.

Facilities Management vs. Facilities Consultancy: What Sets Them Apart

Facilities management provides daily services like cleaning, maintenance, security, and utilities. Facilities management consultancy guides in planning, setting up, and monitoring services.

Some important differences are:

• Consultancy gives advice, not services.
• Facilities management carries out the plans that were agreed upon.
• Consultants typically work on their own, separate from vendors.

This separation enables businesses to use data, standards, and best practices. It helps them make smart choices instead of being limited by existing processes.

Role in Managing Integrated Facilities

Integrated facilities management unifies all support services. The facilities management consultant defines the integration model and service scope. They also set the governance structure. They guide how services are coordinated and managed. In contexts where facilities management is integrated, consultancy help may include:

1. Looking at models with one provider versus models with many providers
2. Making service-level agreements and key performance indicators
3. Mapping procedures across both hard and soft services
4. Helping with change management and transition

This ensures that integration is carefully planned and measurable. It also aligns with the company’s needs.

Things That Consultants Do Often

Most of the time, facilities management consulting follows a set plan. Activities may vary depending on the sector and size. However, they usually include the following:

• Initial checks of services and facilities
• Analyzing data on costs, performance, and use
• Making plans and strategies for building facilities
• Aligning policies and standards
• Suggestions for staffing and sourcing models

People often think about workforce planning, especially when specialized skills are needed. In this case, companies might discuss industry-specific hiring tools. For example, NW Recruiting Partners lists jobs in facilities and property management. You can get relevant sector assistance here. It provides resources for facilities-focused talent and advice.

Comparing Different Ways to Manage Facilities

Aspect	Facilities Management	Facilities Management Consultancy	Integrated Facilities Management
Main Focus	Service delivery	Planning and giving advice	Coordinated service model
Normal Tasks	Operations and maintenance audits	Planning and setting standards	Integration of many services
Responsibility	Operational results	Suggestions and analysis	Performance from start to finish
Delivery / Freedom	Often done in-house or outsourced	Based on independence or advice	Led by a provider or a mix of both

 

Pros and Cons – Benefits and Limitations

Facilities management consulting helps you make organized, clear decisions. It also ensures you follow established standards. It works best when used with correct data and defined rules.

There are some limits, such as:

1. Reliance on the quality of data
2. Need to get internal stakeholders involved
3. Recommendations still need to be able to be carried out.

These criteria show that consulting is not a substitute for operational facilities management. Instead, it serves as a complement to it.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is consulting for facilities management?

Facilities management consultancy helps businesses plan and evaluate strategies. It also improves overall facilities management performance.

• How does it help teams that manage facilities?

It gives operational teams analysis, benchmarks, and suggestions that help them make decisions.

• Is it necessary for integrated facilities management?

It is not required, but often used. It helps create and test integrated facilities management models.

• Who usually uses these services?

Companies that have complicated portfolios or big change projects. They also deal with strict regulations that they must follow. These challenges make expert guidance in facilities management especially valuable.