Facilities management (FM) is the discipline that makes sure an organisation’s buildings, services and workplaces support its people and operations as efficiently as possible. Good FM improves the efficiency and productivity of an organisation, its staff and its customers, and can reduce operating costs.
FM covers hard services, such as maintenance of the building fabric and mechanical and electrical systems, and soft services, such as cleaning, security, catering and grounds maintenance. For the QS, FM is closely linked to life cycle costing and maintenance cost planning: over the life of a building, operating and maintenance costs can be considerably higher than the original construction cost, so design decisions should be tested against their running costs. RICS publishes NRM 3 for order of cost estimating and cost planning of building maintenance works. QSs are also involved in procuring and managing FM contracts, which are usually let as term service contracts priced on a lump sum, schedule of rates or cost reimbursable basis.
Related terms: Life Cycle Costing, NRM 3, Term Service Contract.
