A facilities management transformation strategy for the public sector

Facilities Management (FM) has become one of the fastest growing disciplines in the built environment. Factors such as information technology, expectations of employees, the cost of mistakes in building, the cost of building space and global competition have influenced the growth of the discipline. These factors have forced facilities management to move from the basement to the boardroom; from a hidden function entrusted to the sleepy, slow and steady to one performed by increasingly bright-eyed and dynamic facilities managers. The objectives of this research focus on the need for a transformation strategy for FM in the public sector. However, before any transformation is considered, it is essential to understand the perceptions and attitudes of people dealing with FM in this sector. The National Department of Public Works (NDPW) became the focus of the study because it has the largest property portfolio in the southern hemisphere. It should be the leader in FM. The collected primary data (being quantitative) and secondary information provided the necessary basis to understand the application of FM in the NDPW. The study revealed shortcomings which are contributing to the problems outlined: namely, that no senior manager has been appointed to manage the portfolio and assist top management in decision-making; that neither a policy nor a FM framework are in place to guide the FM portfolio; that there is a lack of knowledge about the discipline, particularly by management and that there is no computer-aided FM in the entire department, let alone a FM helpdesk. FM is the coordination of workplace, people, physical infrastructure, processes and technology in order for an organization to meet its objectives. It is a wide field encompassing models that tend to differ considerably from one organization to another as it has to respond to the particular needs of each organization. It recognizes that a workplace’s configuration can have either a positive or negative impact on productivity, depending on the competency of the FM structures in place