The role of the facility manager in new procurement routes

The private finance initiative (PFI) is a means of using private finance and skills to deliver capital investment projects traditionally provided by the public sector. Traditionally, public sector bodies have been responsible for the procurement, operation and regulation of capital assets. In PFI, the private sector has the primary role in the operation of constructed facilities, whereas the public sector has a larger role in regulation. There are two parties to a PFI contract: the public sector body or authority, and the private consortium responsible for the delivery of the facility or project. Part of the contract specifies that the private consortium takes on a considerable degree of risk associated with that facility. This paper reassesses the role of the facilities manager as the party responsible for the co-ordination of planning, design and management of facilities within the PFI regime. The development of strategic long-term partnerships between client organisations and FM service providers requires the fundamental reassessment of appropriate risk management strategies informed by an integrated information management system that ensures the timely capture and exchange of life cycle data throughout the key stages of the PFI contrac