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APRIL 2019 21
FMJ.CO.UK
THE IFMA’S VIEW
DAVE WILSON FRICS, IFMA FELLOW, DIRECTOR,
EFFECTIVE FACILITIES & IFMA UK CHAPTER
DIRECTOR
One’s immediate
sense is that
there is no
pressing need
for an FM trade
association to
represent the
sector, otherwise
the industry
would have
got around to
sorting one out.
But perhaps the
issue is thornier
than that, and
revolves around
what suppliers might get from a trade association, and
how that fits with the future of the market.
It seems relatively obvious that the major service
providers are capable of looking a er their own
interests, at least up to a point, with their own lobbying
and contacts, as well as their existing memberships of
umbrella groups like the BSA. But while we might not
expect them to take a lead, an e ective FM association
might well give them the benefit of an independent
voice as well as a facilities market oriented one, and in
turn they might lend credibility to it. So, there could be
benefits for them, provided the purpose is clear and the
execution professional. Thus, while a trade association
might not begin with them, it should keep the door open
to their joining.
Small businesses, on the other hand, probably have
neither the time or finances to begin the process of
growing an association.
That leaves the mid-market players to take the lead.
Why would they?
The answer lies in their need both to change the way
the market works and to establish a more level playing
field with buyers. The problems which the industry
faces are primarily around buyer confidence, with
failures in service reliability, unnecessary complexity
in pricing, reporting and measurement, and questions
over financial resilience all contributing to a view that
outsourcing is a high-risk activity. Ironically, since most
of these issues flow from either buyer behaviours or the
failures of a few major suppliers, this damages smaller
companies’ brands and marketing e orts more than it
does the large established companies.
To address these concerns (which do nonetheless also
a lict the major FM players if they result in more services
returning “in-house”) requires an industry body which
is committed to the development of a set of standards
of behaviour - on both sides of the contract process
- which is ethical, transparent, consistent and meets
buyer needs, while at the same time permitting genuine
competition on cost, service and innovation.
All this has to be part of a trade association remit
which aims to rebuild confidence in a market which,
especially in the public sector, has become quite toxic as
a quasi-monopoly buyer (the Government) has pursued
cost cutting and low tenders at the expense of any
semblance of sustainable finances or, indeed, service
quality. The result has been a series of corporate crises
and failures which have had a significant detrimental
e ect on the reputation of the whole industry.
It seems therefore that a trade body which is able to
advocate independently, to set and maintain standards
in terms of, for example, bidding behaviour and financial
stability, and to educate buyers in the realities of FM
economics, might well be a valuable resource for the
industry as a whole. How to get there from here requires
a coalition of businesses to agree on that way forward,
provide some funding and find a credible programme to
move forward. That it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean
it is impossible, and perhaps the current circumstances
are such that it is a requirement for the future growth of
the FM industry, rather than a luxury.
THE FM CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S VIEW
MARTIN REED,
CEO, INCENTIVE FM GROUP
We strongly
believe that there
should be a trade
association that
clearly represents
the sector and
have been asking
for this to happen
for some time.
This is not just to
help address the
negativity around
outsourcing
but also to give
the industry a
comprehensive and clear voice. The current situation
is that there are enough trade and professional bodies
around to cover most angles but there isn’t a real trade
body that covers traditional commercial FM.
In our view BIFM was never a trade body even though
they touted for ‘corporate members’. This is why we took
the decision to join the BSA as it is the only organisation
that currently comes close to being a decent trade
body that is even somewhere near our industry. They
are committed to actively promoting the benefits
of outsourcing and we don’t believe that any other
organisation is successfully representing companies like
Incentive FM and delivering this message. As a result,
major companies are missing out on the benefits that
outsourcing can bring such as driving down costs whilst
driving up standards and our sector is missing out on
FM CLINIC
Dave Wilson
Let us help change your world.
T: +44 (0)1708 251900
E: info@fsifm.com
www.fsifm.com
Martin Reed
ADVICE & OPINION
link
/www.fsifm.com