The role of distributor support in education facilities management

In education, the focus is often – and rightly – on student outcomes. But behind every successful school day lies the unrelenting work of facilities managers, tasked with keeping the environment safe, compliant, and fully operational. Their role is vital, yet increasingly difficult to deliver under pressure from all sides.

Here Vikki Horn, Senior Category Manager at Pipe Centre, discusses how across the sector, facilities teams are managing increasingly complex estates, many of which are made up of ageing infrastructure. This, combined with tightening budgets, compliance requirements, and the fact any maintenance or upgrade work must be planned around a strict academic calendar, presents an unenviable task.

At Pipe Centre we work closely with facilities managers and estates teams in the education sector, and see first-hand the pressures they face. From long hours to last-minute crises, theirs is a role that demands resilience, technical knowledge, and careful planning – all too often with limited support or recognition. As a distributor, we believe it is our responsibility to not only understand these challenges, but to actively help alleviate them.

That’s why we’ve developed a specialist Commercial FM team focused solely on supporting facilities managers in sectors such as education – enabling us to respond quickly and efficiently when urgent issues arise.

Facilities management in schools: a high-stakes balancing act

Educational estates present a unique set of demands. Many schools operate within buildings constructed long before modern compliance standards came into effect. Heating systems, ventilation, plumbing, and safety infrastructure may all require ongoing maintenance or urgent intervention, yet funding rarely allows for comprehensive, forward-looking asset strategies. In this environment, facilities managers are forced into a cycle of reactive maintenance – doing what needs to be done to keep things safe and operational, often postponing larger or preventative work for lack of time or budget.

This situation is further complicated by operational constraints unique to education. Work cannot disrupt learning. Deadlines are immovable. Summer holidays, half terms, and evenings often represent the only viable windows for major projects. Missing those windows can have serious consequences, including potential delayed reopenings or compromised safety – risks no school can afford.

Much of what facilities managers do goes unseen. When things run smoothly, it’s easy to overlook the complexity behind the scenes. That calm operational environment is usually the result of significant effort, quick decision-making, and meticulous planning. It’s a role that blends strategic thinking with day-to-day problem solving – all while under constant pressure to deliver more for less.

The role of the distributor: understanding, empathy, partnership

In such a demanding environment, distributors have a crucial part to play – not just in providing the right products, but in actively supporting facilities managers as trusted advisors.

At Pipe Centre, distributor support starts with listening. Every school is different, and every facilities manager faces unique constraints. Taking the time to understand the specific context – whether it’s a Victorian primary school or a multi-site academy trust – enables distributors to tailor advice and solutions to what will actually work.

As such, we are proud to partner with industry-leading suppliers such as Geberit and Durapipe, whose high-quality plumbing and drainage systems are trusted by facilities managers across the education sector. These partnerships enable us to offer reliable, compliant, and innovative solutions that meet the unique challenges schools face, ensuring smooth project delivery and long-term asset performance.

To support this, our Commercial FM Specialists work closely with facilities teams to provide fast, effective responses. Whether it’s sourcing spare parts from a photo or turning around urgent orders at speed, the focus is always on efficiency and ease.

In addition, our dedicated project office team provides end-to-end support, acting as a single point of contact from planning to delivery. This continuity ensures that projects are managed with the consistency and clarity schools need, particularly during tight holiday windows.

This also means helping schools plan for the long term, not just reacting to short-term problems. It involves offering flexible delivery and project support that works around school calendars. Supporting compliance through clear documentation, product traceability, and easy access to technical information is critical. Most importantly, it means treating facilities managers as strategic partners, not transactional buyers.

Our technical services team also plays a key role here – providing expert advice, troubleshooting support, and product insight when complex technical decisions need to be made quickly and confidently.

Moving from reactive maintenance to strategic partnership

We believe distributors have an important role in helping schools move from reactive maintenance towards more strategic asset management. This doesn’t always require large-scale investment; sometimes it’s about providing better visibility of lifecycle costs, helping prioritise improvements, or supporting phased approaches that fit academic calendars and financial years.

When distributors engage in this kind of partnership thinking, they move beyond being mere providers to becoming trusted advisors. They help facilities managers not just react to issues, but plan for sustainable, cost-effective solutions that ultimately benefit the entire school community.

More broadly, all stakeholders – from school leadership to local authorities – must engage more deeply with facilities management. It is not simply an operational necessity, but a cornerstone of educational success. Well-maintained environments improve learning outcomes, increase staff retention, and reduce long-term costs. Giving facilities managers a voice in strategic planning and ensuring they have the resources and support they need is essential.

Moving forward, together

Facilities managers are the unsung heroes of education. They are problem solvers, planners, and protectors – ensuring schools remain safe, functional, and welcoming places to learn. But the responsibility they carry cannot rest on their shoulders alone.

As a distributor within this sector, Pipe Centre sees it as our duty to lighten that load. That means being more than a name on a delivery note. It means being a collaborator, a sounding board, and a problem solver. It means helping facilities managers not only react to problems but also plan for better outcomes. Because when we support the people who support schools, everyone benefits – especially the students.

The pressures on education estates are real and growing, but with greater understanding and stronger partnerships, those pressures can be managed more effectively. Working together with empathy and shared purpose, distributors and facilities teams can make a real difference in keeping schools running smoothly today – and ready for tomorrow.