Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
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catering and housekeeping, transport and security ([6] Cloete, 2002). The International Facility Management
Association (www.ifma.org) defines FM as a "profession that encompasses multiple disciplines to ensure
functionality of the built environment by integrating people, place, process and technology".
Facilities maintenance is an essential operation because the way it is conducted influences the effectiveness of
user organisations and can increase the productivity and well-being of employees ([17] Wireman, 2004).
FM as a profession has developed from the USA and has spread across the world. In Botswana, however, there
is no professional organisation that represents FM. FM is practiced by architects, quantity surveyors, property
managers, land valuers and economists. Training at degree level is in construction engineering and
management at the University of Botswana. There is no training in quantity surveying, land valuation or land
management. In South Africa, the South African Facilities Management Association was established with the
primary objective to facilitate skills development and the promotion of networking between FM professionals
([14] SAFMA, n.d.). In Asia, the first reported workshop on FM was in 1995 ([11] Lomas, 1999). Lomas further
reports that since then the FM practice has grown substantially in Hong Kong and has grown along three lines,
namely practice, research and education. From the perspective of the Asian region, Lomas also indicates that
Japanese companies have established FM as part of their organisations and that Korean practice was
considerably slower in uptake although Korean companies had occasionally used international FM consultants.
Comparatively, therefore, Botswana's FM practice is at its infancy. This state of development, however, requires
that FM practices need to be more researched and developed to ensure the establishment of good practices in
the future.
4. Research methodology
Both qualitative and quantitative research methods (observations made from visual inspection of buildings and
questionnaires) were used to obtain data in order to meet the objective of the study. A survey involving a selfadministered questionnaire to facility managers was used. The purpose of the questionnaire was, first, to verify
the validity of the assumptions made in the research, and, second, to probe and find answers to the subproblems.
Included in the questionnaire were sections designed to assess individual feelings, values, and attitudes toward
self, others, activities, institutions and situations ([7] Gay and Airasian, 2003). These were in the form of a Likert
scale.
A stratified random sample was chosen as the most appropriate in this study as it ensured that strata of a class
of FM practitioners were randomly selected and adequately represented in the sample after stratification. The
categories considered in the sample were private real estate economists and valuers, private contractors
(building, electrical and mechanical), asset management companies, banks and government departments.
Owing to logistics, time and cost, the target population of 50 was confined to Gaborone the capital city of
Botswana. The questionnaire was distributed to the respondents as shown in Figure 1 [Figure omitted. See
Article Image.].
Microsoft Excel was used to statistically analyse collected numerical data while the content analysis method of
[9] Krippendorf (2004) was used for semi-structured interviews. The content analysis method was the preferred
technique for analyzing semi-structured interviews and cognitive testing interviews.
It should be noted that the lower percentage for the government sector is due to the fact that FM in government
is centralized. The average response rate was 62 percent which was as follows; 43 percent from private
contractors, 63 percent from private companies such as banks and real estate companies, 71 percent from
parastatal organisations and government with 60 percent responses.
5. Findings and discussion
5.1 Condition and information
The condition of the buildings managed by respondents is shown in Figure 2 [Figure omitted. See Article
Image.].
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Of the respondents, 91 percent indicated that buildings between five and ten years old require minor repairs
with 7 percent requiring serious repairs. Of the respondents, 77 percent indicated that buildings between 11 and
20 years require serious repairs and for buildings over 20 years, 50 percent of the buildings either require
critical or serious repairs. About 5 percent of respondents indicated that buildings over 30 years were as good
as new.
The responses confirm that buildings that are less than five years should only require minor maintenance since
they are still relatively new. The results for buildings which are between five and ten years old would suggest
that maintenance is carried out effectively. For older buildings (more than ten years old), the results suggest that
the buildings deteriorated over a period of time due to lack of maintenance and this may also suggest that
building surveys and information on buildings was not carried out in the past to facilitate strategic maintenance
planning.
5.1.1 Importance of records
Respondents were asked to rate the importance of records from 1 to 4 (1 being not important and 4 being very
important).
All the respondents scored either 3 or 4 on all the types of records, as shown in Figure 3 [Figure omitted. See
Article Image.]. This suggests that the personnel managing the maintenance departments are aware of the
importance of record keeping for the effective management of their facilities.
5.1.2 Frequency of referring to records
Respondents were asked how often they referred to the documents in Figure 3 [Figure omitted. See Article
Image.]. Of the respondents, 40 percent indicated that over the course of a year, they often (more than 50
percent of the time) refer to building records while 33 percent indicated that they refer to equipment records and
warranties.
Of the respondents, 57 percent indicated that they refer to problem records on a monthly basis, during the
execution of the service contract. Of the respondents, 50 percent also indicated that they refer to internal
meeting records on a monthly basis.
On a weekly basis, work-order forms and job cards seem to be the most commonly referred to records.
This suggests that the maintenance departments lack a complete and an up-to-date database. They do not
have the knowledge of the condition of some of their buildings and their maintenance requirements because
they do not regularly refer to all past records in their possession.
This may also suggest a lack of long-term planning which could have serious implications on life-cycle costing
and the department finding itself carrying out emergency or condition-based maintenance most of the time.
5.1.3 Documents issued at commissioning
Respondents were asked what types of documents were issued when the buildings were handed over. This
depended on the age of the building. Documentation handed over was far better and more comprehensive for
buildings of five or less years old, than for older buildings. However, in terms of specific documents,
occupational health and safety policy documents were acknowledged by only 19 percent of the respondents as
having been received for buildings of less than five years old.
For buildings above five years old, a maximum of 23 percent of the respondents indicated that they were given
electrical service manuals, electrical services works, as-built drawings and security works manuals. Most of the
respondents did not receive any form of documentation for buildings more than five years old.
This suggests a lack of understanding regarding the importance of record keeping and the importance of the
documentation handed over at commissioning stage such as as-built drawings, technical specifications and
maintenance manuals, resulting in delayed responses to address maintenance problems. This also suggests
that there is no standard procedures stating how and where to keep the documents issued at commissioning
and may suggest a lack of communication with or handover to those who are new or have been transferred
within the organisation.
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adopt a multi-attribute approach to prioritising maintenance. Shen argues that a maintenance plan that is based
on a rational assessment of priorities and up-to-date knowledge of the property stock can ensure the best use of
available resources. That is why, it is important that not only is funding maximised but also that constraints such
as lack of databases and manuals are dealt with appropriately.
One way to address the issue of resource constraints in general is to take the advice of [6] Cloete (2002, p. 174)
who states that the management structure for property management is influenced among others, by the size
and diversity of the property portfolio. Placement of the property management division within the structure of an
organisation needs reviewing to ensure that available resources can meet the demands of the organization. The
review should cover staffing, vehicles, equipment and funding and the roles and responsibilities of all personnel
in the division.
5.2.3 Factors impacting building maintenance
Respondents were asked about the different factors which could impact on building maintenance, the existence
of a maintenance policy and if they had quantifiable targets, as well as whether the respondents were happy
with the maintenance targets.
Of the respondents, 59 percent indicated that they had a building maintenance policy in place. This may
suggest the lack of implementation or understanding of the policy.
Of the respondents, 63 percent indicated that they had quantifiable maintenance targets in place. This would
suggest that maintenance departments monitor the effectiveness and efficiency of outputs against set targets
and also suggests the strategic importance of building maintenance in the organisations that indicated
quantifiable maintenance targets.
Over half of the respondents were happy with the set minimum maintenance targets which would suggest that
the criterion used for measuring FM service (to ensure best practices and encourage ongoing improvements)
such as efficiency, effectiveness and flexibility, is understood by the personnel managing the maintenance
departments and hence their happiness with and acceptance of the set targets.
5.2.4 Recruitment of maintenance staff
The question of who recruits maintenance staff is critical to the operations of the maintenance department. The
answers are shown in Table I [Figure omitted. See Article Image.].
Of the respondents, 66 percent indicated that the respective maintenance department together with HR initiate
recruitment of staff. This suggests the involvement of the user departments in establishing their requirements
before recruitment is done. The failure by the personnel managing the FM departments to sell their strategies to
top management may result in those top managers being seen as not being supportive.
5.2.5 Maintenance training
Of the respondents, 71 percent indicated that there were formal training programmes for staff involved in
maintenance. When asked about how regular the training was, 37 percent of the respondents indicated that the
training is carried out only on a yearly basis.
A further question on the type of training required revealed, as shown in Figure 5 [Figure omitted. See Article
Image.], that 28 percent required training in maintenance management while 25 percent required tuition in
managing safety and risks.
5.2.6 Outsourcing
As part of a comprehensive maintenance regime, outsourcing is considered to be something that can unlock the
resources of the organisation so that it focuses on its core business. The respondents were asked to state what
was the percentage of outsourcing of FM and the results reveal that 37 percent of the organisations outsource
between 80 and 100 percent of their work (Figure 6 [Figure omitted. See Article Image.]).
The respondents are predominantly parastatal organisations as shown in Figure 7 [Figure omitted. See Article
Image.]. The high percentages of 80-100 percent suggest that the personnel managing the maintenance
department lack the understanding of the outsourcing process and the need to analyse the objectives, risks and
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benefits at the outset. This process assists the organisations to decide on which services to outsource prior to
change taking place.
The results also show that 23 percent of the respondents outsourced between 0 and 19 percent. These are
mainly private companies and contractors. This suggests that these businesses are totally dedicated to the
success of their operations and as such regard FM as an integral part of their core business, hence they carry
out up to 80 percent of maintenance work themselves and only outsourcing specialist services where there is no
in-house expertise.
About 17 percent of the respondents both outsource between 20-39 and 40-59 percent of their FM activities.
These respondents are mainly private companies and the government sector, respectively. This result suggests
that these sectors mostly use their own resources to manage and carry out the maintenance work and only
outsource specialist services. For example, the government sector mostly outsources electrical and mechanical
services.
Respondents indicated that 40 percent of maintenance outsourcing was done through maintenance
departments.
In respect to factors for outsourcing, respondents adjudged the factors shown in Table II [Figure omitted. See
Article Image.] as being important in outsourcing.
Those organisations that outsource work were further asked to indicate the level of importance of the servicelevel agreement (SLA). Most respondents indicated that they regard the clauses in SLAs and contracts as
extremely important. They rated the importance of all the clauses as a 4 on average, that is, as extremely
important. Intellectual property rights, lists of equipment and software and deed of guarantee were rated as
important (3). No element was rated below level 3. This suggests that the personnel managing the department
have the basic knowledge regarding the outsourcing agreement but lack the understanding that there are
different types of service agreements they could implement. The decision on the type of SLA is largely
dependent on budget constraints and the degree of service quality and efficiency required.
5.2.7 Performance measurement
Almost all respondents rated performance measures as extremely important (4). To test whether the
procurement departments paid their service contractors on time, 97 percent of the respondents indicated that
they process payment within 28 days of invoice submission. This would suggest that both the service
contractors and the maintenance department have an understanding of the expected level of service to be
provided and what to measure before the execution of the maintenance work in order to ensure better service
delivery.
Of the respondents, 68 percent indicated an above average rating of service contracts in respect of delivery
within an agreed contract value. Of the respondents, 64 percent indicated an above average rating of service
delivery in respect of delivery within an agreed time frame.
In respect of quality of service delivery, 71 percent of the respondents indicated an above average rating. Of the
respondents, 89 percent indicated that some service contracts were not delivered in full as agreed and they had
to terminate such contracts due to non-delivery during the last five-year period. Of the respondents, 70 percent
indicated that they have had to institute penalties for non-performance of service contracts at one time or
another, during the last five-year period.
This suggests that there are no arrangements in place such as general and periodic reviews of the service
provider's performance to highlight inadequacies of the agreement early, rather than later, at a time when it may
be difficult to change the arrangement or eliminate the problem completely. This could also suggest that the
SLA may not actually provide precise details of the level of service or the maintenance obligations of the
maintenance department to provide information or to carry out certain tasks or provide required equipment to
the service provider.
5.3 Inadequate maintenance budget allocation
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The third sub-problem investigated in this research was the inadequacy of funding for maintenance.
5.3.1 Classification of FM
To investigate this, the study first asked a question about how management perceived FM in the context of the
organisation. This has a bearing on how funds are allocated.
As shown in Figure 8 [Figure omitted. See Article Image.], 42 percent of the respondents indicated that the
maintenance department was classified as a key support to core business. Most of these respondents were
from private companies and the government sector. This could be due to the fact that the government and
private sector primarily carry out their own maintenance works and only outsource specialist services.
Of the respondents, 39 percent indicated that the maintenance department was classified as one of the support
functions to core business. These were mostly respondents from the parastatal organisations followed by
private companies. The 39 percent result suggests that these organisations do not have an understanding of
the importance of the principle of FM, not recognizing their buildings as assets capable of being managed
strategically, resulting in a significant under spending on maintenance.
Of the respondents, 19 percent indicated that the maintenance department was classified as part of core
business and this response came mostly from private companies. This could be due to the fact that these
businesses provide the service of maintaining buildings and so this activity is highly regarded in their own
organizations.
5.3.2 Profession of respondents
This section related to the issue of how management perceived the personnel involved with FM. The profession
of the respondents was an indication of whether FM was taken as a serious professional activity or one which
could be done by anyone with knowledge of maintenance. The results show that 29 percent of professionals
managing facilities in Botswana are from the real estate and property sector, followed by engineering
technicians and craftsmen, who make up 26 percent. Other professions gave a response rate of 16 percent.
"The others" included town planners, finance people and administrators.
Facilities managers were the lowest at 13 percent. There are no architects and very few quantity surveyors
managing facilities. The results show that maintenance departments are not managed by FM professionals but
rather by personnel with a certain degree of technical knowledge about the building structure and maintenance
operating philosophies. However, there is need for the personnel managing the maintenance department to be
trained in the principles of FM so that organisations realize value for money from their assets along with
reduced operating costs with rising service quality and improved productivity in the work place.
5.3.3 Maintenance budget and expenditure control
The respondents were asked who approved the budget and 86 percent of the respondents indicated that the
maintenance budget was approved through a committee comprising top management suggesting the strategic
importance of maintenance budgets in such organisations. It may also suggest that decision making is done on
an ad hoc basis which requires top management approval.
5.3.4 Method of budget estimation
Table III [Figure omitted. See Article Image.] shows the methods of budget estimation.
Of the respondents, 45 percent indicate that they use current year spend to prepare maintenance budgets. This
suggests a lack of long-term or strategic budgeting and this has implications on life-cycle costing and planned
maintenance.
5.3.5 Difference between proposed budget and approved budget
The variance between the estimated and the approved budget over the last five years was between 0 and 20
percent for 66 percent of the respondents. This still confirms a lack of long-term or strategic budgeting which
necessarily has implications for life-cycle costing and planned maintenance.
6. Recommendations
Based on the above findings, the following recommendations can be made:
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- Senior management should improve their support to FM departments. Top management tends to regard FM
as a cost rather than an investment and so there is a need for facilities managers to sensitize top management
about the value of facilities planning and management at the strategic decision-making level.
- If top management is aware of the objectives of FM departments, their support could greatly assist and
improve FM practice. Sensitization can be done by way of orientation, through periodic presentation of research
results on the benefits of FM and by demonstrating the cost implications of not taking proper care of facilities.
Facility managers should request slots in management and board meetings for this purpose.
- Given the diverse qualities and skills required by facilities managers, training in the principles and practice of
FM is imperative at operational level. This will empower the personnel managing the FM department to
effectively structure and manage the department using best practice approaches that will reduce maintenance
costs, raise the quality of the operational environment and thereby improve the quality of the workplace.
- Short- and long-term training in FM should also be planned for other maintenance staff to ensure that they are
aware of and prepared for the changing FM arena and the related information systems and technology. Training
could be in the form of refresher courses and short courses in FM, health and safety, cost-effective
maintenance management, etc. Certain key personnel should also be encouraged to register for formal FM
qualifications at a tertiary level.
- Top management should regularly conduct reviews of the maintenance department structures to ensure that
available resources are able to meet the actual maintenance demands of the organisation. The review should
cover staffing, vehicles, equipment, funding and also the maintenance objectives as well as the roles and
responsibilities of all personnel in the department.
- There is a need to introduce maintenance policies and to fully implement such policies where they already
exist. Organisations should improve the way they set maintenance targets as these are linked to the adequacy
of resources; that is suitably skilled personnel, funding and transport.
- For all existing buildings, regular comprehensive reviews, surveys, building audits, including health and safety
compliance, should be carried out to establish the existing condition of the buildings. This should be carried out
to provide data for the information management system.
- A building information management system or at least an FM database should be developed for all new
buildings at commissioning stage. A review of existing operations and maintenance manuals should also be
undertaken and the preparation of final commissioning reports.
- Commissioning at handover . Organisations should benchmark against the mining industry in respect of
commissioning procedures. The study revealed that the mining industry have the best commissioning
procedures in Botswana. Training of FM staff at the commissioning stage should be a requirement and
certificates of competence be issued as a confirmation that the training was carried out at this stage.
- Facilities managers should improve their involvement in the full built environment project life cycle. FM should
not only be involved at handover of facilities but must participate from the design phase all the way to handover.
This will ensure that all documentation issued at commissioning has adequate information that addresses
design shortcomings and mistakes and so avoid them being repeated elsewhere.
- There is a need for organisations to come up with proper handover procedures for continuity purposes. This
would assist those who are new or recently transferred in the organisations' FM department to find information
and ensure that FM practices are implemented according to best practice.
- Outsourcing . Organisations with large property portfolios should be encouraged to consider outsourcing by
assessing the benefits and risks involved and engage service contractors in carrying out maintenance of
facilities on services that are critical to the operations of the organisations. For example, government and some
parastatal organisations being the owners of most of the buildings under investigation, should consider
outsourcing most of their maintenance work after due diligence has been performed on the service providers.
This will enable the FM staff to concentrate on key functions such as developing better strategies for improving
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