The facilities management role in new building procurement

• Published in: Facilities (Bradford, West Yorkshire, England) Vol. 19; no. 3/4; pp. 119 - 130
• Main Authors: Brown, Andrew, Hinks, John, Sneddon, John
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bradford MCB UP Ltd 01.03.2001; Emerald Group Publishing Limited
• Subjects: Building construction; Comparative analysis; Construction industry; Delivery; Design; Discipline; Facilities management; Professional responsibilities; Professionals; Project management; Purchasing; Success; United Kingdom > UK; Purchasing; Delivery; Project management; Success
• ISSN: 0263-2772; 1758-7131
• DOI: 10.1108/02632770110381667

The value of the consultant project manager is questionable when the recent track record of project delivery within the UK construction sector is examined. Clearly, a new building which does not adequately satisfy a client's business needs (in relation to time, cost and quality objectives) is not capable of contributing optimally to a client's core business function. The business process expertise that the facilities manager should possess, together with the core skills related to managing operational building assets, mean that it is reasonable to suggest that the facilities management role could be extended to include responsibility for project delivery. Some facilities managers are presently undertaking this role. This paper explores this issue, concentrating upon the failure of the project management discipline to perform adequately. A review of literature is presented and a number of case studies are appraised. These are used to contrast the management of project delivery when conducted by the project manager with that conducted by the facilities manager.