Canada
Much like the Olympics, which we looked at in our last blog, extraordinary projects can come together with planning and teamwork.
“It’s all about organization and planning”, says Malcolm Boyes, Campus Manager at Pymble Ladies’ College, “If you have that, you’re halfway to success.” To the uniformed, a college may seem a world away from a multi-site, global attraction, but to a facilities management team the foundations are the same. In any sector, managing a building consists of many different disciplines such as plumbing, lighting, fire safety, cleaning, reception / hospitality, security, environmental services, and more – all of which must come together on budget and on time to keep the building operating smoothly and its users happy.
The pros and cons of outsourcing
According to research firm McKinsey & Company, organizations are increasingly outsourcing at least some of these services to specialist suppliers to gain expertise, reduce costs and improve efficiency. But while this can free up the in-house team to focus on core activities, managing external contractors brings its own challenges.
Before Pymble started using our IWMS software, QFM, there was little visibility of what happened after work was passed to the service provider. “There was a disconnect between the two teams. The contractors took less ownership of the work and wouldn’t always close jobs themselves, leaving it to the helpdesk co-ordinator to log them all into the system at the end of the week,” said Boyes.
In addition to these long hours of administration, there was little understanding of how long each job took and when it was completed. Without a service provision in place to help the contractors understand expectations, work would often take longer than necessary.
Unity and harmony
QFM features a range of tools for contractor management, facilitating smooth communication and reporting to ensure everyone is working towards the same goal. Running the QFM app on mobile phones or tablets can have a significant impact on teamworking: “What’s fantastic is that no matter who they work for or what device they’re using, everyone can use the same app – we’re unified,” confirms Boyes.
The helpdesk can allocate work directly to the most suitable operative’s mobile, giving them an overview of progress across the site and preventing the best jobs being cherry picked, regardless of deadline. Simple features such as ‘accept visit’ or ‘reject visit’, for example if parts are required or the engineer is unable to access the area in question, can be used to aid communication with the help desk and improve workflow.
The app can track contractor start and finish times for each task, which are recorded accurately even in areas of little or no phone signal due to the app’s offline capabilities. This means that jobs can be tracked from the moment they are logged through to completion, and this allowed Pymble to benchmark work and set service level agreements (SLAs).
Purchasing power
As well as keeping the facilities manager happy, IWMS can keep the service provider happy. Integration with the organization’s finance software can allow the in-house team to manage service provider purchase orders (POs) and payments in a more efficient manner. Each time a job is raised, a PO is generated in the finance system with the same reference number. When each contractor submits an invoice for completed work, referencing the job number, it can be easily linked to the PO. QFM keeps an audit trail of the original quote, who approved the amount and the date of payment. There’s no paperwork or fuss, and the systems are always up to date.
Safety by numbers
Whether a contractor is on-site daily or more periodically, allowing them secure, easy access to a centralized IWMS system not only makes tracking work simpler, but also contributes significantly to site safety. Both staff and contractors can initiate a permit to work application through QFM, which is automatically assigned to the relevant approver and then sent back to the requester with a list of specific hazards or comments. This ensures requests don’t get stuck in the inbox of a manager on holiday, for example, delaying works and causing frustration. The software also holds relevant accreditations, certifications or site-specific compliance (like an annual induction) for each contractor, making it simpler to maintain site safety.
For more information about how QFM can help manage contractors as well as an in-house team, contact us here or request a demo.
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