Operations and maintenance are, in essence, the "bread and butter" of Facilities management, as it is essential for ensuring that the facility is safe, functional, and well-maintained. A facilities manager with strong operations and maintenance skills can assess the facility's condition, manage facility operations and maintenance activities, and oversee the maintenance contracting process.
Some critical aspects of the operations and maintenance competency for facilities management include:
- Assessing the condition of the facility: This includes managing and overseeing the assessment of building systems' condition, as well as assessing the condition of the facility's structure, interior, exterior, and grounds.
- Managing and overseeing facility operations and maintenance activities: This includes managing and overseeing the acquisition, installation, operation, maintenance, and disposal of building systems and structural, interior, exterior, and grounds elements.
- Managing and overseeing occupant services: This includes identifying required occupant services, deciding on the most appropriate way to provide those services, managing and overseeing modifications to building systems, structural elements, interiors, exteriors, and grounds, and monitoring the performance of service providers.
- Managing and overseeing the maintenance contracting process: This includes developing maintenance contract specifications, assuring competent maintenance contractors are selected, negotiating service level agreements, monitoring maintenance contractors' work, and resolving contract disputes.
- Developing, recommending, and managing/overseeing the facility's operational planning requirements: This includes developing policies and guidelines related to usage and maintenance, determining life cycle costs, monitoring the use and performance of all facility systems, equipment, and grounds, and monitoring occupant satisfaction.
Overall, effective operations and maintenance are critical for a facilities manager to ensure that the facility is safe, functional, and well-maintained and to meet the needs of the facility occupants. This can provide a comfortable and safe environment for the occupants and prolong the life of the building, equipment, and systems.