Last week the second series of the Channel 4 programme ‘Married at first sight’ started.

The concept – can science help us fall in love? And over the next few weeks we’ll find out as several couples, matched by a panel of experts, prepare to marry a total stranger.

Interesting, yes. Crazy, perhaps, but it got me thinking – would you hand over the running of your FM services to a provider you didn’t know anything about and hadn’t met?  Is there a science behind choosing the right service provider partner?

The FM sector in the UK continues to grow and there is a variety of service providers to choose from. There are FM specialists providing single sourced contracts often for M&E, security and cleaning services, multi-disciplined contractors offering bundled services and of course Total Facilities Management (TFM),where everything is provided under one organisation. There’s the big players, the up and coming and those in between. With the average organisation spending 10 to 20% of their annual sales on FM, whether you’re approaching your first or second ‘marriage’ there are a number of criteria to think about when choosing a new service provider.

Getting to know each other:

Be clear about your requirements (what you need to do and what you want to do) and approach. For example, when looking at maintenance, what are your obligations under the terms of your lease? What maintenance option is most suitable? (statutory, regular scheduled maintenance or risk based and condition based maintenance) and what is your preferred approach to delivery?   And remember, this should be a partnership.  Ask yourself “Can I work with this firm? Are they passionate about their business?  Will they provide a first-class service?”

The Pre Nup:

It’s important to have a clear contract and set of conditions in place.  Contracts can be daunting and it’s not always possible or feasible to keep them concise. Depending on the client sometimes a ‘belt and braces’ approach is needed. However, in general the contract should set out the scope of services, contract terms and circumstances for termination, fees and payment obligations, how to deal with changes and resolve disputes, non-performance, sub-contractors, copyright, insurances, data protection, confidentiality and TUPE.  If both parties are clear from the offset about their obligations, you have the foundation for a good ‘marriage’.

The Promises:

A clear specification is vital.  It sets out the scope of services/works required, key objectives, specific terms of reference and expectations in terms of service standards, compliance, innovation and how you propose to monitor performance.

Committing to each other:

Make sure both parties are clear about how much it’s costing.  Is there a lump sum annual fee for the services?  And what does this include?  For example, with a maintenance contract, does this include labour, parts for equipment repair or replacement?  And what is the annual percentage increase? Is there an administration fee?  Reimbursable expenses etc? What happens if there is over or under performance.

Start as you mean to go on:

You wouldn’t think about not planning for your big day and the same applies to setting up a new contract or changing service provider.  Poor contract mobilisation can have a negative impact on service delivery and be costly so it’s important that both sides have a dedicated resource to drive this stage forward.  It’s time well spent and the ‘big day’ should go off without a hitch.

Choosing a service provider doesn’t have to be difficult.  The aim is to mitigate your risk, optimise the performance of your assets, reduce your operational and energy costs and increase productivity.  And provide a fit for purpose and great working environment.

Like the Channel 4 show, I can’t promise you a match made in heaven but hopefully you’ll have found the right partner and won’t need to instigate divorce proceedings!.

The LCMB team can improve the performance and productivity of your buildings and supply chains to increase your organisation’s return on investment and competitiveness. If you would like to explore how our team can help you procure the right FM partner or improve the performance of your existing arrangements contact: John O’Brien, Managing Director on t: 01295 722823 or by email.