Choosing facility service suppliers that are right for your office can be a time-consuming and daunting task. Are you considering separate service providers for each facility task? Or do you favour a single supplier that can offer an integrated solution? Both approaches have specific features. The optimal choice largely depends on the needs and situation of your company. This article explores the practice and benefits of the integrated solution, also known as Integrated Facility Management.
What is Integrated Facility Management?
Integrated Facility Management (IFM) involves outsourcing a combined package of facility services to a single provider. This provider is responsible for the management, coordination, and execution of the services. You choose the package, typically consisting of a selection of five core facility services: reception, security, cleaning, catering, and technical maintenance.
3 types of IFM providers
There are three types of IFM providers active in the facility market:
• Providers who have all core facility services in-house;
• Providers who offer one or several core facility services themselves, collaborating with experts for the remaining core facility services;
• Providers who engage external parties (third parties) for all core facility services.
Integrated Facility Management in practice
With Integrated Facility Management, you place responsibility for the complete package of facility services with the chosen provider. By relying on the IFM provider's expertise, you can focus entirely on your core activities.
Your provider approaches each facility service from the perspective of the entire guest journey in your office. The guest experience starts from the moment your employees and visitors enter the building, ending only when they leave. Instead of viewing the facility services as separate entities (vertical split), they are seen as a cohesive whole throughout the journey from arrival to departure.
Benefits of Integrated Facility Management
Combining FM services into a single integrated and cohesive structure offers several distinct advantages over separately procuring services and contracts. Here's how we make Integrated Facility Management work for our clients:
1. Collaboration of experts
We believe a provider can be a specialist in one core facility service – but not all. That's why we focus on our strengths and rely on the knowledge and expertise of specialists in their field. With reception and security in-house and cleaning, catering, and technical maintenance performed by specialists under our supervision, we combine the best of both worlds.
Our partners have been our preferred suppliers for many years. For every IFM assignment, they introduce themselves to the client. Together with the client, we then select the right experts. That’s how all core services and providers always perfectly align with the client's situation, wishes, and culture. Your employees and visitors experience the highest quality in every service. A significant advantage of this approach is that you are never tied to an IFM party focused solely on deploying their cleaning or catering services, excluding external suppliers that might be a better fit for you.
2. One team
In single services, a company collaborates with several specialized facility service providers. Transitioning to Integrated Facility Management results in one contract, one monthly invoice, and one point of contact. At bouwens&, this person is the IFM Manager, highly visible and available to address all your facility needs. The IFM Manager maintains a holistic view of the entire service delivery, optimizing communication and ensuring the execution of established agreements and plans.
To truly guarantee the success of the IFM solution, we also appoint an operational specialist: the IFM Host. Trained as an expert in the various core services, this professional guides these services appropriately. This promotes close collaboration among the facility staff. The IFM Host conducts audits to ensure streamlined daily service delivery and an outstanding customer experience.
3. Saving time and money, and more focus on your core activities
You save time that would otherwise be spent coordinating and managing various providers. The integrated approach may reduce the number of required facility staff for an efficient FM solution, saving you money. At bouwens&, we opt for versatile employees. By training them across multiple areas, we create synergy among the different facility services we offer.
Is IFM right for you?
A common concern is the "all eggs in one basket" argument. While it's true you rely on one party for your facility services, this risk is actually offset by the benefits of a long-term collaboration. Our preferred partners are chosen together with you. Services are tailored with an approach that ensures openness and transparency. A true 'one size fits one' approach. With our team of top specialists across different core services, we deliver performance-driven services with excellent service for all our clients.
Learn more about bouwens&
As a hospitality specialist in soft services - facility services aimed at the end-user – bouwens& collaborates closely with its clients to offer distinctive services, resulting in an unforgettable customer experience. We operate in various sectors with renowned companies and institutions, such as FD Mediagroep, Prinses Máxima Centrum, the Province of Noord-Holland, Van Doorne and Westfield Mall of the Netherlands.
Bouwens& is the Dutch brand of Armonia, a leading international player in hospitality and facility management. This family business boasts 16,000 employees and serves 4,500 clients across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. With an annual turnover of 400 million euros, its portfolio also includes top brands like BNP, Estée Lauder, Louvre Museum, LVMH, Renault and Société Générale.