Rising energy prices and an increased focus on keeping people safe and well in buildings calls for a rethink of how maintenance strategies are planned and costed.
The unprecedented combination of energy becoming a real source of concern to financial managers and a laser like focus on occupant safety via the new Building Safety Act is creating unique circumstances for an FM ‘bounce’.
However, many building owners and managers are uncertain about how to put a proper FM strategy in place. Lack of awareness, information and expertise means businesses are missing out on energy savings and performance improvements.
Around 80% of a building’s total costs are accounted for during its operating life with only 20% from construction. However, the industry has continually struggled to accurately predict lifetime maintenance costs or plan them in a way that extracts best value for the end user. Much of this must be done retrospectively and the new pressure on operating costs is creating increased demand for detailed ‘in use’ audits.
There is a lot of ‘guess work’ involved with many FM strategies simply based around the size of the building or its floor area – rather than on what systems are actually installed and in use. The engineer’s traditional ‘rule of thumb’ still plays far too big a part despite the availability of sophisticated digital tools that can create a far more accurate picture of where energy savings can be made, and safety strategies created.
FMs often struggle to make a persuasive case to the building owner and defend key maintenance expenditure – even if it is relatively modest – because they lack the relevant data.
In response to this challenge, SFG20 has developed a new digital tool to support this process. Resource Modeller is designed to help maintenance professionals cost their requirements and identify exactly what resource is required to start driving down running costs, but also identifying key areas of risk to the building manager, particularly around health and safety.
The cloud-based tool is designed to accurately map the specific requirements of each building so FMs can find the most cost-efficient strategy for managing maintenance costs in a way that will also help thousands of businesses achieve their sustainability goals and cut carbon emissions.
The information gathered by Resource Modeller allows users to identify resource requirements for the maintenance costs of buildings throughout its lifespan. They can also create bespoke maintenance plans and adjust variables such as hourly rates and model quantities to go deeper into ongoing operating costs.
Resource Modeller can be used to create scenarios and provide users with a more accurate overview of maintenance costs. Using this tool, commissioning teams can evaluate various building scenarios, including size, location, and asset list.
It uses colour-coding to help users prioritise maintenance tasks. Red tasks must be completed to comply with legal and regulatory requirements; and orange tasks are necessary to optimise the lifespan of an asset. This is all linked to the time and specific skills needed to complete this work so FMs can create budgets well in advance. SFG20 Resource Modeller can also be used for tender estimates.
All of this has led to it being shortlisted for the Tomorrow’s FM Awards which celebrate the latest innovations in the FM market with the winners selected by public vote. Resource Modeller’s growing role in helping FMs defend expenditure in areas of greatest potential energy and carbon saving at a time when budgets are under unprecedented pressure should play well with voters.
SFG20 is offering online demonstrations so potential users can see just how it works and the way it tailors and prioritises tasks in line with the specific risks they face. To understand how it could help you to deliver a more targeted maintenance plan in line with your building needs, speak to one of our maintenance experts today.