In d iv id u a l: Facilities M anager O rg a n is a tio n : City & District Council E sta te D ata: G.I.A. 10,400 sq m
The C ouncil’s estate is diverse, ranging from a G uildhall to agricultural buildings. Its office accom m odation is held on a freehold basis and m anaged directly by a Facilities M anager reporting to the D irector o f Finance. Office buildings com prise:
5.500 sq m I9 7 0 ’s 3-storey block w ith early 9 0 ’s extension - m ainly cellular offices 3,000 sq m 1990’s spec built air-conditioned block - largely cellular
1.500 sq m 18th C converted mill - irregular room s
400 sq m late I9 7 0 ’s 1st floor space over city centre retail unit
Space is charged on an area basis to individual departm ents and in turn to its constituent sections.
Facilities service established 8 years ago w hen 3,000 sq m building occupied. The Estates D epartm ent is se lf contained as is the I.T. D epartm ent. There are no form al co-ordination arrangem ents betw een these 3 elements o f F.M.
B ack g ro u n d :
Churn rate considered to be high: 250 staff have been m oved in last 2 years out o f a total o f 450. This figure excludes m oves which did not require a Facilities input. This equates to a 33% p.a. chum rate. A further 100 staff planned to m ove A utum n 1998. Space vacated in 1997 by outsourcing is to be occupied by a group w hich has changed its reporting line. Their space w ill, in turn, be filled by subsequent m oves to address know n requirem ents.
There is an inform al, strategy to group vacant space w ith the intention o f leasing o ff the surplus, potentially the 18th century Mill building, to generate incom e. There have been no formal directions to undertake a feasibility study to see if this goal is achievable.
The situation is com plicated by the I.T. section being contracted out at the end o f 1998. The new contractor w ill advise o f their office space requirem ent w ithin the C oim cil’s offices - expected to be low er than existing. A further potential change is for the housing section to move out com pletely following a transfer o f all the C o un cil’s housing stock to a H ousing Association. This should be decided in A utum n 1998 and w ould create m ore em pty space than the existing M ill on its own.
Departm ents have to pay for their own relocation costs (excluding F.M . tim e) unless the move is initiated by the C h ief Executive. This focuses D epartm ent H eads on the extent and content o f w ork required and appears to keep down aspirations and costs.
OPINIONS EXPRESSED:
G en eral.
The Council has no formal space standards. Individual allocation is a m ixture o f functionality and historical precedent. Space allocation ranges w idely through the Council depending on the policy o f the departm ent heads. There is a w orking assum ption that areas should not expand as churn is encountered.
Expansion o f individuals area is subject to the departm ent h ead ’s decision. There are no attem pts m ade to address existing inequalities w ithin departm ents. Such reallocations are linked to churn opportunities.
Open plan arrangem ents are m ore responsive to change and are encouraged w hen chum occurs. Standardised desking is also encouraged w ith the aim o f arriving at the situation where only the person needs to move and m odifications are lim ited to readdressing I.T. and com m unications.
Churn m anagem ent appears to be undervalued by the organisation. M anagem ent input is on an as necessary basis. Lack o f clear direction hinders effective planning. N o provision for long term m aintenance is built into space m anagem ent.
No tim e for form al audit process although contem porary occupation and furniture layout records are kept. Space m anagem ent is lim ited to an advisory role during chum .
What will happen regarding space utilisation management?:
* Tim e utilisation will not change. S taff have continued their w orking patterns despite flexible w orking hours being introduced.
* U tilisation and churn processes will continue along existing lines. The C ouncil has very conservative opinions.
What should happen regarding space utilisation?:
* Storage has to be addressed. Some departm ents are w orking tow ards paperless offices but others are tied to the tradition o f creating and keeping extensive paper records. A storage strategy should be adopted to release prim e office space by using either off- site storage and I.T.
* Standardisation o f desking systems to m inim ise physical m odifications associated w ith churn.
* Facilities M anagem ent services should be grouped in order to achieve higher level representation and co-ordination o f all aspects o f non-core services. T his w ould achieve clearer direction and objectives - a com m on agenda.
* Form alised space standards need to be established in order to drive dow n occupancy costs.
* Surplus space should be reduced by an effective strategic planning.
* O pen plan should becom e the norm. C apacity for short term fluctuations w ould be m anaged through increasing density levels in open plan areas.