By James C. Elledge, IFMA Fellow, CFM, FMA, RPA, RIAQM
Published in the August 2010 issue of Today's Facility Manager

Q What role does the FM team play in the design and construction of a facility?

Justice Tshivhase
Facilities Manager
TFMC
South Africa

A The FM team should be involved from the very start, since it will ultimately be responsible for operating the facility. FM can select materials that wear well and are easier to maintain by local suppliers who can provide the required maintenance and repairs.

Early involvement allows the FM team to know the building from the ground up and use this knowledge to operate it at the highest level possible. Involvement means allowing the team to observe the construction and see how the different components are installed. This will be valuable in the future when repairs and replacements are required. Knowing where (and how) a certain piece was installed makes it easier to replace since its location, model, and other details are known.

The FM team should work with the architect on a strategy to obtain and maintain accurate and complete base building documents. If Building Information Modeling (BIM) will be used, this will greatly assist in maintaining the documents.

Elledge, facility/office services manager for Dallas, TX-based Summit Alliance Companies, is the recipient of the Distinguished Author Award from the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), is an IFMA Fellow, and is a member of TFM’s Editorial Advisory Board. All questions have been submitted via the “Ask The Expert” portion of the magazine’s Web site. To pose a question, visit this link.

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