6 March 2002 |
Council improves effectiveness of property maintenance supply
The Council’s Property and Projects Committee will consider a proposal on Friday 8 March, which, if adopted by the committee and then the full Council on 28 March, would achieve significant efficiencies and savings relating to the maintenance of the Council’s housing and commercial properties.
A review undertaken by the Council ‘s Property Unit, has made a set of recommendations, which if adopted would have the following implications: Relating to Number 1 above, the specialist contracts are currently undergoing a tendering process, and contractors are expected to be in place by the end of April. Facilities Maintenance Management (FMM) Central to the review, and relating to Number 2 above, is the proposed introduction of the Facilities Maintenance Management (FMM) model to manage all non-specialist services for the general maintenance of Council-owned housing and commercial properties. Non-specialist services include landscaping, gardening, painting, electrical, plumbing, builder work etc
The Council’s Property Asset Manager Peter Wills said that the main objective of FMM is to optimise the supply chain of services to the City Council, and thus achieve efficiencies and cost savings. “FMM is about developing corporate capability, in this case within the Council and the organisation providing FMM. It is sensible, and best practice, for the Council to minimise the overhead and administration costs of maintaining over 100 suppliers. One of the key outcomes of FMM is more proactive property management. Where under the current system, much work is completed in response to identified problems (reactive), FMM encourages a more proactive maintenance regime which saves costs such as after hours callouts. FMM has been adopted by Auckland and Wellington City Councils, achieving cost savings of 15 to 40%. In Christchurch, the Council could expect to save $100,000 to $200,000 per year within 2-3 years of implementation of the FMM model and the rationalisation of the supply chain for maintenance services. Currently, there are very few Christchurch-based FMM providers operating in Christchurch. The City Council is working with City Care, a current key contractor to the Council. City Care has undertaken to develop the capability within their organisation to provide the FMM service to the Council for the next five years. It is proposed that the City Council work with City Care as the FMM provider for several reasons: Mr Wills said that at some point in future years the contract could be open for public tender, and City Care would then have to compete to retain the Council’s FMM contract.
The proposed adoption of the FMM model by the Council and an FMM provider would mean a re-allocation of much of the contract work currently undertaken for the City Council directly by over one hundred providers. Mr Wills said that in certain cases it is likely that the same provider could be sub-contracted by City Care to provide a similar service to what it is currently offering directly to the Council.
For more information: Rob Dally, Christchurch City Council Property Manager, ph: 941 8500, or Peter Wills, Christchurch City Council Property Asset Manager, ph: 941 8503