FM_APR-MAY-JUNE-17_WEB-

APR-MAY-JUNE 2017 

www.fm-today.com 

Tailor made solutions for 

the residential sector 

Khidmah's 'Khadamati' Services are witnessing an increasing demand for domestic 

and day-to-day services in the residential sector. Abdulla Al Qamzi, Managing 

Director, Khidmah gives an insight into this growing segment.

4 

CONTENTS 

FM TODAY 

28 

16 

20 24 

32 

06. NEWS 

16. COVER STORY 

20. BLOGGING POINT 

22. DEVELOPER’S DIARY 

24. FM ENVIRONMENT 

28. FACILITY FOCUS 

31. EXPERT COLUMN 

32. SETTING BENCHMARKS 

34. FACE-TO-FACE 

36. SPECIALISED SERVICES 

43. FM SOLUTIONS 

42. TECH TRENDS 

General Management 

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JAN-FEB-MAR 2017

CONTENTS 

FM TODAY 

5 

34 

FROM THE EDITOR 

TODAY 

Dear Readers, 

It’s that time of the year when the Facilities 

Management industry across borders come 

together to celebrate the World FM Day. A 

day when we take the time out to recognize 

the difference makers in the industry and 

the impact it has had on the market. On the 

occasion, Duncan Waddell, Chairman of 

Global FM, was recently quoted: “The 2017 

theme emphasizes facilities management’s significant role in setting 

and managing the scene for and delivering exceptional customer 

experiences worldwide across multiple sectors. The breadth of 

sectors impacted by FM is everywhere and there are examples 

in travel and tourism, residential, entertainment, leisure, health, 

education and commerce, as well as the wider workplace.” And 

that’s exactly what we are celebrating in this issue. Through the 

many features and interviews, we have highlighted how FM has 

spread its wings into many niche sectors in the region. 

FM today is published by 

36 

48. FM ENVIRONMENT 

52. BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS 

56. TIPS 

58. PRODUCTS TODAY 

Our Cover Story, ‘Providing tailor-made services’ talks about how 

services delivered to the residential sector has changed. This issue 

also touches upon FM entering the catering industry in a special 

interview with Saleh Al Rajhi, General Manager, Advanced Facilities 

Management. 

Shedding light on the importance of LED fixtures in a workspace is 

the feature ‘Lighting today’s workspace’. The article gives an insight 

into how the right lighting can impact the workspace area and the 

employees. The feature ‘Ensuring a clean image’ will take you into 

the cleaning process into the high-traffic areas in various facilities 

including hospitals, retail, and markets. I also had the opportunity 

to visit Sharjah’s Souq Al Jubail and understand how they maintain 

the facility, read about it in our ‘Site Visit’ column. 

Bringing in an international perspective on a challenge many 

currently face in the market out here is the feature ‘Tried and 

Trusted?’ The feature dwells on how building healthy relationships 

are key to a successful completion of a contract. 

Lastly, we have Abdulla Al Wahedi, the Senior Director, Facilities 

Management at Emaar Properties, sharing the details of Emaar’s FM 

strategy for years ahead in an exclusive interview. We are constantly 

looking for new ways to engage our readers. We welcome your 

feedback that will positively help us grow and quench your thirst for 

more knowledge. 

Reproduction in whole or in part of any matter appearing in FM today 

magazine without the prior written permission of the publishers is 

prohibited by law. Opinions and views expressed in FM today do 

not represent the views of the publishers and the editorial staff of 

the magazine. The publishers do not guarantee the accuracy of the 

information; neither will they indemnify any losses arising through the 

use of the information. All marketing information is subject to approval 

by clients. 

Printing: 

ATLAS Print - Dubai 

Until then, here’s wishing you all a Happy FM Day! 

Megha S Anthony 

Editor

6 

NEWS TODAY 

REGIONAL 

Al Nabooda Chulia wins Urbanise 

Smart City Pioneer Award 

Parsons Brinckerhoff to offer more 

services to Middle East clients 

Urbanise has awarded 

Al Nabooda Chulia 

Facilities Management 

Co LLC the ‘Award of 

Smart City Pioneer’ for 

demonstrating that 

technology can streamline 

business processes, 

drive innovation, improve 

financial performance 

and add value 

to clients. By seeking 

out and adopting cutting 

edge technology, 

they have added value 

to their customers’ 

experience, improved 

their performance and 

boosted the energy 

conservation as well as 

the overall Mechanical 

& Electrical system 

performance of the 

building and facilities 

they manage. 

Al Nabooda Chulia Facilities 

Management Co 

LLC is a Dubai based 

Integrated Facilities 

Management service 

provider entrusted 

with the operation 

and maintenance of 

Mechanical & Electrical 

systems for leading 

car dealership: Al 

Nabooda Automobiles’ 

16 prestigious showrooms, 

service centres, 

workshops and body 

shops. 

WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff have expanded their 

Security Services department to include Enterprise 

Resilience, Business Continuity, and Cyber Security; 

complementing their well established and 

successful Security Risk Management team to meet 

the needs of Middle East clients. 

Big brands support MECTW 2017 

Head of Technology Consulting & Enterprise 

Resilience, Chris Sherwood, who leads the new 

team, said; “We work with our clients to reduce the 

impact of business disruption events through an integrated 

and holistic approach. Our subject matter 

experts in areas such as Enterprise Resilience, Business 

Continuity, Information Security, Fraud Control, 

and Security Risk Management, work together 

to ensure risk management plans and systems are 

integrated and appropriately governed." 

Middle East Cleaning 

Technology Week 2017 

is set to take place on 

November 7-9 2017 at 

DWTC. And this year, 

the show will see the 

support of big brands 

like Emaar Properties 

as the ‘Knowledge 

Sharing Partner’ and 

Dhofar Global as the 

‘Hygiene Partner’. 

Emaar Properties have 

always been in line 

with Dubai’s vision of 

Smart City. Adapting 

the latest innovations, 

technologies and best 

practices across all of 

its developments, they 

have been able to provide 

excellent service 

and customer experience. 

And through this, 

the qualified group of 

professionals in the FM 

team of Emaar Properties 

has maintained 

the leadership in the 

industry. 

As the ‘Knowledge 

Sharing Partner’, 

Emaar Properties will 

be sharing their best 

practices, trends and 

innovations adapted by 

them to maintain their 

facilities. 

"This converged approach to Security & Resilience 

is central to our Risk Management process of Assessment, 

Strategy, Design, Implementation, and 

Governance.” 

Joining the team as Associate Director for Enterprise 

Resilience is John Cowling, an internationally 

recognised leader in Risk Management and Business 

Continuity. 

John added, “I am excited to have joined WSP 

| Parsons Brinckerhoff’s Security & Resilience 

team with a growing number of qualified security 

professionals. In a cost driven environment clients 

understand the benefits of our integrated security 

and resilience approach to their overall operational 

procedures through achieving economy of scope 

and thus reducing their OPEX. For every project 

we aim to find the most suitable, risk-cost-balanced 

solutions for our clients considering their specific 

industry, applicable standards and international 

best practice.” 

APR-MAY-JUNE 2017

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Dubai Showroom : Tel.: +971 4 2666605, Fax: +971 4 2666405, P.O.Box: 13135 

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8 

NEWS TODAY 

REGIONAL 

IFA introduces two facilities management divisions 

Asset management 

group, IFA Hotel 

Investments (HI), has 

revealed plans for a 

reshaping of their 

property enterprise. 

The group will also 

debut two new 

branded operational 

divisions, apart from 

re-naming of the group 

as IFA Real Estate Service 

Group (IFA RES). 

IFA Real Estate Services 

oversees the 

management of almost 

$1bn of real estate assets 

covering a wide 

range of uses from 

commercial, hotels, 

and residences as well 

as vacation ownership 

products. 

The introductions 

of two new brands 

include, Candoo, its 

home services division. 

Candoo will provide 

residential service 

which provides homeowners, 

tenants, and 

residents’ services that 

range from housekeeping 

and maintenance, 

limousine services, and 

construction assistance. 

The second, Sahalah, 

will offer contracted 

services to asset owners 

and community 

managers in Dubai. 

Sahalah provides 

contracted services on 

a long term basis such 

as security, concierge, 

facilities management, 

and long term maintenance. 

Sahalah will inherit 

45 contracts already 

undertaken to provide 

these services to assets 

such as Fairmont 

The Palm, Kempinski 

Residences, and Palm 

Golden Mile. 

Joe Sita, Chief Executive 

Officer of IFA Real 

Estate Services, said, 

"The growth of IFA HI 

into these different 

verticals led us to assess 

what we do, what the 

marketplace perceives 

us to be and also where 

we need to truly focus 

our management going 

forward.” 

“Our new brands are 

exciting routes for 

these branches to grow 

in the longer term. 

Candoo is our consumer 

brand which seeks to 

describe our business’ 

attitude to the demanding 

requests we receive. 

Sahalah solidifies 

our concentration on 

providing asset owners 

a professional manager 

for their communities 

and projects,” Sita 

added. 

IFA RES is a wholly 

owned group within 

IFA Hotels & Resorts 

(IFA HR), listed on the 

Kuwait SE. IFA HR’s 

portfolio includes 

developments throughout 

the Middle East, 

Europe, Africa, North 

America, and the Indian 

Ocean. 

Transguard wins Dubai Quality Award for logistics security work 

Transguard, a division 

of Emirates Group 

Security (EGS) has been 

awarded the Dubai 

Quality Award (DQA) 

at the 23rd annual Business 

Excellence Awards. 

Transguard provides logistics 

services to more 

than 100 destinations 

across the globe and is 

the only security agency 

authorised by Dubai 

Civil Aviation (DCA) to 

escort valuable cargo 

to and from the aircraft 

and is responsible for 

handling and managing 

the import and export 

process including 

vaulting for every piece 

of valuable cargo that 

passes through Dubai 

airports. 

This year’s DQA 

win is another addition 

to Transguard’s 

other accolades including 

achieving ISO 

28000:2007 and ISO 

9001:2015 certification. 

Against the backdrop 

of heightened security 

threat globally, the 

award says the company 

is a testament 

of Transguard’s commitment 

to the highest 

level of quality, 

diligence and vigilance 

towards security. 

“Our team has worked 

very hard to excel 

across all our business 

processes. Winning 

the DQA was a result 

of collaboration and 

teamwork between all 

employees. We are very 

proud to have achieved 

this recognition in 

our first attempt. This 

award further affirms 

our commitment towards 

excellence,” said 

Dr Abdulla Al Hashimi, 

Divisional Senior Vice 

President, Emirates 

Group Security and 

CEO Transguard. “Employees 

at Transguard 

work as a family and 

understand the team’s 

commitment to excellence 

in service delivery 

for customers. We have 

been a pioneer in setting 

high standards in 

the industry, adhering 

to our core values, vision 

and mission.” 

Transguard operates 

in compliance with 

ISO standards and the 

organisation’s valuable 

handling terminal 

is the first in the GCC 

region to be certified by 

the Transported Asset 

Protection Association 

(TAPA). 


NEWS TODAY 

REGIONAL 

9 

Dhofar Global to strengthen its presence in KSA, Kuwait and Bahrain by 2020 

Dhofar Global, a leading supplier 

of hygiene products in the 

Middle East, has marked its 10th 

anniversary with a celebration 

of its decade-long accomplishments 

and the unveiling of a 

more ambitious expansion plan 

to fully cement its market footprint 

across the region. 

After recording a substantial 

40 percent business growth in 

the UAE in 2016, Dhofar Global 

kicked off 2017 with a major announcement 

of its plan to firmly 

establish its presence in at least 

one additional GCC market 

this year and two more by 2020 

amidst the region’s flourishing 

cleaning and hygiene sector. 

With offices in Qatar and Oman, 

the company targets to enter Kuwait, 

Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain. 

Outside GCC, it has representative 

offices in Mauritius, Maldives, 

and Seychelles. 

Dr. Amer Al Rawas, Chairman, 

Dhofar Global, said, “As 

a regional leader, we continue 

to explore innovative mechanisms 

to further add value to 

our products according to the 

highest international quality and 

environmental standards. Such 

is also in line with our commitment 

to environmental protection 

and sustainability. 

Along with our move to widen 

our reach in the Gulf region, we 

will target to increase our productivity 

and enhance our operational 

efficiency in our bid to exceed 

our 2016 performance. This will 

be a part of our commitment to 

all our partners and clients across 

different parts of the world.” 

Demonstrating its environmental 

commitment, the company 

recently launched its new brand 

identity with a tag line ‘Happier 

Environment.’ The new logo denotes 

the company’s core values 

of transparency, fairness, innovation, 

professionalism, simplicity, 

and trust. 

Chandan Singh, CEO of Dhofar 

Global, said, “When we began 

in 2007 with just five employees, 

our dream was to become a regional 

leader in providing excellent 

hygiene solutions. During 

our first year, we only had two 

trucks and 15 customers. But 

what was once a dream is now 

a reality. We have considerably 

grown over the years. We are 

now operating a fleet of over 60 

trucks in addition to managing 

more than 300 employees professionally 

delivering one-of-a-kind 

solutions to our massive 7,000 

regional customers from various 

industries. Like in the past, 

our outlook remains positive 

for 2017 and the coming years, 

with new valuable clients and 

implementation of all-encompassing 

business initiatives with 

far-reaching results and better 

outcomes.” 

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10 

NEWS TODAY 

REGIONAL 

AESG signs partnership agreement with Tecnalia 

UAE-based consultancy 

firm, AESG, has announced 

signing a partnership agreement 

for the Middle East with Spainheadquartered 

research company, 

Tecnalia Research & Innovation. 

According to AESG, the partnership 

will serve as a vehicle for 

the delivery of solutions aimed at 

driving sustainable development 

in the region, particularly through 

engagement with regional government 

and urban planning 

committees. 

AESG further noted that it is 

seeking to enhance its energy, 

sustainability, and environmental 

consulting service lines through 

the application of research and 

technological advancements generated 

by Tecnalia’s team of more 

than 1,400 R&D professionals. 

Tecnalia, AESG pointed out, has 

conducted research and projects 

on behalf of the United Nations, 

European Commission, and governments 

throughout Europe, South 

America, and North America. It has 

also completed an energy mapping 

project for the government of Dubai. 

Saeed Al Abbar, Director of AESG 

Commenting on the agreement 

with Tecnalia, Saeed Al Abbar, 

Director of AESG, said, “This 

partnership is based on perfect 

synergy between each organisation’s 

objectives. Together, we will 

drive large scale sustainability 

undertakings that address pressing 

urban development challenges, 

while stimulating economic 

growth and creating new jobs.” 

AESG stated that the two companies 

have identified several challenges 

affecting the region, and 

outlined the partnership’s initial 

focus, which includes helping regional 

governments decarbonise 

their economies so they can meet 

their COP21 commitments. 

AESG and Tecnalia are also looking 

at improving waste management. 

AESG noted that the 

traditional approach to landfilling 

waste places a large burden on 

governments in terms of land use 

and cost. 

The partnership will also tackle water 

scarcity, with the goal of ensuring 

water security while decreasing 

dependence on desalination. 

Dr. Javier Urreta, Director of 

Tecnalia’s Sustainable Construction 

Division, explained, “Tecnalia’s 

main focus is the application 

of technological research to 

drive GDP and business growth. 

We will work with AESG to 

devise solutions that are based on 

robust research and technological 

innovation. Leveraging the strong 

ties our organisations have with 

regional governments, we will 

collaborate to solve some of the 

greatest urban and environmental 

challenges in the Middle East.” 

UAE waste body Tadweer updates e-Services platform 

The Centre of Waste Management 

– Abu Dhabi (Tadweer) has 

launched the second edition of its 

e-Services platform to streamline 

work procedures and improve 

delivery. Customers will be able 

to request no-objection certificates 

through the platform. The second 

edition will also help customers 

obtain licenses to offer services 

in fields such as waste transportation 

and treatment; cleaning; 

waste trade; pest control, among 

others, based on appropriate 

technical evidence. 

Licenses may be amended or 

renewed through the new platform, 

which includes services for 

issuing an expired food disposal 

certificate; a replacement for damaged 

or lost permits; and a landfill 

entry permit, as well as issuing 

or revoking a permit for waste 

transportation vehicles. 

A dashboard is featured in the 

platform's second edition, which 

will allow companies to check the 

status of their requests and access 

information such as their activities, 

registered vehicles, contact 

information, application status, 

and documents. 

Application documents may be 

updated online, and companies 

may pay their invoices, as well 

as monitor financial transactions, 

through the platform. 

Saeed Al Muhairbi, General 

Manager of Tadweer, said, "The 

launch of the new smart services 

on Tadweer’s website comes in 

line with the shift towards the 

smart government and simplification 

of procedures. We spare no 

effort to provide the best services 

and practices that meet the needs 

of our customers. This reflects 

Tadweer’s aspirations to improve 

the quality of its services in line 

with the Abu Dhabi Vision and 

Plan," he added. 

The updated platform allows 

increasing the credit on Aber card 

for vehicles to be able to enter the 

landfill sites, as well as accessing 

the e-Manifest System, Bolisaty. 


12 

NEWS TODAY 

REGIONAL 

BMTC marks AED 1 million renovation of its flagship showroom 

Bahri & Mazroei Trading Company 

(BMTC), the region’s leading 

provider of electrical, lighting 

and water solutions, and a subsidiary 

of the UAE based Bahri & 

Mazroei Group, announced the 

opening of its renovated flagship 

showroom in Dubai, following 

an AED 1 million facelift. 

The 500 sq metre showroom in Al 

Khabaisi, a true business landmark, 

brings a heritage of over 

50 years, and has been the go-to 

place for partners, across multiple 

industries, to source a diverse 

selection of electrical, lighting 

and water solutions. 

The showroom has now been 

aesthetically and functionally enhanced, 

and serves as a one-stop 

shop featuring the entire portfolio 

of BMTC’s solutions as well 

as a dedicated space for extralow 

voltage (ELV) systems. The 

showroom has smart technology 

upgrades too to strengthen 

operational efficiency, assuring 

a seamless experience for customers. 

Further, the new design 

considerations are tailored to 

facilitate effortless upgrades to 

the showroom in the future. 

The opening ceremony was attended 

by the company’s management 

team and staff, as well 

as main supply partners from 

across the UAE. 

Esam Al Mazroei, Vice Chairman 

of Bahri & Mazroei Group, 

said, “Our flagship showroom 

in Dubai has served as a hub for 

our operations, serving customers 

from across the nation, and 

providing the widest range of 

electrical, water and lighting 

solutions – all in one place. We 

have an ambition to upgrade 

all our showroom to reflect the 

modern trends in design and 

technology in line with our commitment 

to be a customer-centric 

organisation. The showroom will 

better serve our customers, and 

meet all their requirements under 

one roof.” 

Youssef Saidi, COO of Bahri & 

Mazroei Group, added, “BMTC 

has been serving industry 

partners across the construction 

and facility management supply 

chain for 50 years, delivering 

utmost value. With the new 

showroom, we are better placed 

to offer them highly efficient 

service, while also enhancing the 

productivity and efficiency of our 

operations. This is in response 

to the growing demand for our 

high-quality products that meet 

the needs of the UAE’s infrastructure 

development projects.” 

Alongside the renovation of 

its flagship showroom, BMTC 

is further expanding in Abu 

Dhabi with a brand-new, 300 sq 

metre showroom in Musaffah 

set to open in May. The Musaffah 

showroom – the fifth BMTC 

outlet in the UAE - will also 

showcase all its lighting, street 

lighting, electrical and water 

solutions. 

BMTC currently has outlets in 

prime locations in Dubai, Mussafah, 

Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah. 

All showrooms are innovatively 

designed and present top-quality 

products & solutions. 

Emrill wins Dh166 million in new business contracts 

Emrill Services, UAE-based 

integrated facilities management 

company, has announced a series 

of contract wins over the past 

six months’ worth over Dh166 

million. 

According to a recent study 

prepared by TechSci Research, 

the UAE's FM market is expected 

to grow at a compound annual 

growth rate (CAGR) of 9 per cent 

until 2021. The report points to 

the fact the FM sector is forecast 

to expand on the back of 

increased construction development 

in the country. 

Alex Davies, Managing Director 

of Emrill, commented, “We 

are committed to capitalising 

on growth trends in the UAE 

facilities management sector, as 

Emrill's strategy is to achieve 

progressive and sustainable 

double-digit growth moving 

forward.” 

Davies continued, “Our focus 

remains firmly on service excellence 

and continuing to build 

value partnerships with all our 

existing clients, while forging 


NEWS TODAY 

REGIONAL 

13 

new relationships within the 

industry. Further to this, we are 

looking to drive world class 

standards of facilities management 

across the UAE through innovation, 

and most importantly, 

our excellent people.” 

The recent contract wins include 

market leaders within the 

aviation, master communities, 

healthcare, retail and residential 

sectors. 

Emrill was awarded these contracts 

based on its collaborative 

and customer-focused approach, 

along with its market leading 

technologies and award winning 

expertise in facilities management 

supporting its service delivery. 

Davies adds, “We are delighted 

to have been awarded these 

prestigious contracts. Emrill is 

committed to delivering innovative 

technologies and ideas that 

extend far beyond the standard 

FM service and will help our 

many clients to maintain their 

market leading position. Identifying 

the aviation, healthcare, 

master community and residential 

sectors as significant growth 

areas, Emrill has developed the 

specialist capability necessary 

to deliver world-class integrated 

facilities management services 

to each specific market segment 

by deploying a dedicated team 

and tailored set of resources. 

These contract wins are an 

excellent example of this strategy 

working to the benefit of all 

stakeholders.” 

AW Rostamani Lumina team up with Adeeb Group to Light up Abu Dhabi’s 

Nation Towers 

International Capital Trading 

(ICT) has signed a deal with AW 

Rostamani Lumina and Adeeb 

Group for a retrofit using ecofriendly 

lighting solutions in 

Abu Dhabi’s Nation Towers. 

Aligned with the announcement 

by HH Mohammed bin 

Rashid Al Maktoum and HH 

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed 

Al-Nahyan to switch to environmentally 

friendly lighting, the 

project led by AW Rostamani 

sees the Nation Towers become 

the first location in Abu Dhabi 

to switch to eco-friendly lighting 

solutions. 

“We are pleased to have signed 

on for this project with Adeeb 

Group to provide not only ecofriendly 

lighting solutions for 

ICT, but also quality lighting 

provided by General Electric 

(GE). AW Rostamani Lumina is 

the sole distributor of GE lighting 

in the UAE, and hope this 

project will be the first of many 

in Abu Dhabi and the UAE. We 

hope the newly fitted out Nation 

Towers will give a breath 

of life to the numerous people 

that regularly visit the Nation 

Towers,” said Umar Khan, Chief 

Executive Officer, AW Rostamani 

Lumina. 

He added, “Providing the best 

customer experience and ensuring 

that our community stay 

satisfied is aligned with the AW 

Rostamani legacy and with the 

UAE's vision for Sustainable 

Environment and Infrastructure. 

This is what makes this project 

special as it was completed for 

the UAE, and for the people that 

call it home.” 

The Nation Towers fit out project 

will aim to be the catalyst for 

more projects to help accelerate 

the UAE's vision for Sustainable 

Environment and Infrastructure. 

“More than anything, this project 

has been about our contribution 

towards a sustainable and 

greener environment. We aim 

to achieve this by focusing on 

energy saving, reducing carbon 

footprint and by consuming less 

power. The strength, credibility 

and expertise represented by GE 

and our FM partners helped us 

in making this timely switch. 

Subsequently we will be focusing 

on scaling this effort across 

ICT portfolio," said Muaammar 

Al Hadidi, Chief Property 

Officer, ICT. 

Eng.Ansari, Chief Executive 

Officer, Adeeb added, “We have 

an expert team that is capable 

of executing sizeable projects 

with efficiency all aligned to 

the country’s vision of sustainability. 

We prefer to focus on 

sustainability, energy saving, 

and waste management in order 

to safeguard the interests of the 

community and ensuring our client’s 

satisfaction upon receiving 

quality services.” 


14 

NEWS TODAY 

INTERNATIONAL 

TfL saves £30m by merging FM contracts 

Transport for London (TfL) has 

announced its intention to award 

five of six new contracts to manage 

TfL facilities, delivering savings of 

£34 million. 

The savings have been made possible 

by consolidating 50 contracts 

into just six, and is part of TfL's 

wider approach to delivering the 

Mayor's ambitious plans for improved 

transport in the Capital. This 

includes becoming more efficient 

through the biggest ever overhaul of 

the organisation and continuing to 

reduce operating costs. 

The contracts include a commitment 

for all employees to be paid 

the London Living Wage as well 

as the creation of an additional 300 

apprenticeship positions throughout 

the life of the six contracts. TfL 

is committed to making sure that 

it represents the city that it serves 

and increasing diversity within 

the transport industry to encourage 

further innovation. As part of 

the procurement process, all of the 

bidders were required to submit 

an Equality and Diversity Plan and 

will be tracked on their delivery of 

this plan throughout the contract. 

TfL intends to award the five contracts 

to Engie Services Limited, 

Interserve Facilities Management 

Limited, Lanes Group plc and 

Vinci Construction UK Limited. 

The new contracts, which have 

a total value of £320m, will last 

for five years with the option to 

extend them for a further three. 

The suppliers will be responsible 

for the provision of services and 

the management of TfL facilities, 

including fire protection, mechanical 

and electrical facilities, 

such as power and water, buildings 

maintenance, and security 

and reception services. A sixth 

contract, which will be for cleaning, 

is expected to be awarded in 

the summer. 

David Wylie, Chief Procurement 

Officer at TfL, said, "We are looking 

forward to working with our 

suppliers on these new contracts 

and by consolidating the existing 

arrangements, our facilities will be 

managed in a more efficient and 

cost-effective way. We are committed 

to making sure that our 

organisation is representative of 

the customers that it serves and 

inspiring the next generation into 

the transport industry. These new 

contracts reaffirm how both TfL 

and our suppliers consider skills 

and equality and diversity to be 

key priorities that we need to 

deliver on." 

Ryanair adopts a new safety and security management system 

Ryanair, Europe’s No. 1 airline, 

has implemented a new safety 

and security management 

system developed by software 

firm Ideagen. 

Ideagen Coruson, a cloud-based 

software product, has been rolled 

out across Ryanair’s operations to 

further enhance their safety reporting 

and risk identification processes 

and to assist the airline in 

managing regulatory compliance. 

Coruson simplifies identification, 

collection, collation and analysis 

of all information on safety 

and security related events thus 

enhancing risk management 

processes across Ryanair’s Safety, 

Security, Flight Operations, 

Ground Operations, Engineering, 

Inflight and Health & Safety 

Departments. 

Through this project, Ryanair has 

become the first airline in Ireland 

to submit electronic ECCAIR 

reports in E5X format to the Irish 

Aviation Authority, utilising Coruson’s 

smart form functionality. 

David Hornsby, Ideagen’s CEO, 

said, Coruson would be used by 

more than 10,000 Ryanair employees. 

He said, “We are delighted to 

have won this significant contract 

with Ryanair which will see Ideagen 

provide an electronic safety 

and security management system, 

Ideagen Coruson. Coruson will be 


NEWS TODAY 

INTERNATIONAL 

15 

used by more than 10,000 Ryanair 

employees as part of this project, 

which will further enhance safety 

and security processes and ease 

compliance to the requirements of 

national and international aviation 

authorities.” 

Hornsby added, “This is a significant 

project for Ideagen and we are 

delighted we have delivered Coruson 

to this leading tier one airline. 

The project significantly strengthens 

Ideagen’s position in the aviation 

safety sector. We continue to 

see strong new business demand 

for our software and with 10% of 

the tier one market currently using 

our products, we are confident of 

further extensive growth in this 

particular area.” 

Ryanair is Europe’s favourite airline, 

carrying 130m customers’ p.a. 

on more than 1,800 daily flights 

from 86 bases. The airline connects 

over 200 destinations in 34 countries 

on a fleet of over 400 Boeing 

737 aircraft, with a further 300 

Boeing 737’s on order, which will 

enable Ryanair to lower fares and 

grow traffic to 200m p.a. by FY24. 

Ryanair has a team of more than 

12,000 highly skilled aviation 

professionals delivering Europe’s 

No.1 on-time performance, and 

an industry leading 32-year 

safety record. 

Michael Hickey, Ryanair’s COO, 

said, “Ryanair was one of the first 

airlines in Europe to recognise 

the value of data analysis to help 

improve the safety performance 

of airlines and is committed to 

the adoption and integration of 

enhanced data analysis tools. The 

introduction of Ideagen Coruson 

will provide us with a further opportunity 

to capture and analyse 

safety and security data in real 

time, quickly and efficiently and 

help to ensure effective risk mitigation 

is put in place." 

"We are delighted to be working 

with Ideagen and implementing 

Coruson which will make 

our reporting systems more 

effective and will assist us in 

maintaining, and continuously 

improving, our safety and security 

performance.” 

SMG Celebrates 40 Years in Facility Management 

Four decades after signing the 

Mercedes-Benz Superdome in 

New Orleans, SMG is celebrating 

its 40th anniversary as one of the 

world’s leading private management 

companies with over 230 

facilities in five countries. 

“When SMG was created, private 

management of public facilities, 

convention centers and stadiums 

had not existed as an industry,” 

explained Doug Thornton, who 

today manages the iconic home 

of the New Orleans Saints for 

SMG and serves as the company’s 

Executive VP of Stadiums 

and Arena. 

Today, SMG manages some of the 

top facilities in the world, including 

NRG Stadium in Houston, 

University of Phoenix Stadium, 

Soldier Field in Chicago and the 

newly-opened U.S. Bank Stadium 

in Minneapolis. It operates 

world-class facilities across all 

venue types, like the BOK Center 

in Tulsa, the Colorado Convention 

Center in Denver and the James 

L. Knight Center in Miami. SMG 

manages facilities in Europe and 

Latin America, and operates its 

own food service division Savor. 

Doug Thornton, Executive VP, 

Stadiums and Arena, SMG 

“When I joined the company in 

March of 1997 we had 35 accounts,” 

Thornton said. “Today 

we have 233 worldwide and 

operate a very vibrant food 

service division that does over 

$350 million gross sales.” He 

added that SMG has a 92 percent 

renewal rate and manages more 

NFL stadiums than any other 

management company in the 

business. Another strong area of 

growth in recent years has been 

the amphitheater business, which 

includes the Lakeview Amphitheater 

in Syracuse and now the 

Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, 

which it operates on behalf of 

the city’s Recreation and Parks 

division. 

“We’ve had growth in stadiums, 

we’ve had growth in amphitheaters, 

we’ve had growth in 

theaters,” explained Jim McCue, 

SMG’s Senior VP of Entertainment, 

noting that the company’s 

other recent signings included 

the soon-to-be-opened Wintrust 

Arena at McCormick Place in 

Chicago and the Citizens Business 

Bank Arena in Ontario, Calif., 

as well as the Denny Sanford 

Premier Center in Sioux Falls, 

S.D., and Pinnacle Bank Arena in 

Lincoln, Neb. 

“Over the last 40 years we’ve 

seen the business mature quite 

a bit and SMG has been able 

to continue to bring value and 

expertise to our clients,” he said. 

“We continue to believe that the 

management techniques, and 

personnel and the vast network 

that we have built is a critical 

component of the SMG value 

proposition. It’s remarkable to 

see how far it’s come in the last 

40 years.” 


16 

COVER STORY 

KHADAMATI 

PROVIDING TAILOR- 

SERVICES 

Major players in the 

market reveal that 

demand has increased 

dramatically as 

customers realise the 

value FM can bring to 

their property. 

Facilities management (FM) in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) is 

a billion-dollar industry; analysts forecast the FM services market 

in the region to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 

10.08% during the period 2016 to 2020. This only goes to show that facilities 

management companies in the region are increasingly proving their 

mettle amid growing demand. 

Major players in the market reveal that demand has increased dramatically 

as customers realise the value FM can bring to their property, and 

due to the growing real estate portfolio within the region, along with 

increased knowledge and utilisation of professional FM services. 

With the increasing need for professionalized services in FM felt by 

corporate houses and MNCs, it is now the turn of the commercial, residential 

and industrial sectors to outsource such activities for hassle-free 

management of their varied assets. This not only ensures uninterrupted 

operation of vital services in any organisation but yields long-term cost 

benefits to the owners of the assets. 

Over the years, Khidmah has grown its services and portfolio of residential 

properties under its facilities and property management division. Owing 

to demand from residents for domestic and day-to-day services for their 

homes and offices, it set up ‘Khadamati’ Services (means ‘My Services’ in 


COVER STORY 

KHADAMATI 

17 

MADE 

Arabic) in 2009 and now caters 

to more than 10,000 clients across 

UAE. Abdulla Al Qamzi, Managing 

Director, Khidmah speaks to 

FM today about the scope of work, 

vision and challenges faced while 

catering to the residential sector. 

Khadamati is devoted to providing 

a full range of home and office 

maintenance solutions that can 

make the maximum quality of living 

or working achievable. 

Khadamati’s team are expertly 

trained in delivering a wide range 

of services professionally and 

efficiently, preserving and adding 

value to your home or office 

space. Customized services are 

provided by an exceptional workforce 

that is determined to satisfy 

people’s individual needs. 

Scope of Work 

Over the years, Khadamati services 

have been accepted and used 

by an array of clients including 

Abu Dhabi National Properties 

(NBAD); Abu Dhabi Housing 

Authority (ADHA); Aldar PJSC; 

Emirates Land Group; First Gulf 

Properties; Global Development 

Group; Al Rasekh Property Development 

and much more. Currently, 

the services are presently 

offered across the UAE from Abu 

Dhabi, Al Ain, the Western Region 

to Dubai and the North Emirates. 

Giving both the owners and the 

tenants an A to Z maintenance solutions, 

Khadamati provides a range 

of services in the form of planned 

preventative maintenance packages, 

handyman services, housekeeping, 

Easy Home services, landscaping, 

pest control and swimming 

pool cleaning among others. “The 

services we provide are of extremely 

high quality, relevant, timely and 

accurately tailored to the clients’ 

needs so as to enable them to make 

the right decisions, in turn leading 

towards the growth of the companies, 

benefiting the overall business,” 

says Al Qamzi. 

Khidmah’s Maintenance Services 

include a directly employed, highly 

skilled workforce dedicated to 

general maintenance, emergency 

repairs, preventative maintenance, 

and regular upkeep of all specialty 

facilities. Through an integrated 

customer service process and the 

latest technological device, they 

provide real-time work orders 

and rapid responses to all service 

requests. 


20 

PEOPLE TODAY 

BLOGGING POINT 

The perils of 

greener pastures 

Tariq Chauhan 

Group Chief Executive Officer, EFS Facilities 

Services 

“You must be the 

change you wish to 

see in the world.” – 

Mahatma Gandhi 

Nothing is permanent but 

change, as goes a famous 

saying. Seeking a change 

in the status quo is a powerful 

evolutionary drive, influencing 

the magnificent migrations we 

see in nature, and which sometimes 

lead to powerful moments 

in history, altering millions of 

lives for several decades. 

As individuals, we are driven 

by our instincts to improve our 

present circumstance, a form of 

hunger that we term as ambition. 

At the workplace, we see ambitions 

clash, support, blend and 

unify as various individuals 

learn to work together as a team. 

Rewards, recognitions, encouragement, 

and promotions go a 

long way in satisfying individual 

ambition. And yet, there comes a 

point in every employee’s career 

where they feel they’re at a crossroad, 

pondering whether they 

need to stay on course, or perhaps 

take an alluring turn onto 

an unknown path, ripe with the 

promise of career progression. 

But then again, the fear of 

unknown also prevents them 

from moving in a new direction. 

“What if?” becomes a powerful 

roadblock, especially when personal 

situations and realities get 

added to the mix. 

So, when is it the right time to 

switch careers? 

A career change driven by whimsical 

factors leads to disaster. The 

underlying reasons for seeking a 

job change should be holistic and 

backed by conviction that the 

job change is essential for career 

growth. 

We must also note that there are 

sometimes circumstances when 

employees have been provided 

with all parameters of work satisfaction, 

and yet they seek change. 

Sometimes, this is driven by the 

promise of a significant salary 

increase. While this is a powerful 

influencer, I strongly suggest that 

professionals shouldn’t just concentrate 

on their pay packages, 

but also look at the sustainability 

of the organization and the role 

and the ecosystem therein 

Transitioning to a new job requires 

investment of time and 

effort to build new working 

relationships, getting to know a 

new set of people, and to familiarize 

with the new work culture. 

In certain professions, which 

demand high concentration and 

are target driven, such as marketing 

and BD, the ability to deliver 

remains pivotal for the role. You 

need to know what you are in for 


PEOPLE TODAY 

BLOGGING POINT 

21 

The key is to find 

the right timing for a 

change in your career 

and your assessment 

of your future road map. 

You need to evaluate 

your personal and 

professional goals and 

break them down into 

short term, medium 

and long term goals and 

then work on a plan to 

achieve them. 

and what KPIs have been set so 

you deliver objectively and not 

subjectively. 

It is equally important to look 

at your long-term career goals 

and remind yourself of what the 

larger picture is. Is your professional 

change too early or too 

late? If success comes too early, 

you may not be prepared for it 

and there are higher chances of 

eventual failure which puts you 

10 steps back. If success comes 

too late, you end up spending a 

whole lot of time trying to “catch 

up” with your peers. 

The key is to find the right timing 

for a change in your career and 

your assessment of your future 

road map. You need to evaluate 

your personal and professional 

goals and break them down into 

short term, medium and long 

term goals and then work on a 

plan to achieve them. You must 

also consider the fact that changing 

jobs with existing financial 

obligations leads to huge burden 

and strain on personal finance as 

well. 

Your career change also needs 

to be in line with your personal 

life targets. There is an important 

balance that we must strike 

between our personal vs professional 

commitments. The support 

of a strong family for the development 

of your career and vice 

versa is very important to get 

you where you are. No one wants 

to bear the guilt of hearing the 

phrase “You were never there for 

any of my school functions” or “I 

never had my husband/ wife’s 

support” when you reach home. 

It is imperative to see that the 

change you seek is aligned with 

your personal and financial 

health. Any move should be carefully 

evaluated and should match 

the expectations on the job. 

Finally, career changes must also 

be looked at in terms of how 

they reflect your career stability. 

Employees often forget that 

besides IQ and skills, companies 

also search for people with a 

track record of dependability and 

loyalty. An employee who has a 

track record of two 5 year stints 

with major companies, with a 

sustained career progression and 

consistent performance, is more 

attractive to an employer than an 

employee who has held 10 jobs 

in 10 years, no matter how much 

progress the latter’s track record 

indicates. 

In the end, it is perfectly natural 

to seek greener pastures over 

the horizon. However, a bit of 

restraint, patience and wisdom 

can go a long way in making the 

switch rewarding. 

Let me end with an example of a 

well-timed career change. 

Steve Ballmer started his careers 

as an assistant product manager 

at Procter & Gamble for two 

years, where he shared an office 

with Jeffrey R. Immelt, who later 

became CEO of General Electric. 

In 1980, he dropped out of 

the Stanford Graduate School 

of Business to join a 5-year-old 

software company as its 30th employee 

and Business manager. 

He was offered an initial salary 

of $50,000 along with a percentage 

of ownership of the company. 

He then helped the company 

secure a historic deal with IBM 

to develop software for their new 

PCs. 

That company was Microsoft and 

Steve Ballmer led several divisions 

till he eventually succeeded 

Bill Gates as Microsoft’s CEO. 

In the end, his astute move, 

against conventional wisdom, 

opened new Windows of opportunity 

for historic success. 

(The blog is written by Tariq Chauhan, Group 

Chief Executive Officer, EFS Facilities Services. 

Find the online version on 

www.fm-today.com) 


22 

PEOPLE TODAY 

DEVELOPER’S DIARY 

A LOOK INTO THE ENERGY 

CENTERED MAINTENANCE 

In 2016, Emaar Facilities Management 

team implemented 

a new maintenance approach 

that focuses on improving the 

energy efficiency of the equipment 

as well as strengthen reliability. 

Energy Centered Maintenance 

(ECM) is a predictive maintenance 

approach that focuses on measuring 

the operational parameters 

of the machine on a continuous 

basis to identify any changes in 

the machine behavior. Accordingly, 

energy-related maintenance 

tasks are conducted to maintain 

the operational parameters of the 

equipment and its efficiency. 

ECM Model uses any excess energy 

consumption or energy waste 

as the primary criterion for determining 

specific maintenance or 

repair needs. Lack of maintenance 

tasks affects the measurement of 

the operational efficiency of the 

equipment such as motor power 

consumption and equipment 

effectiveness. ECM along with 

Reliability Centered Maintenance 

(RCM) aim to improve equipment 

reliability and energy efficiency 

across Emaar assets. 

Emaar’s FM team has applied 

ECM at The Dubai Mall on all 

energy critical equipment to extend 

its life, maintain its efficiency, 

prevent excess energy use, reduce 

energy waste, and improve equipment 

reliability. ECM provides the 

basis for identifying multiple low 

or no cost operation and maintenance 

practices that reduce the use 

of energy. It works on the concept 

of returning the equipment to its 

original operational parameters 

(as originally commissioned). This 

results in improving its energy 

efficiency and reducing energy 

use. Practical maintenance activities 

and measures that require very 

minimal cost or that may not require 

any investment can be useful 

measures of the energy centered 

maintenance program and the Operation 

and Maintenance regime. 

After the model was implemented 

along with RCM, both equipment 

reliability and energy efficiency 

have enhanced while demand 

for preventive maintenance 

has reduced. (Some preventive 

maintenance frequencies have 

dropped from monthly to quarterly 

while equipment reliability 

and efficiency remained stable). 

Our energy-centered maintenance 

model has resulted in reducing the 

manpower cost by up to 20%, and 

the machine’s energy consumption 

by 5-7%. 

Fadi Al Shakhshir 

Director Strategy and Compliance, Corporate 

Facilities Management, Emaar Properties 

When equipment is properly 

maintained its efficiency remains 

high, and its operating performance 

is acceptable across its 

lifespan thereby minimizing the 

risk of any deficiencies that could 

increase the energy consumption 

of the building. 

The Energy Centered Maintenance 

Model is a process-based methodology 

used to analyze and continuously 

improve assets, equipment 

maintenance and energy efficiency. 

It ensures that informed energy 

efficiency measures are combined 

with the maintenance model, 

which significantly impacts the 

energy efficiency of the equipment, 

enhances its reliability and uptime, 

and prolongs its life, in a costeffective 

maintenance model. 

(The Author is Fadi Al Shakhshir, Director Strategy and Compliance, Corporate 

Facilities Management, Emaar Properties) 

‘Developer’s Diary’ is an insight into the best 

practices and trends adopted by Emaar Properties. 

Through this monthly column, Emaar Properties 

will give an insight into a developer’s point of view 

about the various segments of facilities management. 

Follow the regular column updates on www. 

fm-today.com 


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FM ENVIRONMENT 

WORKSPACE STRATEGIES 

25 

energy resources, the right light can 

provide energy and resource savings 

and increase people’s comfort, 

productivity, and safety. When it 

comes to LED lighting, experts 

believe that there has been a shift 

in the way people perceive it. “In 

the early days, LED manufacturers 

were adapting existing light fittings 

to a LED source, but quite often the 

fittings did not give an aesthetically 

pleasing result as they could generate 

glare as they were not using 

fittings designed for this very specific 

type of lighting. However, the 

massive shift from old technology 

lamps to LED lamps has stimulated 

creativity in the design of LED light 

fittings. There is now a very wide 

range of fittings available to suit 

most applications,” says Matthew 

Sexton, Director of Corporate Interiors, 

Perkins+Will. 

According to David Clements, 

MD, Future Designs, there has 

been a quantum leap during the 

last four or five years with the advent 

of LED becoming the lighting 

medium of choice. “Aesthetic possibilities 

have given the architect 

and design professions a greater 

freedom due to its flexibility and 

the massive reduction in carbon usage 

has helped see a huge drive in 

the direction of LED,” he adds. 

Philips Lighting is focusing on 

accelerating the shift to energy efficient 

lighting. Currently lighting accounts 

for 15 percent of the world’s 

electricity demand. A global transition 

to LED technology will bring 

Matthew Sexton 

Director of Corporate Interiors, Perkins+Will. 

energy savings of 53 percent by 

2030. They are reducing the global 

energy demand with their commitment 

to delivering more than 2 billion 

LED lamps by 2020. The Internet 

of Things is further accelerating 

this reduction – Philips Lighting’s 

connected systems with wireless 

controls can reduce their customers’ 

energy use by up to 80 percent 

and enable its customers to create 

new experiences and unlock new 

value from apps and services. “Advances 

in technology have enabled 

for us to achieve long-term energy 

savings that can be made through 

improving the quality of the design 

as well as conserving energy once 

the building is operational,” says 

Olav Scholte, Segment Marketing 

Manager at Philips Lighting, who 

goes on to add that there is now a 

growing demand for smart lighting 

solutions and sustainable products, 

systems and services. 

Is the industry ready? 

With the DM initiative to introduce 

Dubai Lamps by 2020 in all buildings, 

one wonders if the market is 


26 



really ready to take on LED fixtures 

at the workspace. Experts say that 

the market is more than ready to 

take on this challenge. By law, all 

federal buildings need to implement 

energy saving measures and 

Dubai Municipality has taken this a 

step further by announcing recently 

that all newly constructed buildings 

in Dubai will soon have to install 

LED lights. 

Scholte adds that the residential 

and commercial sector has been 

slow to follow suit but due to the 

current economic conditions and 

the growing need for energy saving 

measures, any new construction or 

renovation is considering sustainable 

energy solutions. “Shifting 

over to energy efficient resources is 

a necessity for governments today 

in light of the growing pressures 

they face in ensuring the health 

and well-being of its residents, with 

many of them already leading the 

drive and UAE is no exception to 

this. At the same time with several 

global architectural firms handling 

some of the active projects, there 

is a proactive commitment to 

subscribe to building codes such 

as LEED (Leadership in Energy & 

Environmental Design) standards,” 

he adds. 

Sexton too believes that the market 

is ready for this boom. He says 

that the industry has already responded 

to LED technology and it 

is already far more widely used in 

buildings. “Manufacturers initially 

adapted existing fittings to use LED 

lamps, which did not have the best 

outcome but was the most rapid 

response to Municipality demands. 

Now manufacturers have developed 

their product range specifically 

for LED lamp technology. All 

major manufacturers produce LED 

light fittings and some have moved 

almost entirely to LED,” adds 

Sexton. 

However, Clements does note that 

while they have provided LED 

Schemes to major blue chip companies 

in the UAE, the region is still 

slightly behind UK and Europe. 

“UAE is still slightly behind UK 

and Europe when it comes to 

adopting LED Technology and 

shall reap the benefits due to much 

of the pioneering mistakes and issues 

having been ironed out in the 

early days,” adds Clements. 

Benefits 

Lighting, especially its intensity, 

colour, and glare have proven to 

impact workplace moods and 

productivity. It has also been established 

that providing local control 

of lighting can increase job satisfaction 

(and decrease the experience 

of stress). LED lighting today 

gives consumers and businesses 

the opportunity and flexibility to 

control various aspects of personal 

exposure to lighting according to 

specific needs. 

“We have a number of examples 

where our advanced LED connected 

lighting system has created 

a connected, comfortable, and 

intelligent working environment 

for both employees and guests. 

Smartworld, an Etisalat and Dubai 

South joint venture company, has 

digitally transformed its headquarters 

thanks to the Philips Lighting 

Power over Ethernet (PoE) connected 

office lighting system and 

Cisco Digital Ceiling framework. 

The implementation of this project 

brought together our advanced 

LED connected lighting system 

David Clements 

MD, Future Designs 




27 

maintenance costs and the very 

latest benefit is that offered by 

“Tuneable white LED” this allows 

the Kelvin colour of LED to switch 

through the spectrum from circa 

5000K (blue/white light) to 2700k 

(yellow light) during different times 

of the day to optimize how a workforce 

feel thus improving output 

and fits in with the latest well building 

initiatives,” adds Clements. 

with Cisco’s secure IT network 

offering highly personalized user 

experiences that improve occupant 

productivity, safety and 

comfort while delivering substantial 

business value, improving 

building efficiency and sustainability 

and lowering operating 

costs,” explains Scholte. 

In the early days of LED lamp 

technology, Sexton says that there 

were some limitations on how 

much the lamp could be dimmed 

as they were not as flexible as 

fluorescent lamps. “However, this 

is no longer the case. LED allows 

much more flexibility in dealing 

with bespoke illumination requirements 

such as decorative solutions, 

feature lighting, shapes and 

shadow gaps. Lamp life for a LED 

is around 50,000 hours compared 

to fluorescents at 12,000 – 20,000 

hours, but LED lamps are now 

almost the same price as high-efficiency 

fluorescents. Consequently, 

maintenance costs are significantly 

reduced,” adds Sexton. 

Energy conservation is a huge and 

the most prominent benefit of LED. 

Clements says that one can see 

carbon reductions of up to 60% due 

to the physicalities of LED allowing 

complete areas of office luminaires 

to be illuminated. “Huge increase 

in product life means reduction in 

Retrofitting old buildings 

While most new buildings are 

adapting to LED, old buildings 

still pose a challenge. Retrofitting 

by definition involves adding new 

elements to something pre-existing 

with the aim to enhance its effectiveness. 

So when it comes to 

lighting, making sure specifications 

of both the new unit and the 

original fixture match is, of course, 

important to prevent any hazards. 

When retrofitting, contractors often 

have to comply with the latest 

building codes, so it is advisable to 

plan ahead for expenses if several 

original fixtures need repairs and 

replacing. This can also involve 

replacing damaged cables of a 

building. In the case of retrofitting, 

a key consideration is the stable 

power supply and ventilation to 

allow adequate heat dispersion for 

reliable, long-term performance. 

Olav Scholte 

Segment Marketing Manager, Philips Lighting 

“At Philips Lighting we abide by 

global best practice standards in 

health and safety and in the case 

of installations we ensure we work 

with health and safety certified 

officers on site. We also ensure 

that we only work with professional 

partners that adhere to the 

same health and safety policies we 

uphold at Philips Lighting globally 

and any that are implemented 

locally by governments. We provide 

close supervision for the installation 

process and ensure that we work 

towards a zero injury objective at 

the workplace,” says Scholte. 

However, Clements points out that 

a major misconception that exists is 

that LED retrofit lamps are suited 

to old style louvered fixtures. “They 

are not. All luminance from a LED 

lamp that replaces a fluorescent is 

singularly downward directional. 

This causes problems with regard 

to glare. They cannot be used with a 

standard emergency kit and frankly 

are not suitable within office lighting,” 

he adds. 

In addition to ensuring that all 

necessary health and safety measures 

are being taken, Philips has 

also developed a number of strategic 

programs to help their suppliers 

improve their sustainability 

performance, thus supporting their 

ambition to create a healthier, more 

sustainable world. 

Keep this in mind while adopting led lights 

• Glare can be an issue with small point sources, so diffusion is 

important. 

• Lamp replacement can be an issue - in some cases, the whole 

light fitting may need replacing. 

• Lamp technology is changing so quickly which is affecting the 

lifespan of some fittings, so one needs to get 5-year warranties 

in the specification. 

• Do not buy cheap! Always use products from reputable organisations. 


28 

FACILITY FOCUS 

SITE VISIT 

Creating a perfect balance between 

TRADITIONAL & MODERN 

SOUQ PRACTICES 

By Megha S Anthony 

Sultan Al Ketbi 

COO, SANED 

Come 3.30 pm, following the 

Asr Prayers, Souq Al Jubail 

(SQAJ) comes alive with 

a traditional fish auction held 

every day under the dome in the 

main building entrance, where 

fishermen display their fresh 

catch for sale to its buyers with 

the bright colours of the fresh 

produce adorning the auction 

arena against the backdrop of the 

market’s traditional architecture. 

If one has ever visited SQAJ, 

located in the Emirate of Sharjah, 

then you would know that there’s 

certainly more to this Souq than 

fish, meat, fruits and vegetables. 

Creating a perfect balance between 

the traditional and modern 

practices, the property has 

certainly set high standards when 

it comes to Souqs. 

As part of Sharjah Asset Management 

Holding (SAMH) portfolio 

of developments, SQAJ was 

opened in December 2015 and is 

managed by a dedicated SQAJ 

management operations team 

strongly supported by their 

service provider SANED FM –a 

Joint Venture between SAMH and 

multi award winning International 

FM firm Apelona (formerly 

known as Bilfinger Facility Man- 

If one has ever visited 

SQAJ, located in the 

Emirate of Sharjah, 

then you would know 

that there’s certainly 

more to this Souq than 

fish, meat, fruits and 

vegetables 



SITE VISIT 

29 

agement and Building Services) 

who deliver world class total 

facilities management services. 

Under the vision of HH Sheikh 

Dr. Sultan bin Mohammad Al 

Qasimi, Supreme Council Member 

and Ruler of Sharjah - SQAJ 

comprises three dedicated sections 

for fresh fish, meat, and 

fruits and vegetables within 

the building. Having opened in 

December 2015, one of the most 

striking features that keep attracting 

people to return is the cleanliness’s 

of the Souq. 

Along with their stakeholders, 

the SQAJ operation team keenly 

supported by SANED FM ensures 

that the Souq is meticulously 

maintained from hard to soft 

services, SANED FM works very 

closely with SQAJ operations 

team to ensure the highest quality 

output and meeting the stringent 

key performance indicators set 

by SQAJ management. Speaking 

to FM today about the scope of 

services, Saeed Al Suwaidi, Section 

Head- Facility Management, 

SAMH outlined that, “Being a 

fresh produce Souq means there is 

opportunity for the building areas 

to become dirtied by the constant 

movement of produce being delivered 

combined by the constant 

movement of our tenants, customers 

and tourists throughout the 

day and night. Cleanliness and 

hygiene standards are critical to 

us in such a public domain and 

together with our client SAMH 

and its stakeholders we seek to 

achieve an optimum level in our 

standards including the safety of 

our customers and tenants.” 

While cleaning is a continual 

process at the Souq, during busy 

days such as Fridays or during 

special events when the frequency 

of visitation increases significantly 

there is a need to provide more 

attention to the Souq. 

Consequently a strong focus is 

required to the high traffic areas 

such as the fish cleaning zones 

and walkways. “The complex 

design is such that it is lined with 

grills to ensure proper disposal of 

all mopped material, the drainage 

systems have also been installed 

across the market and all the 

traders have been equipped with 

cleaning and cutting tools by 

the operational team,” adds Al 

Suwaidi. Every two months, the 

Souq also undergoes a deep cleaning 

and pest control during off 

peak evenings. 

Innovative Technologies 

The Souq has also adopted many 

innovative technologies that aids 

in better maintenance and in-turn 

conserves the building’s energy. 

Sultan Al Ketbi, Chief Operating 

Officer for SANED, explains, 

“That the periodic preventive 

maintenance programmes are 

critical to maintain the heating, 

ventilation, air-conditioning and 

air-quality equipment installed 

in the Souq. A case in point is 

the special attention paid to the 

chilled water systems which 

regulate the indoor climate for 

their tenants, the health of their 


30 


SITE VISIT 

produce, customers and tourists. 

“These carrier chillers are 

controlled by zones throughout 

the Souq’s via a sophisticated 

Building Management System 

(BMS) customised and managed 

by SANED. We also use operation 

timings to optimize the equipment 

in use. For instance, we 

switch off the fresh air at night as 

tenants. “We have instigated a 

detailed waste control procedure 

throughout the Souq which both 

SANED and our tenants adhere to 

said Al Suwaidi. We also ensure 

that waste is segregated at the 

collect point to ensure the optimization 

of our on site storage and 

assist in the later distribution and 

reuse of the waste in particular 

SQAJ plans soon to implement a 

lighting control system that will 

aid in conserving more energy in 

the Souq. 

Health and Safety Initiatives 

Being a fresh produce Souq it is 

of utmost importance that regard 

is given to the health and safety 

of its users. Vendors are strictly 

instructed to ensure that their 

products are cleaned before it 

enters the Souq so that the stalls 

are hygienic. Refrigerators are 

provided in all the stalls to help 

the produce last longer. Regular 

inspections are conducted at the 

meat and fish section by the Municipality 

to ensure that the quality 

of meat and fish is maintained. 

“We use all food safe products 

while cleaning those areas and 

we change the ice every day in 

the fish area so that they remain 

fresh,” says Al Suwaidi. 

Customer feedback is critical and 

the management listens. “The 

it is unnecessary and allows us to 

conserve energy and undertake 

our maintenance programmes. 

We also typically start fresh air 

handling in the building between 

2 pm and 6 pm because that’s the 

fish auction operation timing, but 

after this time we do not require 

100 percent fresh air and thereafter 

we regulate the climate. This 

allows us to also minimize the 

exchange of humidity and heat, 

especially in the summer.” 

This method also aids in the odour 

control management. “We usually 

turn the ventilation to 100 percent 

fresh air, especially during the fish 

auction timings, which assists to 

disperse the odour. This practice 

has worked well and we have 

had many customers providing 

positive feedback on how the Souq 

really doesn’t smell like other fish 

markets,” explains Al Ketbi. 

When it comes to waste management, 

SQAJ has imbibed a culture 

of raising awareness among the 

organic. We have several compaction 

centers outside the Souq and 

at the end of the day, it is segregated 

into four types of waste: 

Organic fish waste, Vegetables 

and Fruit and Meat waste. This 

provides a hygienic and sustainable 

way of maintaining the 

cleanliness of the Souq and the 

waste ,” says Al Suwaidi. 

Suwaidi goes on to add that the 

image of Souq Al Jubail is of key 

importance as it is the word of 

mouth that people will hear about 

this place and pay a visit,” says 

Al Suwaidi. SQAJ operation team 

is also planning on expanding 

the food and beverages on offer 

including cafes and play area 

for children in the coming year, 

which SANED will support in its 

delivery. 


PEOPLE TODAY 

EXPERT COLUMN 31 

THE BIG 

SQUEEZE 

By Ryan Darnell 

Ryan Darnell 

Executive Director - Facilities Management, 

Khidmah 

Most service providers and in-house Facilities 

Managers know the feeling of the big squeeze. 

It usually manifests itself when the market 

dips be it the price of oil per barrel, real estate yields or 

market crashes. Asset and contract managers get the request 

to cut costs on the operations and maintenance of 

properties in a bid to ensure profitability is maintained. 

In most cases that should mean tendering of services, 

reducing of service levels, decreasing operational costs 

such as electricity & water and transferring risk. 

In the Middle East though many organisations don’t 

take such a holistic approach to reducing operating 

costs. Instead what occurs usually is that contracts are 

tendered with the same or higher service levels while 

KPI mechanisms for penalties and deductions are 

increased on a shorter contract term. What we are left 

to witness is the lowest bidder on a 12-month high 

performing service level contract with penalty clauses 

exceeding 20%. What could possibly go wrong? 

What usually occurs is a vicious cycle of contractors 

stripping contracts back to the bare mechanics and 

performing as little as possible to maximise margins. 

When you consider that many FM providers operate 

on margins from 5-10% net margins and rely on 

volume contracts – a penalty clause of 20% is going 

to be beyond detrimental to the services they provide. 

Contractors pricing low also rely on the snagging 

reports on incoming contracts to generate additional 

income with many service providers going so far 

as to now even employ specialist engineers to hunt 

for latent defects on assets to maximise potential 

revenue. In 1 year the same exercise happens again 

though when the next lowest bidder comes in and 

banks on revenue from snagging works to once again 

cover the loss of any profit margin. 

With the contracts only lasting one year service providers 

are only interested in short term risk and ensuring 

that nothing will go wrong during that period. 

They will also minimise investment in equipment, 

inventory and services on the contract with only a 

year to depreciate or amortise costs. 

The outcome from such actions is an underperforming 

asset with no longterm asset strategy nor investment 

in services to differentiate the property or offer 

those using it value. Clients of the development 

immediately see the reduction in service levels and 

in the case of residential property this only continues 

to add to a drop in rental revenue. On a strata development 

this could also have implications for board 

members on an owners association as the condition 

of assets leads to increases in the need to access the 

reserve fund for capital works. 

Instead companies should be looking to not only 

reduce costs but also to reposition their development 

and even to invest in services that will differentiate 

their asset and reduce the impact to falling rents. In 

times of economic downturns many tenants are not 

willing to sign long term leases for fear of redundancy 

yet many developers will not offer monthly rental payments 

even if it means a higher rent. Contracts with 

service providers could also be increased in length and 

have mechanisms that allow for investment into services 

and even in energy and water reduction. Adding 

a share of savings clause to an FM contract incentivises 

service providers to innovate and invest in methods 

that reduces the clients operating costs and rewards 

them a share of those savings for their investment. 

The vision set by leaders across the Middle East requires 

nothing short of our innovation, investment and a 

strategic view to continually deliver value to our clients. 

We cannot do this with the short sightedness and the 

yearly spiral of asset stripping that is currently being 

witnessed in some sectors. Economic downturns can be 

the perfect time for clients to optimise costs, differentiate 

services and focus in increasing the value of assets. 

(Ryan Darnell is the Executive Director - Facilities Management at Khidmah) 


32 

PEOPLE TODAY 

SETTING BENCHMARKS 

NEW STANDARDS IN 

FACILITIES MANAGEMENT 

Facilities Management (FM) is not new in terms that it has now been 

around for some 30+ years within some markets such as the UK. 

However, in the Middle East it is a relatively new discipline which is 

still ‘finding its feet’ as it were. The same can be said for many other parts 

of the world such as Asia and South America where it is fast emerging. 

In terms of the built environment sector FM is the new kid on the block and 

as such will inevitably be measured and benchmarked alongside its peers 

such as the Architects, Engineers and Surveyors who have a long history in 

terms of being a recognisable professional discipline. 

Stan Mitchell 

CEO Key Facilities Management International 

and Chairman ISO TC 267 Facility 

Management 

It is on this premise that in 2011 the ISO Technical Committee 267 for Facilities 

Management was established to meet the growing need for international 

standards to both give the discipline some credibility as well as provide 

those within the sector standards which can be used in a consistent manner. 

Within ISO TC 267 therefore we embarked upon the development of two initial 

standards, namely ISO 41011 Facility Management – vocabulary and ISO 

41012 Facility Management - Guidance on strategic sourcing and the development 

of agreements. These two ISO standards are the first two international 

standards to be published in FM, became available as of 31 March 2017. 

To enable consistency across the FM sector we must try and speak the same 

language i.e. not Arabic versus English but the technical terminology that 

we use on a day to day basis. This will become ever more important as 

further standards emerge. This is the intent with ISO 41011 standard. 

Whilst the 41012 standard is self-explanatory via its title this is an extremely 

useful standard that will provide those operating within the sector with 

guidance relating to strategic sourcing and how to go about structuring an 

FM agreement that works for all parties. This will be particularly beneficial 

within the Middle East region where there is a lack of understanding 

surrounding FM contracts and how to achieve the greatest value from 

them, especially within the procurement functions of large or governmental 

organisations. 


PEOPLE TODAY 

SETTING BENCHMARKS 

33 

Management System Standard 

ISO 41001, which is the MSS for Facility Management 

is due for publication in 2018. It will help to clarify the 

‘what’ as well as the ‘why’ FM is a strategically important 

discipline to all organizations in the management, 

operation and maintenance of the workplace, its assets 

and operational efficiencies. 

The need for a standard against which a facilities management 

organization can be assessed and measured is 

likely to be the most significant step forward for the sector 

as it will give a benchmark against which organisations 

and internal departments can measure themselves. 

It will also give the client organisations an ability to 

differentiate between contract service delivery organisations 

as opposed to true FM organisations who want to 

deliver real ‘added value’ in all that they do. 

FM by its very nature, does not mean the same thing 

internationally, nationally or even within different types 

of organizations. The capabilities of the supply side 

have evolved in different ways in different countries, as 

has the quality of service they provide. 

Client expectations have equally evolved from a local to 

a national perspective. Delivery methodologies continue 

to develop at their own pace from the ground up 

in each country and region. 

ISO 41001 is about recognizing the scope of responsibilities 

and creating a management structure and resource 

appropriate to the needs of the organizations that it 

serves. 

(The author, Stan Mitchell is the CEO Key Facilities Management International 

and Chairman ISO TC 267 Facility Management) 

In Summary 

It is anticipated that ISO 41001 MSS, when properly 

applied, will deliver ‘added value’ in the 

following aspects of organisational performance: 

In financial terms, facilities management 

constitutes the second-highest cost for any organization 

with few exceptions and can, where 

relevant, make a considerable contribution to the 

bottom line on an ongoing basis. 

In efficiency terms, facilities management has 

responsibility for the management, operation and 

maintenance of the organisational assets, thus 

influencing their whole life cost and usability. 

In compliance terms, facilities management is 

responsible for the health, safety and building management 

ensuring the organization fulfils its obligations 

to those who use the space under its control 

and are likely to be affected by its operations. 

In environmental and sustainability terms, facilities 

management is responsible for operations 

in the workplace as well as the impact that its 

operations have on the local, national and international 

environment. 

ISO 41001 will enable the supply side of organizations 

to acquire certification as a market 

differentiator and help private and public-sector 

organizations set the benchmarks they expect 

their supply partners to adhere to. This, ultimately, 

will be to the advantage of all parties. 


34 

PEOPLE TODAY 

FACE-TO-FACE 

‘The assets we maintain 

today are truly iconic’ 

Emaar Properties have always been in line with 

Dubai’s vision of Smart City. Adapting the latest 

innovations, technologies and best practices 

across all of its developments, they have been able to 

provide excellent service and customer experience. 

And through this, the qualified group of professionals 

in the FM team of Emaar Properties has maintained 

the leadership in the industry. 

Abdulla Al Wahedi, the Senior Director, Facilities 

Management at Emaar Properties, tells Megha S Anthony 

about the vision of maintaining the leadership 

status in the market and shares the details of Emaar’s 

FM strategy for the years ahead. 

With more than 10 years of experience in this line, it 

was interesting to find out that facilities management 

was something Abdulla had not planned for himself. 

But now, he says that he has gained a lot from facilities 

management in return and that there is a sense of 

pride when he looks after assets like the Burj Khalifa 

and Dubai Mall. 

Here are the excerpts from the interview… 

Abdulla Al Wahedi 

Senior Director, Facilities Management at Emaar Properties 

Abdulla Al Wahedi, the Senior Director, 

Facilities Management at Emaar 

Properties, tells Megha S Anthony about 

the vision of maintaining the leadership 

status in the market and shares the 

details of Emaar’s FM strategy for the 

years ahead. 

First Job 

My first job was in the year 2000 in a District Cooling 

company. I was given the role of an Assistant Area 

Manager in the Northern Emirates and my focus was 

more on the business development aspect than on engineering. 

This was an interesting and a challenging 

time as district cooling was a new concept in the UAE 

and new for me as well. Later I moved to Etisalat, 

where I worked in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia setting 

up a new Telecom company for two years. Post 

my return from Saudi Arabia I joined Emaar Properties 

and have been here for little over 10 years. 

Role Model 

I believe the best role model in the UAE is His Highness 

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, 

Vice President of UAE and Ruler of Dubai. I have 

learned a lot from him and his willingness to be No. 1 

at everything that encourages not just me but everyone 

living here. 


PEOPLE TODAY 

FACE-TO-FACE 

35 

FM journey 

When I began my career, Facilities Management was 

the last thing on my mind. Reflecting on my life now 

I can see that I have done everything that I said I will 

not. However, once I start enjoying any challenge, I 

give it my 100 percent and that’s what drives me to 

go further. 

My journey in FM started 10 years ago when I returned 

from the Kingdom. Emaar Properties, as I 

mentioned earlier, was not part of my plan as at that 

point I did not have any experience in maintenance 

but the HR believed I was the right person for the job. 

And since then I believe that I have learned a lot in 

this field. Growing with the company I’ve realized 

the value and the need for proper FM to maintain any 

facility. 

What truly motivates me is that the assets we maintain 

today are truly iconic and represent the spirit 

of the nation. And we feel a great sense of pride in 

maintaining these one-of-kind properties. 

Every time I go to see the Burj Khalifa I always see 

people taking pictures and I remember the old days 

when we used to go to Europe and take pictures 

out there as we didn’t have anything here. But now 

people come over to UAE to just look at the achievements 

of this country. 

Career Highlight 

The highlight has to be the fact that I’ve overcome the 

many challenges in my career, especially in Emaar 

Properties. Maintaining the tallest building in the 

world or the biggest mall may come through as easy 

but in fact it is very difficult as they are one-of-akind 

assets. I still remember being handed over these 

properties once they were built. It was a difficult 

exercise and being able to overcome those challenges 

and manage them is an achievement for me today. 

2016 for FM division in Emaar 

Properties 

The year 2016 was a different one for Emaar Properties. 

Earlier, we didn’t have a concrete FM plan in 

place. Most FM operators in the industry are constantly 

on the move and rarely do they find time to 

come up with a good plan to abide by. While you do 

have good consultants out there to help, most often 

they provide short-term solutions. I felt that there 

was a need to bring a team together, that will be the 

‘think-tank’ for the operations team and provide a 

plan that will help in the long run for better management 

of the company and the assets. 

In 2016, we launched our own FM strategy for the 

next 5 years, which has been the biggest achievement 

for us. The reason behind this strategy formation was 

to sustain and extend Emaar’s leadership in FM by 

continuing to provide excellent service and leading 

on innovation, delivering exceptional customer experience 

in the years to come. 

The fact that we have been successful before does 

not guarantee our success in the future. To maintain 

leadership means one has to constantly come up with 

new sustainable initiatives and through this strategy, 

we have aimed to do just that. Our mission is to 

ensure the functionality of the built environment by 

operating and maintaining our facilities with a qualified 

team in a cost effective manner whilst ensuring 

high customer satisfaction, which is key to us. These 

pillars form the foundation of our strategy. 

The year 2017 will see the implementation of this 

strategy. The main aim of the strategy is not just to 

maintain the leadership in the market, but also to 

meet the requirements of the Dubai 2021 strategy. I 

want Emaar to be in a position where certain rules 

have already been implemented even before it becomes 

a mandate in the industry. 

What’s next? 

As we are building the Dubai Creek Harbour and 

everyone is talking about Smart Cities and Smart 

Energy, I am now asking myself what are the innovations 

in the market that will help us improve the 

way we operate and achieve our objectives. And we 

now plan to make use of these opportunities that are 

available in the market so that we can build on them 

to become pioneers in these methods. 

Adopting new innovations 

Any innovation is directly related to technology. We 

started with Burj Khalifa, where we implemented IoT 

(internet of things), which is the future. Through IoT, we 

can approach maintenance and utilize the connectivity 

to the internet to make decisions and allow the machine 

to adjust and fix itself without the need of human interaction. 

By doing that, we eliminate the need of certain 

maintenance tasks that require human attention. 

We also want to change certain terms in Contracts, 

for instance, those that demand more than double 

the labour that is required on-site, which will result 

in a more cost-effective manner of functioning. And 

we also need service providers who will understand 

such requirements and work on these types of contracts. 

But that would require education and partnership 

on both ends. We have also introduced other 

innovations like the smart metering and a new concept 

called Energy Centre Maintenance. The concept 

is similar to IoT, but here it depends on the energy 

consumption of various parts of the machinery and 

the crucial decisions based on these results. 

We are currently in discussions with leading IT companies 

for new innovations that we can adopt for the 

Dubai Creek Harbour. 


36 

SPECIALISED SERVICES 

HIGH TRAFFIC CLEANING 

ENSURING 

A CLEAN 

IMAGE 

Megha S. 

Anthony takes a look 

at a hotel, a hospital 

and a retail mall, and 

finds out how they 

manage their cleaning 

schedules and what 

innovations are used 

in ‘high-traffic’ areas. 

The first impression is crucial for any facility. Asset managers 

will agree that the hygiene and cleanliness of a facility can 

make or break occupant perception about the facility. However, 

a few areas are significantly more challenging to manage given 

the frequency and high rate of footfall they receive. These areas are 

generally termed as ‘high-traffic’ areas, and they get additional attention; 

some even use specific equipment and best practices to achieve 

optimal results. 

Megha S. Anthony takes a look at a hotel, a hospital and a retail mall, 

and finds out how they manage their cleaning schedules and what 

innovations are used in ‘high-traffic’ areas. 

HOSPITALITY SECTOR Facility: Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi 

Built as an iconic landmark, Emirates Palace, managed by Kempinski, 

can be a challenge to maintain. But, the dedicated staff handles it with 

élan. Speaking about the factors that are taken into consideration while 

planning a cleaning schedule, Pamini Hemaprabha, Executive Housekeeper, 

Regional Rooms Specialist, Master Trainer, Emirates Palace, 

says, “The most important task is to lock down on the best dates and 

time when the traffic is a bit less. And, it’s always best to circulate 

the necessary information prior to scheduling work to all the related 

departments.” She adds that one must ensure that a well-trained team 

is available on the job and supervisory coverage is a must. Apart from 

these, the other factors that are considered are the safety precautions 

of the equipment being used and necessary signage made available as 

an indication of the work in progress. And when there is a high-profile 

visitor at the hotel, as is the case usually at Emirates Palace, schedules 

are amended and tasks may be preponed. 




37 

Apart from this, prior to cleaning 

of high-traffic areas, one must 

also ensure that the necessary 

equipment like high-level cleaning 

and heavy duty machines 

are in place. However, there are 

other equipment and solutions 

that are used in these areas to 

ensure quicker cleaning processes. 

Equipment like Blowers can 

assist in quick drying of carpets 

and areas. 

Pamini explains that there are 

advanced machines that clean and 

sucks the floor water at the same 

time leaving dry surfaces in no 

time. 

One of the first tools used to 

monitor the cleaning schedule is 

the human, says Pamini. “Competent 

staff must be well aware of 

the safety and security related elements 

to cleaning. There should 

be an action plan along with a 

proper checklist before the start of 

the job and post completion,” she 

says. 

Since these areas almost represent 

the image of the facility, it is important 

to get the right person for 

the job. A competent, well-trained 

team member with a good attitude 

is essential to handle these 

areas. The training given to the 

personnel is also different as the 

individual has to perform the task 

quickly and effectively. “One will 

need to be a multi-tasker as well 

because at times the person could 

be asked to maximise the cleaning 

depending on the situation. 

Only a confident member who 

has patience and is well aware of 

machine operation and chemical 

usage and knowledge can be 

considered for these tasks,” she 

concludes. 

Pamini Hemaprabha 

Executive Housekeeper, Regional Rooms Specialist, 

Master Trainer, Emirates Palace 


38 



HEALTHCARE SECTOR Facility: 

Hospitals maintained by 

Tanzifco Emirates 

Having handled a portfolio of 

facilities, Ali R Deryan, General 

Manager, Tanzifco Emirates, 

says that the challenge intensifies 

while cleaning high traffic areas 

in a hospital or any facility with a 

high footfall. Deryan says, “Based 

on our experience of almost a decade 

and a half in the UAE, maintaining 

high traffic areas requires 

deep-rooted experience so as to 

draw out an effective schedule 

to keep the premises sparkling 

clean at any given point of time. 

Constant monitoring is needed 

along with the knowledge of peak 

traffic times so as to enable the 

scheduling of the cleaning tasks 

with consideration of the time 

required to execute the cleaning. 

To conclude, nights are ideal for 

scheduling deep cleaning while 

the day involves maintenance of 

the same.” 

One of the most common and important 

tools used to monitor the 

cleaning schedule is the checklist. 

This helps prevent miscommunication 

and adds accountability to 

ensure that the job is done right. 

“Our checklist is based on the 

amount of traffic an area receives. 

An important part of an effective 

cleaning plan is to have an 

employee that is responsible for 

cleaning these high traffic areas at 

all times under able supervision. 

The CAFM system with its detailed 

cleaning schedule alongside 

procedures that establish how 

the cleaning will be carried out 

could be required as well,” adds 

Deryan. 

To keep these areas clean at all 

times Tanzifco staff uses dustcontrol/push 

mops to clean the 

surface floors along with vacuum 

machines and other supporting 

machinery based on the size of 

the area. “Depending on the area 

and its criticality and whether it is 

a high risk area such as an OT in 

a hospital, we have to utilise the 

body spillage kit or depending on 

the size of the area, a scrubberdryer 

or a wet and dry vacuum 

machine to enhance the standard 

of service and the quick turnaround 

time,” contributes Deryan. 

Other equipment like vacuum 

cleaners are required throughout 

the operating hours to remove 

any grit and dust quickly from the 

surface of the floor, and a flat mop 

system addresses spills as they 

occur. An effective All Purpose 

Cleaner (APC) can remove stains 

from the surface and more specific 

and premium brands are required 

only for hospitals. 

An area cleaner and area supervisor 

are responsible for maintaining 

a high degree of cleanliness in 

the assigned areas. Deryan says 

that reliable and skilled personnel 

are required to bring out optimal 

results. The training programme 

for the personnel begins with 

general cleaning and moves on to 

specific training such as cleaning 

high risk areas (OT, labour room, 

etc.), segregating waste, ambulance 

cleaning, washroom cleaning, 

pantry and ward cleaning, 

large equipment training (ride-on 

scrubber dryer, air blower, pressure 

washer, dry vacumm, etc.) 

and so on. Special training programmes 

are designed for cleaners 

to handle high traffic areas at 

our training centres (TTC). 

This is when they learn cleaning 

methods with minimum guest 

disturbance and how to achieve a 

spick and span area with a quick 

response time. "Our cleaners are 

trained to deal with foot-fall and 

on-going activities and schedule 

and master the techniques of 

swiftly turning around the area 

successfully,” concludes Deryan. 

RETAIL SECTOR Facility: Malls 

maintained by Meraas Development 

When it comes to the retail sector, 

it’s all about the ‘customer 

experience’. Which is why, the 

maintenance of high traffic areas is 

an essential part of mall management. 

Paul Birkett, Vice President 

Ali R Deryan 

General Manager, Tanzifco Emirates 

Maintaining high 

traffic areas 

requires deep-rooted 

experience so as to 

draw out an effective 

schedule to keep the 

premises sparkling 

clean at any given 

point of time 




39 

– Retail Management & Transactions, 

Meraas Development, says, 

"The days of someone just pushing 

around a dirty mop are long 

behind us; every single member 

of our teams has to understand 

the culture of the environment we 

work in as well as have the correct 

skills to do their job.” 

Within large scale assets, such as 

shopping malls, not all areas are 

busy, so the usage profile has a 

direct correlation to the amount 

of resource which is allocated. 

“Within a mall environment, we 

now focus on an output-based 

specification, ensuring everything 

their biggest aids for day-to-day 

activities are microfiber cleaning 

systems. “These allow us to clean 

quickly, minimise chemical and 

water usage and deliver clean 

and dry solutions in the shortest 

time. Similarly, at night, the use 

of a more intensive maintenance 

clean, using ride on equipment 

and mechanised processes where 

possible allows us to deliver better 

results in a quicker time with 

fewer people,” he adds. 

is clean, all the time. This allows 

us to have a much more dynamic 

approach to labour deployment 

than the traditional input-based 

systems, which can often see unproductive 

time.” 

The main consideration is based 

around the traffic profile in each 

area. “Information is the key factor 

here, it’s all about ensuring the 

cleaning demands are met with 

the optimal amount of labour. We 

use many analytics to ensure we 

are very clear on the demands 

for each area and factors such as 

Paul Birkett, 

Vice President – Retail Management & Transactions, 

Meraas Development 

footfall (measured through people 

counting systems) allow us to 

heat map the usage levels within 

a mall and then align schedules to 

meet those demands. We even use 

the data provided by our WIFI 

access points to track how people 

move within a mall, this allows 

us to deploy our teams to follow 

similar flow patterns and thus 

optimize our resources.” 

When it comes to using specific 

equipment for high traffic 

areas, Birkett says that one of 

While there is no specific training 

given for people monitoring only 

these areas, Birkett does point 

out that the person handling that 

nature of environment should 

possess skill and initiative. “We 

are trying to promote ownership, 

so we require a high caliber of 

staff who can think for themselves 

and not have to be supervised 

constantly. They need a degree of 

IT literacy as the CAFM system 

will guide them through tasks 

and support their work scheduling. 

We need staff who are 

multi-skilled. Every member of 

our cleaning team is the visible 

front end of our operation, and 

we encourage them to deal with 

customer questions and go the extra 

mile to enhance the customer 

experience,” Birkett concludes. 


40 

FM SOLUTIONS 

EXPANDING SECTORS 

CATERING TO A 

HEALTHIER 

TOMORROW 

The world of facilities management is an ever expanding 

market. Comprising of a range of services, FM has grown 

to include newcomers including catering. While not instantly 

recognised as traditional FM, the truth is that many facilities 

management companies in the region have long outsourced 

their catering function to specialised service providers. 

Many experts believe that contract catering is still an oligopoly 

in the UAE. However, that’s changing now, companies like 

Advanced Facilities Management, who provide catering services 

says that they have seen a rise in the amount of companies that 

are adopting catering as part of their portfolio of services. 

Having specialized in commercial and industrial catering for remote 

sites, large manpower facilities and compounds, Advanced 

FM’s daily production capacity exceeds more than 150,000 meals 

per day. In an exclusive interview, FM today speaks to Saleh Al 

Rajhi, General Manager, Advanced Facilities Management to 

understand the scope and challenges of catering services in the 

world of FM. 

How important is catering in the FM profile and what is the 

current market situation in the UAE? 

Catering is increasingly becoming part of the facilities management 

offering in the United Arab Emirates. We have seen a rise 

in the amount of companies that are adopting catering as part of 

their portfolio of services. However, catering is an industry on its 

own and requires special health and safety procedures, purposebuilt 

premises and a qualified team to deliver a quality service. 

At Advanced FM, we are HACCP and ISO certified servicing urban 

and remote sites with over 300 chefs and delivering 150,000 

meals every day. 

Saleh Al Rajhi 

General Manager, Advanced Facilities 

Management 


FM SOLUTIONS 

EXPANDING SECTORS 

41 

What are some of the main challenges? 

Clients remain cautious when setting budgets due to 

current trends in the region. This poses a challenge to 

provide quality and diversity at a lower cost. However, 

due to the volume of the contracts we service across 

the country, we remain extremely competitive with the 

ability to leverage our purchasing power and pass on 

those savings to our clients successfully. 

What are the kind of Health and Safety measure taken 

while catering? 

Health and safety is embedded in our culture with 

measures used at all stages of the food chain, from 

delivery in the kitchen bay to food preparation and 

production, including packaging, storage, distribution 

and handling. All our kitchen staff implement HACCP 

principles across all areas of the kitchen from hazard 

analysis to establishing record keeping procedures. Our 

delivery vehicles are purchased and fabricated to meet 

regulatory measures for the sole purpose of transporting 

food to our clients at the highest standard. 

What kind of chemicals/equipment are used while 

maintaining the kitchen area? 

At Advanced FM, all kitchen staff are trained to 

'clean as they go’. This principle allows the consistent 

removal of bacteria to provide a safe environment for 

food preparation and staff. We only purchase chemicals 

such as disinfectants from trusted suppliers and 

all cloths are color coded to use for separate tasks in 

order to lower the risk of cross contamination. Our 

staff is trained to wear protective clothing whilst handling 

chemicals and equipment including the handling 

of chemicals around raw and cooked food. 

Tell us about Advanced FM’s catering wing? 

Advanced FM specializes in commercial and industrial 

catering preparing food in fully equipped industrial 

kitchens and delivering across the country. Additionally, 

Advanced FM offers a professional team of chefs 

to prepare meals at the client’s premises. We seek 

excellence in terms of the hygiene standards we implement, 

the quality of the food we prepare and flavor 

of the meals we offer. Our fully equipped kitchen 

exceeds over 67,800 sq ft. with the capacity to deliver 

150,000 meals a day while we employ teams of professional 

chefs that can work on the client’s premises and 

remote sites. 


PEOPLE TODAY 

Creating a buzz 

in the market 

The FM industry is certainly opening up to new innovations and raising their standards 

in every sector to bring in better efficiency and sustainability in their way of work. Technology 

has been a driving force to bring about this change in the industry. 

FM today speaks to three experts in the industry on what kind of technology is currently 

setting trends in the market. According to them, today the tech industry is all about 

more connectivity, more automation and the kind of impact it has on the business. 

INNOVATION AND DISRUPTION 

Whilst the value of facilities 

software is becoming 

firmly recognised in 

the Middle East, the digitisation of 

the workplace and service provision 

is fast evolving and so is what 

the customer expects from FM-related 

technology. Apps, workforce 

mobility, Internet of Everything 

(IoE), sensors, orchestration, wider 

integration between systems, BIM, 

big data analytics and artificial 

intelligence, when combined with 

proven CAFM platforms, are all 

trending topics which are to a 

greater or lesser degree driving 

customer expectations. 

Smartphones and tablets have 

given everyone access to increased 

processing and storage 

capacity, something that used to 

only be available on a laptop or 

desktop computers, and expectations 

from apps and workforce 

mobility solutions have grown 

accordingly. Real-time data from 

workforce mobility empowers decisions 

and has, over the last few 

years, transformed day-to-day 

operations in many organisations 

whilst increasing collaboration 

between services providers and 

clients. However, tenants and 

building occupants increasingly 

Adrian Jarvis 

General Manager, FSI FM Solutions Middle 

East FZ-LLC 


TECH TRENDS 

IN VOGUE 

43 

expect in the workplace and at 

home the latest technology and 

focused apps to be offered by 

their service provider. 

Whilst increased data can allow 

better transparency, something 

FM in the region is beginning 

to embrace, the challenges of 

how best to utilise certain types 

of information remains. It is 

important to have clear business 

processes and goals and a 

clear understanding of how the 

data being generated from various 

sources and can be applied 

operationally and strategically 

through data analytics and relevant 

KPIs and automation. 

Finally, we are supporting many 

customers who now require 

ownership of their CAFM systems 

and building data whilst 

allowing the collaborative use of 

the system and mobility by the 

service providers. The service 

provider is allowed controlled 

access to the CAFM system 

and to administer and update 

relevant information while the 

customer maintains overall control 

of the process. 

INTEGRATION 

The ever-improving technologies, 

new frameworks, more 

advanced hardware, mobility 

solutions, cloud and all sorts of 

acceleration tools lead to better 

software solutions. Challenges 

are more for software developers 

to choose the best technology for 

FM which makes the usage more 

practical, effective, productive 

and cost effective. We as software 

developers strive to make the FM 

solution more comprehensive by 

combining multiple technologies. 

For example, Web Application 

for the FM Manager, Engineers & 

Supervisors, Native Mobile Apps 

for Field Staff with offline capabilities, 

barcode scanning, taking 

pictures etc. Mobile apps for FM 

Directors, FM Managers for online 

approvals on the move & BI tools; 

Mobile apps for Occupants, Tenants 

for requesting services with 

Eashak Ali.B 

Director, Nanosoft Technologies 

an option to upload videos as an 

evidence; etc. 

Integration of an FM software 

with 3rd party system is one 

of the most important requirements 

asked by all clients. Third 

party systems are mostly financial 

systems, BMS, BIM & CAD. 

Common Techniques used for 

Integration between systems 

are Web Services, File, Remote 

Function Call (RFC/BAPI), Direct 

Linked SQL, OLE DB, ADO.net. 

However, the most important step 

in Integration is detailing the data 

requirement which needs to transfer 

between FM software & all 

other 3rd party software. While 

BMS, BIM & CAD can be integrated 

using standard protocols and 

guidelines from the provider, the 

most challenging are the financial 

system. 

Even though the FM software has 

features related to financials, most 

of the customer has already spent 

the money and time building 

complex business specific logics. 

Customers prefer the FM software 

to be integrated with their financial 

system to avoid duplication of 

works by their FM team. 

Communication between systems 

can be a real time (or) scheduled 

at a specific interval. The success 

of the integration depends on 

proper requirements provided by 

the customer followed by data 

field mapping and ensuring the 

data codes used in both systems is 

unique. The price for integration 

is high, sometimes, even more, the 

licenses. It is essential for the customer 

to decide on the data which 

is most important to transfer between 

FM and financial system. 


44 

TECH TRENDS 

IN VOGUE 

INTERNET OF THINGS 

With Gartner predicting there will 

be over 26 billion connected devices 

by 2020 the Internet of Things 

(IoT) is set to transform the world 

as we know it. The Internet of 

Things (IoT) is a concept in which 

inter-connected devices exchange 

data with one another over the 

Internet without requiring humanto-human 

or human to computer 

interaction. Most people already 

use this technology in the form of 

wearable devices that connect to 

smartphones, appliances and more. 

In a facility management setting, 

it takes the form of smart wireless 

sensors that monitor, collect and 

communicate key data relating 

to a building’s status and performance. 

This allows Facility 

Managers tasked with maintaining 

healthy spaces for occupants 

to detect changes across a variety 

of parameters including light, 

temperature, water, humidity, 

motion, vibration and much more. 

If a sensor moves out of the set 

profile range, alerts are triggered 

in real time by the Cloud platform 

and related to maintenance 

personnel on their smartphones 

via SMS and email. This enables 

technicians to identify the issue, 

respond and ultimately fix the 

problem in minutes, leaving the 

building occupants with a faultfree 

environment. 

Sensors can be retrofitted into any 

building in minutes and the data 

is accessed from any smartphone, 

tablet or desktop. Using this data 

allows the FM provider to move 

from a brute force planned maintenance 

program to a targeted 

condition-based maintenance 

approach, minimising the cost of 

service provision and controlling 

the risk of asset breakdown. 

Ultimately IoT sensors provide 

facility managers the business 

insight necessary to improve 

space usage, optimize energy 

consumption and prevent asset 

breakdowns. 

Rob Cumming 

Chief Product Officer, Urbanise 

www.mediafusionme.com 

FM today is a premier publication that serves as a voice to the facility management 

industry in the Middle East region. With a keen eye on the market, we devote ourselves 

to disseminating information and knowledge about the sector by opening up 

discussions and roundtables on relevant FM issues in various fields, throwing light on 

cutting-edge technology and best practices adopted worldwide and establishing a 

strong with FM professionals. 

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46 

POST SHOW 

MEFMA CONFEX 

Ending on a 

high note 

Senior Vice President of Commercial Services of Dubai Chamber 

of Commerce and Industry Atiq Juma Nassib and Dubai Land 

Department Deputy Director Juma Bin Humaidan led the opening 

ceremony of the 6th Middle East Facilities Management Association 

(MEFMA) Confex that concluded in the month of March, in the 

presence of Marwan Bin Ghalita, CEO of the Real Estate Regulatory 

Agency (RERA), Jamal Abdulla Lootah, President of MEFMA and CEO 

of Imdaad. 

This year’s event showcased 

a range of smart 

technology solutions 

that aimed to improve 

efficiency in building 

management 

MEFMA Confex is the region's leading platform for FM professionals, 

wider construction industry stakeholders and owner associations to 

grow and gain insights about the latest innovations and FM solutions 

in the market. The event recorded an attendance of more than 

600 professionals and executives throughout the two days. This year’s 

event showcased a range of smart technology solutions that aimed to 

improve efficiency in building management as the sector looks to meet 

the growing demand for smart buildings following the GCC countries’ 

drive to build smart cities. It also presented strategic approaches and 

best practices towards operational excellence in the sector. MEFMA 

Confex participants greatly valued the workshops held a day prior to 

the opening event which presented them with the best practices from 

international and local studies. 

The FM industry is integral to the development of the infrastructure 

sector and is part of the support structures that make up the backbone 

of the Emirate of Dubai’s economic growth, in accordance with H.H. 

Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and 

Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai’s vision to position the emirate 

among the world’s most attractive and sustainable destination for doing 

business. The best FM services at par with international standards 

as the world descends to Dubai for the hosting of World Expo 2020. 

It is imperative the continuity to hone and strengthen the capability 

of Dubai and to provide topnotch services and ensure that businesses 

and visitors experience only the finest facilities using the latest inno- 


POST SHOW 

MEFMA CONFEX 

47 

vations and smart technologies 

in the FM sector. 

H.E Juma Bin Humaidan, Deputy 

Director of Dubai Land Department, 

commented, "Dubai Land 

Department is eager to be present 

at important events like this, in 

order to emphasize its leading 

position in the real estate sector. 

In this context, DLD is not only 

a highly effective regulatory and 

supervisory body, but also plays 

a crucial role in encouraging developers 

and all parties to adopt 

best practices. Through DLD’s 

various departments, we cooperate 

and coordinate with all the 

sector’s key players to enhance 

innovation, trust and happiness 

in Dubai’s real estate environment, 

and make it the world’s 

top destination for investment. In 

a short period of time, DLD has 

succeeded in introducing unprecedented 

developments, bringing 

unique applications to the world, 

and taking major steps towards 

achieving our wise leadership’s 

vision of making Dubai the smartest 

city in the world.” 

Jamal Abdulla Lootah, President 

of MEFMA and CEO of Imdaad, 

noted, “The MEFMA is proud to 

host once more another successful 

edition of its Confex here in Dubai 

as we move towards expanding 

the sector’s professional capabilities 

as well as accessibility to 

the latest innovations and smart 

technologies. Both areas are 

necessary to bring about a sector 

that is capable of meeting the 

demands of global businesses, 

visitors and residents. The services 

that the FM sector provides 

must only spell out high quality 

and professionalism. At the end 

of the conference and exhibition, 

we hope to come up with new 

solutions and programs that will 

increase knowledge, skills and opportunities 

for growth for the FM 

industry.” 

Some of the topics like ‘Creating 

synergy through Total Facilities 

Management (TFM)’, featured the 

emergence of the practice in Saudi 

Arabia and experiences in the 

hospitality sector. Another interesting 

topic was the ‘Stakeholders 

Management in FM’ which discussed 

stakeholders’ influence on 

FM strategies, their critical role, as 

well as stakeholder management 

from the FM perspective, including 

how to manage customers’ 

expectations and perceptions. 

‘Innovation and Technology in 

FM’, explored the FM innovation 

and technology in Europe, in the 

waste management sector, the 

growing trend in energy management, 

particularly a study on 

energy management within the 

FM context. 


48 

PEOPLE TODAY 

BLOG 

A BURNING 

ISSUE 

The many unfortunate fires 

in the last year led to the 

authorities implementing an 

updated fire and life safety codes, 

designed in conjunction with 

the local construction industry. 

While the new code is introduced 

in a bid to improve fire safety in 

the country it also increases the 

accountability of the consultants 

and owners involved in a building’s 

development. 

But despite work to strengthen 

the fire safety norms, the damage 

is still being caused. Questions 

are being raised about the safety 

of raw materials, insulation, and 

cladding used during the construction 

of a project, as well as 

about the level of skill and craftsmanship 

possessed by the local 

labour workforce. 

FM today talks to experts in the 

industry about this burning topic 

and how one can ensure quality 

control in fire safety. 

Though there have been drastic 

improvements in design and 

specification, fire safety system 

designers and engineers still tend 

to work as per the common practices 

which are not necessarily as 

per the relevant design standards. 

There are still few common errors 

that found in design and specification 

that can compromise the 

quality, safety, and integrity of the 

product or building. Donna A. 

Newman, Partner & Executive 

Director - Property Management 

Vanguard Consultancy, says 

“As codes and specifications are 

constantly improved upon in the 

Middle East, the most common 

found errors are in the installation 

of approved systems. Many times 

systems are approved on paper 

but in the field, installed systems 

are not inspected throughout the 

construction project.” 

Other common problems that are 

found are insufficiently sized escape 

routes, inadequate fire zone 

protection, inadequate emergency 

lighting, poorly maintained sprinkler 

systems, lack of standby fire 

-fighting pumps, poorly specified 

construction materials, to name a 

few. Chantel Weeden, MEA Regional 

Quality Manager, Parsons 

says that they have a rigorous 

deliverable checking and review 

process, by which the original designer 

must have all of their work 

checked by a senior engineer to 

them, from the same discipline. 



FIRE SAFETY 

49 

“A variety of improvements are identified when checked against the 

established design basis, which mentions the international standards and 

specifications to be used in the design effort. Additionally, the review 

process brings all the disciplines together to determine if clashes are occurring 

and further improvements need to be made. The use of BIM is 

quite beneficial to this effort many times,” adds Weeden. 

Peter van Gorp, Division Director at AESG, suggests that one must 

make it a habit to always verify with the standards, even for seemingly 

minor aspects of the design. “It is only by reading the standards over and 

over again that a thorough understanding can be obtained,” he adds. 

The UAE Fire Code is a very good example of robust regulation, and experts 

believe that the implementation of a standard code across the GCC 

would help. The standard of operation and maintenance for fire safety 

related systems can be improved, says Sean Heckford, International 

Region Corporate Real Estate & Facilities Director, Parsons. He is of the 

opinion that laws need to be put in place supported by codes of practice 

that clearly define accountabilities and responsibilities, as well as the consequences 

of noncompliance. “Many such models which could easily be 

adopted are in place globally. Of course the enforcement of these regulations 

and codes is a burden on the relevant governments; however, when 

human lives are at stake, no effort can be too substantial,” says Heckford. 

So how does one ensure quality control? While many say that in general, 

quality control can be assured by making sure that third-party reviewers 

are put in place. Weeden points out that this question covers a lot of 

processes and efforts. Quality, he says, is a part of every aspect of the 

business. It is inherent in such a way that it is never seen as an additional 

effort or aspect. So be it from the Design-Bid-Build project; getting a clear 

understanding of the project; defining the quality requirements from 

the contractors prior to awarding the contract or even by maintaining a 

proactive system to track the progress of the project are some of the other 

measures Weeden suggests that can ensure quality control. 

According to Newman, quality control begins with manufacturers of 

products used in the market, “It continues through QA/QC checks on installed 

systems, through to final commissioning of the building. The use 

Peter van Gorp 

Division Director at AESG 


50 


FIRE SAFETY 

of third party Consultants, Certification 

Agencies, and Inspection 

Agencies is vital to maintain 

quality throughout a construction 

project. 

Drawing from local and international 

experience, experts say that 

the most effective way for practitioners 

to ensure best practice and 

the highest standards of excellence 

are being met is through proper 

checks from the very beginning. 

“Early identification of specifications 

to the geographic area and 

client requirements, verification 

that these requirements are being 

met in design and construction, 

along with proactive education of 

all staff throughout each project 

phase must be planned, and implementation 

monitored prior to 

submittal of final documentation 

in each phase,” explains Weeden. 

While Heckford adds, “If working 

in a country where the local 

fire codes are questionably not up 

to the same standard that your 

company expects or that you are 

comfortable with, designing a 

more rigid code can be a solution 

(ensuring that you don’t break any 

laws in doing so, of course). Make 

certain that you have adequately 

trained and empowered resources 

available during the implementation 

of the project to help ensure 

that these tighter specifications are 

achieved. Local liaison with the 

governing bodies is essential at the 

earliest of stages in order to make 

the process as smooth as possible.” 

While the new codes have much 

scope for improvements in fire 

safety, one wonders what one can 

do to bring the existing buildings 

up-to-date. “To bring existing 

buildings up to the standards, 

a fire safety audit needs to be 

performed where all fire safety 

related aspects need to be verified 

against the applicable design 

standards. Then the corrective 

measures need to be taken. Note 

that this is easier said than done 

and in the case of older buildings 

you may find that it is not 

feasible or practical not even 

Sean Heckford 

International Region Corporate Real Estate & 

Facilities Director, Parsons 

possible to bring the building up 

to the standards. In those situations, 

an upgrading plan should 

be discussed and agreed with the 

authorities,” says Gorp. 

Heckford explains that it is incumbent 

on regional governments 

to ensure that robust laws are in 

place, supported by the raft of 

codes of practice and specifications 

to support such an initiative. 

“Once agreed, a realistic time 

frame coupled with some form of 

incentivisation and training initiative 

should be set to achieve this 

retro upgrading work; robust enforcement 

of any penalties inferred 

is essential afterwards,” he adds. 

Newman says that after an assessment 

of the building, a plan 

should be implemented to reduce 

the risk over time such that building 

owners do not have to pay 

excessive reconstruction fees to 

bring the building up to code. “If 

the cost can be borne over several 

years, building owners are 

more accepting to reach the goal 

of a safer building and everyone 

wins,” says Newman, who adds 

that Vanguard Consultancy does 

deliver such assessments. 

While the codes have created 

quite an impact it is now up to the 

industry to ensure not only are 

Chantel Weeden 

MEA Regional Quality Manager, Parsons 

regulations adhered to properly. 

Agrees Newman. “The industry 

should look to educate for use of 

specialized consultants in the early 

stages of design to ensure the 

proper systems are utilized and 

ensure that those utilized have the 

proper certifications. Throughout 

the construction phase, consultants 

should oversee purchasing, 

change order recommendations, 

and QA/QC third party inspections,” 

she adds. 

The facilities management industry 

has a huge part to play 

throughout the lifecycle of a built 

asset; the industry must take the 

lead on doing the right thing irrespective 

of the absence of any 

formal governance. “Facilities 

managers, as a rule, know what’s 

right but unfortunately they often 

must fight to achieve this and 

don’t always succeed without the 

rule of law and its effective implementation 

to support them,” says 

Heckford. 

Achieving this requires not only 

the government introducing and 

enforcing the quality enhancing 

measures, but also a mentality 

change in general. “End users 

should not accept bad quality 

and service providers or installers 

need to take pride in delivering a 

good quality product or service,” 

concludes Gorp. 


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52 


BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS 

Tried 

& 

When a service 

contract fails it is often 

down to a fundamental 

breach of trust. Are 

both parties still failing 

to avoid easily applied 

ways of avoiding 

divorce? Or are FM 

service relationships 

beginning to show signs 

of a newly emerging 

maturity? Nick 

Martindale reports. 

Almost every service provider and client will have tales to tell of 

contracts that have died long before their expiry date, with any 

sense of trust and effective working relationship exhausted. It is, 

unfortunately, one that is all too evident in the FM space. 

“At the moment there’s a resignation with some suppliers that they will 

push hard in year one, see how it goes in year two and then get ready to 

move out in year three, and that that’s just how it’s going to work,” says 

consultant John Bowen. “They get it to a point where it’s in profit and 

then just see it out.” 

Clearly this is not a healthy situation, with a significant number of contracts 

spent in what can be a long and painful period of decline. Kerry 

Hallard, CEO of the Global Sourcing Association, says the whole renewal 

process can cause problems as contracts progress. 

“Often the service provider doesn’t think the relationship is as strong as 

it could be and is fearful that they’re not going to be successful in a retender, 

so they don’t do everything they could to keep that client happy, 

which is grossly unfair,” she says. “We do see some very awkward exits 

or poor performance towards the end because they don’t think they’ll get 

the next piece of business.” 

In some longer-term contracts there can also be a sense on the client side 




53 

Effective communications 

Contracts failing to evolve with 

client needs or new developments 

is another, albeit related, 

issue. “If you’re dealing with 

an outsourced supplier you’ll 

need to change the specification 

as your business changes,” 

says Bowen. “Don’t be locked 

into having 50 KPIs, because 

you won’t know whether or not 

they’re performing. You may 

need to change hours of operation 

or location, or adapt to new 

technology which can change the 

game, particularly in areas such 

as cleaning.” 

Trusted? 

that contractors do not earn their money, even when the initial contract 

may have required a large upfront investment. 

“It can seem like Easy Street towards the end, but they forget that huge 

outlay was part of the original deal,” she says. 

A pervasive lack of understanding can be compounded when the people 

who were involved in setting up contracts initially have moved on, 

says Wendy Sutherland, managing director of FM catering consultancy 

Ramsay Todd and chair of the BIFM procurement Special Interest Group, 

meaning the original vision of the client has been forgotten or lost in 

translation. 

“You can end up with neither party having had any involvement with 

the setup of the contract and no understanding of what was agreed initially,” 

she says. 

“I’ve seen several cases where the client will say the contractors aren’t 

doing a very good job and the contractors say they’re not getting the information 

they need. They’re working to the wrong brief, effectively, and 

that tends to happen when the contract is quite mature.” 

This can be a particular issue in FM, she adds, as the pace of change 

means client requirements often move on. 

Suppliers need to be incentivised 

to come up with ideas about how 

things could be done differently, 

he adds, potentially sharing profits 

from savings. 

Graham Davenport, director of 

Platinum Facilities and Maintenance 

Services, talks of having 

both a physical and virtual contract, 

with the aim of allowing 

flexibility around the day-to-day 

delivery of services. “The signed 

document should be tucked 

away safely in a drawer, and the 

only time it should really resurface 

if is if there’s a problem,” 

he says. “But that’s not to say 

that the approach to the contract 

shouldn’t be flexible. We check 

in regularly with our clients to 

discuss contract performance, 

but also to understand what’s 

happening in the business, so we 

can change our service delivery 

model to meet their needs.” 

Effective communication is vital 

from the outset if both parties 

are to avoid issues at the end of 

contracts, he adds. “During the 

negotiating, there needs to be an 

open and honest discussion from 

clients about what they’re expecting 

from their service provider. 

It’s then the provider’s turn to 

manage expectations and to preempt 

possible outcomes based 

on their experience and expertise 

to date.” 


54 



Having an open relationship 

means both parties know what 

to expect, and suppliers can be 

more open about prices instead 

of underpricing initially to win 

the contracts, he adds. 

But, says Mike Wingrove, head 

of facilities and real estate at law 

firm Dentons, it’s important that 

such relationships are built up at 

the right level. “You might find 

that at the outset of contracts the 

negotiations commence with the 

sales or business development 

team and the actual operational 

team are not in front of the client 

until the agreement is live, so 

any relationship that has been 

built up has not necessarily been 

built up with the right people. 

“We only engage in any discussion 

or presentation with the operational 

team in attendance to mitigate 

that potential loss of communication 

or understanding.” 

He also believes the middle 

period of a contract is where 

things can break down, and uses 

three-plus-two-year deals to 

encourage providers to maintain 

performance – an example of 

how the industry is responding 

to past failures. 

Clients and suppliers alike 

should also make provision for 

when things do go wrong, says 

Bowen. 

“Make it clear when it goes 

out to tender that if they’re not 

successful then this is how the 

handover will be done,” he says. 

“That should make it clear for 

the supplier too, and the clearer 

the specification is the better the 

price will be, because they tend 

to take out a bit of insurance 

against anything that they think 

is ambiguous.” 

Wingrove, meanwhile, says he 

insists on writing contracts himself 

rather than using standard 

ones presented by providers, 

with one aim being to allow 

for a swift termination if things 

don’t work out. 

“Contracts in the past have often 

contained terms and conditions 

that have bound them together 

when the social contract between 

the two parties has long 

since passed,” he says. Those 

without sufficient knowledge 

should seek legal advice, or at 

least sound out peer group networks, 

he adds. 

Interpersonal skills 

It’s also vital for clients and 

service providers to learn lessons 

when things haven’t worked out. 

“It’s very easy for clients to 

blame the outgoing contractor 

for doing a bad job, but they 

don’t often look at what they 

should have done differently, 

or thought about how they can 

protect the contractor going 

forward,” says Sutherland. “I 

always ask the incumbent when 

I’m doing a tender what they 

need from the client that they’re 

not currently getting, and I feed 

that information back. But do 

they take that on board? I’m not 

sure they do.” 

Often the real lesson is about 

interpersonal skills, says Hallard. 

“Our research shows that in 85 

per cent of cases where outsourcing 

fails it does so because of 

poor relationship management. 

“The whole outsourcing industry 

is all about the client 




55 

Why contracts fail 

The reasons why some contracts do not work out are many and 

diverse. The following are among the most common: 

Flexibility 

The increasing pace of technological change in particular means 

organisations must be able to adapt to new customer expectations 

and ways of reducing costs. 

Role clarity 

It must be obvious what the outcomes of the arrangement are for 

the people who are working on it. Without clarity of roles, there is 

a risk of things not getting done, tasks being duplicated, or blame 

and disputes that will affect the relationship itself. 

Communication 

Quality of communication is critical and will be enabled and 

driven by the quality of the governance processes. If you want to 

avoid poor outcomes in your sourcing arrangements you can do 

a lot worse than focus in on the quality and effectiveness of your 

governance mechanisms. 

Poor relationship management 

Relationships are key to successful arrangements, but these are 

often poorly managed. The reason will be that the focus is only on 

the commercials; relationships are much more difficult to define 

and to manage. 

and service provider really 

understanding each other, and 

acknowledging that the service 

provider has to make a profit. 

There’s often a huge lack of understanding 

or care on the buyer 

side that the service provider is 

there for a reason as well. That 

can cause quite a few problems 

if you don’t have intelligent 

enough buyers and relationship 

managers in place.” 

Lack of transparency and trust 

If clear objectives are not laid out or the buyer’s parameters are 

constantly changing, the contract will never work. Buyers and suppliers 

need patience and must be prepared to trust each other. 

Yet there are signs that the industry as a whole is learning the lessons 

of failed contracts over the past decade. 

“Certainly over the last few years we’ve seen the introduction of an 

intelligent client function, which recognises the importance of that 

contract management relationship and what the client needs to do to 

drive value out of it,” says Sutherland. “It’s usually a mixture of performance 

measurements and relationship management, and it gives 

the best line of communication for the contractor. They know who 

the best person in that organisation is to support them to get to other 

decision-makers or to help them understand what they’re supposed to 

be delivering.” 

Wingrove also thinks the sector is making progress. “There’s certainly 

been a learning curve, which has developed into new ways of working 

with service providers,” he says. “We have a lot of poachers who have 

turned gamekeepers now, so people working in in-house, client-side 

FM roles have become significantly more knowledgeable. Respect and 

mutual understanding of differing objectives is certainly better understood, 

and that leads to a far better working relationship.” 

(This article first appeared in FM World (http://www.fm-world.co.uk) - the magazine of the British 

Institute of Facilities Management. Visit the site for the latest news and features.) 



TIPS 

57 

al. “Compile a list of any issues 

you have seen or heard such as 

leaky pipes, and any odd sound 

or smell,” says Day. “Mention 

them to your service crew to give 

them an idea of where to start.” 

Do it yourself 

While having a maintenance 

contract with a professional pool 

service company is advisable, 

for those that like to get their 

hands dirty or have budgetary 

constraints, there are several doit-yourself 

(DIY) tips available. 

However, experts say when repairing 

vinyl, tiles or pool equipment 

such as filters and water 

pumps, only a professional pool 

maintenance company should be 

brought in to ensure safety and 

health standards. 

“Cracks in your pool’s tile wall 

or tears in its vinyl liner can 

cause major problems,” says Vijay 

Kavasseri, General Manager 

of Mplus Home Maintenance 

Services. “Inspect your pool for 

blemishes and contact a professional 

if you notice an issue.” 

Here are some of the important 

areas to monitor to keep swimming 

pools clean, maintained 

and ready for summer: 

Filter: The filter is the most important 

component of maintaining 

pool health. Whether checking 

filter pressure or dirt clogs, 

filters need proper care to ensure 

pools function effectively. 

“You must check your filter pressure. 

Your filter’s pressure gauge 

is located on top of the unit 

itself,” says Kavasseri. “If you’re 

unsure of your filter’s ideal pressure, 

check your owner’s manual 

or call the manufacturer. Also, 

check the pool filter for dirt. 

Dirty filters lead to dirty pool 

water. If your filter is looking 

unkempt, use a hose to spray it 

down.” 

Debris check: This is especially 

true during autumn when leaves 

shed easily. Also, a periodic 

check of debris prevents build-up 

and clogging issues in the pool 

strainer. 

“One of the most basic elements 

of maintaining a healthy pool 

is keeping the water and equipment 

free of leaves and other debris,” 

explains Day. “You should 

check your pool every two or 

three days to remove these from 

the surface of the pool and from 

the bottom.” 

While it would be wise to invest 

in a long-handled pool net that 

makes surface debris removal 

easy even from the deck, for debris 

on the bottom, a long brush 

could be a useful tool. Special 

alerts are advised for days following 

sandstorms, a common 

phenomenon in Dubai. 

“Make sure to check the pool following 

a sandstorm, high winds 

or rain,” says Day. “There’s a 

possibility of more leaves and 

branches being deposited into the 

water. Take a look into the filter 

area, as leaves can obstruct the 

filter system.” It’s also important 

to keep strainer baskets free from 

sticks, leaves and other clutter. 

Chlorine alert: Chlorine levels 

are by far the most critical pool 

safety concern. Kavasseri recommends 

pool owners to invest in a 

test kit to monitor the water during 

the peak summer months. 

“Test your chlorine levels regularly,” 

he says. “Chlorine kills 

contaminants like algae and 

harmful bacteria. But high chlorine 

levels can also cause burns 

and other skin irritations. Check 

your chemical levels daily to ensure 

your pool water is safe.” 

Water that looks murky or gives 

off an odour is a sign of unbalanced 

chemical levels. “Chemical 

levels are arguably one of the 

most important facets of pool 

maintenance,” says Day. “Improperly 

balanced water looks 

murky, irritates skin and eyes and 

can cause your pool to become 

a breeding ground for bacteria. 

When all the chemicals are properly 

balanced, your swimming 

pool water should be crystal clear, 

have no scent, and leave very little 

residue on your skin.” 

Vacuuming: Vacuuming helps 

get rid of any build-up at the bottom 

of the pool. Suggested once 

a week, the vacuuming process 

takes between 30-60 minutes 

depending on the size of pool. 

Explaining the correct procedure 

for vacuuming, Day says, “Move 

across the pool in an overlapping 

motion. If the pool is too wide for 

a complete full pass, vacuum half 

the pool from each side.” 

Since the vacuum equipment 

is tricky to operate, he advises 

caution and a strict adherence 

to manufacturer guidelines to 

prevent any damage to the pool 

pump system or yourself. It 

is advisable to clean tools and 

equipment thoroughly after using 

to avoid bacteria forming on 

them when stored. 

Whether using DIY tips or 

professional experts, your pool 

needs your care and attention to 

keep you cool during summer. 

(Source: Gulf Properties) 


58 

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