“Facilities management in South Africa is best
described as the practice of coordinating the working
environment with the people and processes of the
organisation. It’s a combined approach at all levels
in the organisation to plan and implement support
facilities in line with prime business objectives.
Globally, it is therefore regarded as an integral part
of the strategic thrust of an organisation. However,
the fact is that generally organisations prefer to focus
their expertise on their core business, with non-core
activities, such as facilities management, managed
by entities more suitably structured and resourced.”
Abdullah says here in South Africa an integrated
approach is adopted to manage facilities in line with
prime property management objectives such as
leasing, rental collection, tenant liaison and general
administration. These are described as ‘hard and
soft services’. Hard services include those elements
that form part of the physical parts of the building
such as the structure itself, exterior and interior
f inishes, plumbing, mechanical and electrical
installations, off ice installations, maintenance
and refurbishments, while the soft services focus
on issues such as security, cleaning, pest control,
hygiene and garden services. In some instances,
facilities management services can be extended to
incorporate additional services such as fleet, mail
and c