Facilities manager’s role at the different stages of facility lifecycle in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Facilities Management (FM) is a comprehensive approach for building management. Many researchers highlighted that facilities manager should not be restricted to the operational stage. Hence, the role of a facilities manager can be structured throughout the facility lifecycle. However, there is a lack of a study on the facilities manager‘srole during different stages of the facility lifecycle. Therefore, this research aims to investigate the role of a facilities manager at the different stages of a facility lifecycle. The study used the systematic eight (08) stages defined in RIBA Plan of Work 2013 as a basis for investigating the role of a facilities manager at different stages of facility lifecycle.The study followed qualitative research approach.A literature review and expert opinion survey was carried out to investigate the facilities manager‘s involvement at the different stages of RIBA Plan of Work 2013. Content analysis was used to analyse the gathered data.Findings reveal that preparation of maintenance, energy and building management strategies as the foremost undertakings of a facilities manager at Concept Design stage. Moreover, at Developed Design and Technical Design stages facilities manager is responsible towards advising on value engineering process and getting planning permissions. Furthermore, facilities manager at Handover and In Use stages attends for technical trainings onbuilding services and portfolio management.