An Investigation of Integrated Facilities Management Functions in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Facilities Managers often confront with the issues of people•, technology, and processes in the built environment. Therefore, they need to be armed with the new business solutions and technical innovations in order to cater organisational requirements. Integrated Facilities Management (FM) is one such solution in which two or more firms collectively perform FM functions. Although it is a commendable concept, it has given less attention in the recent history. This study, therefore, investigates the applicability of integrated FM concept in the built environments of Sri Tanka. Literature review revealed that the key dimensions which determine the nature of integration are the ownership/management, distance, and core business of organisations. The integration could be either in the form of facility services, utility! infrastructure, and/ or information. Multiple case studies were selected for investigating the concept to the built environments of Sri Tanka. The study is concluded with identifying possible nature of FM integrations in the built environment. The study found that the integration is strong when the firms are at a close proximity, under a same ownership, and in a same core business, whereas integration is weak when the firms are at a long distance, under a different ownership, and in a different core business.