Developing Key Performance Indicators to Measure the Effectiveness of Early Facilities Management Performance on BIM Governed Public Sector Projects

Governments across the globe are now recognising the need to take steps to better manage their property portfolios due to the escalating costs of operating these buildings over their lifetime. This has seen them turn towards innovative work practices and technologies offered by Building Information Modelling (BIM). It is now becoming increasingly evident that BIM can bring significant added value to the design, construction and most importantly to the operational life of a public sector development project. This experience has resulted in a number of governments moving towards implementing BIM for all public works projects. BIM allows the building to be designed collaboratively within a unique integrated environment which aims to produce a more rewarding and cost efficient building for the end-user. Despite enhanced Facilities Management (FM) being the goal of this collaborative BIM approach, there is still a reluctance and a lack of perceived benefits of having the Facility Manager involved earlier in the design phase. Some of the reasons for this is a clear lack of metrics to quantify the contribution that the Facility Manager can provide at the early design phase. This paper will detail a new process, in which the Facilities Manager will operate as a key professional at an early stage and further suggest a unique set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure the effectiveness of their contribution. The data collation methodology includes the use of data from a number of public sector pilot projects and extensive surveys that have been scientifically analysed through thematic analysis to establish common themes and trends. These common themes represent some of the key areas where the Facilities Manager can have the greatest effect when introduced into the construction team. It is hoped that the research findings will support the business case for the adoption of a more robust FM process for the public sector, facilitated by the use of a suite of unique KPIs.