Building maintenance is an essential part of facility operations that comes with multiple considerations. A building needs regular maintenance to extend system life and preserve property value while still staying in-budget and considering the long-term needs of the company.
While this seems contradictory, it is possible to find solutions that satisfy all those components. One of those solutions is outsourcing building maintenance to professionals. This effort can be cost-effective because it is often cheaper to contract with a company versus the total compensation of an employee. A comparative analysis can be done in three steps.
Evaluate building needs.
The evaluation starts with compiling a full list of building needs. The list should include what services are needed and the frequency that those services need to be performed. The list of building needs should be comprehensive and include daily and weekly tasks, such as vacuuming and floor cleaning, and seasonal spring and fall maintenance, such as HVAC maintenance.
When compiling this list, consider the amount of time required for the maintenance. Not every building requires full-time help or the cost of hiring a part-time employee. If the building is in another location or is a rental, it may be more convenient hiring a service rather than monitoring an employee.
In addition to building needs, companies should also consider the party responsible for monitoring the employee or communicating with a third-party service. This party is typically the facility manager or maintenance manager.
Interview prospective companies.
If a full analysis concludes that outsourcing is the right solution, the company should identify third-party vendors that can complete tasks on the building maintenance list. This list can include an HVAC company, cleaning company, and parking lot maintenance vendor. In addition to the cost quoted by the third-party vendors, companies should also consider service quality and the cost of working with multiple companies.
The latter should be a consideration for companies that want multiple services done without corresponding with multiple companies. Some companies offer more than one services, such as cleaning and building maintenance services, that add convenience to facility management.
Review contracts.
The last step is to review contract fine print. This should be part of the initial process and a continuing effort to control costs and refine services. Some consideration should also be given to future building maintenance that can reduce long-terms costs, such as light bulb maintenance. While there may be more up-front cost, the long-term savings can be worth the initial investment.
