Facility mgt of public buildings necessary- ESV Akhidenor

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

An Estate Surveyor & Valuer ESV Anthony Akhidenor, has identified the need for facility management to revamp deteriorating buildings in Abuja.

Speaking yesterday to our reporter in Abuja, Akhidenor expressed worry that public buildings in Abuja are deteriorating at a very fast rate due to Lack of Facility Management Services.

“Facility Management is a set of skills required to combine the 3 P’s – People, Property and Process to create a functional business or living environment.

“At the rate these buildings are deteriorating, we may be left with nothing for our future generations, as such; wear and tear and dilapidation can cause building collapse which is becoming a norm these days. This is where professionals in the field of Facility Management, an Estate Surveyor & Valuer comes in to arrest this ugly trend.”

He said the Estate Surveyor & Valuer by his training is expected to be involved right from the conceptual stage of a building project to enhance the building’s life span.

However, he said in a situation where the building is already in existence, the Estate Surveyor & Valuer deploys facility management techniques to create / design space allocation, engage relevant service providers or technicians in the areas for HSE (Health Safety and Environment), M E&P (Mechanical Electrical and Plumbing), Cleaners, Janitors, Front Desk office etc.

“The Estate Surveyor & Valuer ensures that the service providers are effective by implementing SLAs (Service Level Agreements) relevant inseminating cleansers in the Facility Management Agreements, where such services are contracted out.
“He intimates cost saving measures  as a basis of management not compromising stimulants by providing services through the engagement of contractors via competitive bid process for at least 3 bidders.

“Depending on the size of facilities in the building the Estate Surveyor & Valuer can engage in Soft facility management and Hard facility management services. Examples of Soft Facility Management includes: Janitorial services, Cleaning, Front Desk Officer, etc. Also, Hard Facility Management includes: Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing (MEP) Health Safety & Environment (HSE), Waste Disposal, Sowing Maintenance, etc.

“Once the Professional Estate Surveyor & Valuer is engaged to handle facility management of  buildings, the numbers of dilapidated public buildings will be drastically reduced. It is a known fact that the few public buildings in Abuja, FCT that are well maintained and in a good state of wear and tear are managed by Estate Surveyors & Valuers.”