Performance measurement in facilities management - the case of outsourced service contracts

Performance measurement is common practice and a well-researched topic in manydisciplines including Facilities Management (FM). This thesis focuses on FM serviceperformance and specifically addresses an identified gap in knowledge about measurementof performance in outsourced service contracts in FM.Conceptual and practical performance measurement literatures were assessed in a criticalreview with the Quality Managed Facilities (QMF) model. The thesis identified QMF'spotential as a structured approach to performance measurement, which was tested througha single, embedded exploratory case study. QMF model was adapted in a four-phased actionresearch project in a UK Central Government Department. QMF was selected because of itsunique capability of mapping FM outputs, especially in quality, value and risk, directly withstrategic business drivers. The project assisted the case study organisation in setting up aperformance management system for multiple service providers at strategic, tactical andoperation levels. Leading practitioners and academics were interviewed in the furtherreflection phase to update and verify contemporary issues in performance measurementand FM.The case study organisation has reflected many of the most common problems withperformance measurement systems for outsourced FM contracts: lack of strategicalignment and heavy focus on Service Level Agreement compliance in particular. Althoughsix years have elapsed since the case study, the supplementary interviews confirmed thatthese problems still exist in the industry. Referring to the common saying of 'what getsmeasured gets done', the limitations of current performance measurement practice havecontributed to the perception that FM companies are operational service providers who canonly deliver cost reductions.The research calls for the internal FM team to take the lead, to adopt a much morestrategically aligned approach in developing performance measurement system, and tomove away from efficiency measures to effectiveness measures so to demonstrate how FMcontributes to core business. It also brings out the importance of the socio-cultural issues,the language used and the relationships amongst actors are important determinants of thesuccessful application of any performance management system.

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

Doctoral (Level 8)

Year dc:date.issued

2012

Author dc:creator

• Moss, QZ

Language dc:language

en

Identifier

oai:salford-repository.worktribe.com:1337766

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:salford-repository.worktribe.com:1337766