The role of facility management is ensuring that everything is available and operating properly for property occupants to do their work. The facility manager generally has the influence upon the quality of life within a facility.
In India, facility management saw its inception as a serious business in the early 1990s. Mr. Anuj Puri, chairman and country head, Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj said, “It was being carried out before that, but primarily on an in-house basis and through petty contractors. This business sector has matured considerably now from the earlier days, when facility management was little more than simple manpower supply”.
Mr. Pankaj Kapoor, CEO, Real Estate Research Agency Liases Foras said that as ‘outsourced services’ become an integral part of the Indian Corporate lexicon, Facility Management has come in and occupied an important space. Further he added, “The role of facility management is ensuring that everything is available and operating properly for building occupants to do their work. The facility manager generally has the influence upon the quality of life within a facility”.
Anuj Puri said that there has been a huge demand for professional facility management by the booming IT and BPO industry, as well as other MNC sectors. Further he added, “This demand comes from the fact that such entities are in India for a specific purpose and wish to focus on their core areas.” Further he said that in such a scenario, outsourcing facility management to expert providers makes eminent sense in terms of time and resource saving. Moreover, multinationals, setting up shop in India requires local representation in terms of manpower procurement and management, and in terms of Indian property laws.
Some of the most advanced projects now offer Computer Aided Facilities Management, in which computers are used to automate the collection and maintenance of facilities management information.