A new report on the UK Facilities Management market from MTW Research has forecasted that facilities management outsourcing is set to return to pre-Covid-19 sales faster than initially expected, with revenue exceeding 2019 levels by H2 2022. MTW’s analysis also concluded that IFM / bundled outsourcing was the best performing outsourcing model in 2020, outperforming the overall FM outsourcing market.
So what makes IFM/Bundled services such an attractive outsourcing model? In this article, we’ll explore bundled outsourcing – a popular outsourcing model here at Andron – and the benefits it can bring to your business.
What is Bundled outsourcing?
Bundled outsourcing or “Bundled Services” as it is usually referred to, is when multiple services are outsourced to one company, typically bunched into combinations such as cleaning, security, and waste management. Aside from the benefits of reducing costs through economies of scale, business can expect to benefit from increased value for money, a one-team approach and increased innovation.
Increased Value for Money
When outsourcing bundled services to a single service provider, you can expect to benefit from lowering the individual cost of each service line. This can be achieved through more efficient use of personnel and by ‘cross-training’ employees across service lines. For example, Security Guards may be trained in cleaning practices, meaning they can step in as a cleaning operative when needed, effectively performing two roles at once, meaning increased value for money.
One Team Approach
By Bundling Services, and by ‘cross-training’, you can effectively eliminate the traditional stand-alone roles of “cleaner” or “Security Guard” and create a “One-team”. Communication becomes more streamlined and employees are much better equipped to deal with situations that may not normally fall under their remit. This means issues in cleaning can be picked up and quickly dealt with by security, and vice versa. Add to this better performance management opportunities (e.g., through integrated MIS and better data integrity), bundling services can help improve overall service standards.
Bundling services also means a single point of contact for the management of your services. No need to deal with multiple managers from multiple contractors – expect greater clarity in matters of communication and escalation.
Innovation
Bundling Services encourages collaboration and the sharing of ideas between teams, empowering employees in finding new innovative ways of working. By assigning employees tasks that are outside their usual scope of duties or activities, you can expect them to think differently. This creates a more supportive culture where employees feel more comfortable thinking outside of the box. This not only leads to increased productivity and innovation but also higher levels of engagement and retention.
Furthermore, Bundling Services can provide FM’s with a bigger picture of the services on-site, and the ability to drive forward more innovative practices across all service lines.
Find out more
Here at Andron, we have already helped many of our clients realise the benefits of bundling services. Find out more about our Bundled Facilities Management Services, and how they can help your business, by getting in touch today: Contact Us