ISIG Leaders Forum 2019: contracts across borders

Discussion paper

 

As leading organisations pursue greater efficiencies, the workplace and facilities management industry has seen the increasing move towards outsourcing across borders. This Leaders’ Forum considered whether contracts across borders are delivering value and benefits to stakeholders as well as exploring what needs to change to improve stakeholder engagement.

The context for this debate was the market size and scope and the recent launch of the ISO 41000 series of standards for the profession. According to the Frost and Sullivan 2018 Global FM Market Report 1.7% of the total workforce employed across the world are working int the profession, agriculture being the largest at 33%. The global facilities management market was estimated at $1.15 trillion. Of this, the outsourced facilities management market was valued at $466.5 billion, with market share of the top 5 FM providers predicted at only 13.9% by 2025, demonstrating the level of fragmentation.

The ISO 41000 standards series establishes that ‘facilities management does not mean the same thing globally, nationally or even within similar organisations. Furthermore, the capabilities of the supply side have evolved in different ways in different countries, as has the quality of service provided.’ The ISO 41000 series will undoubtedly facilitate consistency across regions, driving improved performance and strategic thinking when considering cross-border outsourcing.