Private K-12: Factors to Consider When Outsourcing FM

When selecting a partner, there’s much more to facilities management than equipment maintenance

There are certain assumptions that tend to come up with facilities management (FM) and its role in building operations. You might think it’s just maintenance of systems like HVAC, cleaning and disinfection—especially right now—and repair of everything from complex equipment to squeaky door hinges.

While all of those are, of course, a vital part of FM and should be daily priorities for any team, there are several other factors that private K-12 schools should be considering. It’s less about specific skillsets and more about how FM will fit in with your environment, especially because private K-12 communities have unique needs that must be understood. These factors include:

• Experience with K-12 campuses. If you work and/or live on a private K-12 campus, you already know it’s a distinctive environment, even when compared to higher education campuses that are similar in size. Do your potential FM vendors realize this as well? Choosing a team that has experience in this space is crucial, because they can draw on that previous experience to be more proactive in their approach.
• Prevention as a guiding principle. Of course, prompt reaction to maintenance and cleaning is a major part of any FM team’s strategy, but an emphasis should be on how to prevent those issues in the first place. Taking a proactive stance can lead to cost savings, increased efficiency, and operational excellence.
• Low turnover, if any. In an office building, seeing familiar faces for facilities management is nice, but in a school, it’s essential, because it builds trust. If your FM team, such as the cleaning crew, is seen as a revolving roster of strangers, that undermines the sense of community that private K-12 schools have as a foundation.
• School pride. Related to low turnover, FM employees will feel like part of your campus, and tap into that distinctive cohesion that makes your school special. They’ll feel a sense of pride, just as much as alumnus, staff, teachers, and students do. And when you feel proud to work somewhere, you care more. You work harder.
• Affordable in the right way. An outstanding FM team will be an investment, not an expense. That’s because the FM provider will focus on proactive strategies, ongoing training for their team members, and partnership with K-12 administration. All of those can increase efficiency considerably, and that reduces overall cost compared to FM providers who are simply not the right fit.

Facilities management is an important part of every private K-12 campus to ensure that buildings are cleaned and running well. As far as providing services, that should be the starting point that gets built upon, not the endpoint.

Value of an Experienced Partner

For more insight, check out our recent post, How Facility Management Can Be Part of Your K-12 Community and consider these factors when choosing your FM provider, even those who come in on a short-term basis.

As you think about how to keep your campus and your community safe and healthy, don’t hesitate to reach out to UG2 to learn how we can help. Our new UG2 ReNew^SM Cleaning4Health and Engineering4Health^SM programs are designed to ensure you have what you need, no matter what return-to-school strategy you’ve chosen. We have experience being part of private K-12 spaces, and we take great pride in being part of the schools we serve.