Felipe Ávila da Costa, Co-Founder and CEO of Infraspeak writes in this piece for IoT Insider of the importance of digitising the public sector
Thinking about facility management (FM) and the public sector goes beyond protecting an operation from interruptions; one has to look at the unique requirements of each facility, in terms of its use, purpose, constraints and size; or even to the scrutiny and accountability, inseparable from these structures, which require redoubled transparency.
These are some sensitive, complex dynamics — yet, once again, intelligence comes to the scene to shorten the gap between needs and challenges.
According to a recent report by Verdantix, 62% of facility managers in the public sector reported using some form of digital technology for FM in 2022; other data by Gartner indicates that 75% of large U.S. municipalities have implemented, or plan to implement, IoT solutions in their public buildings by 2025. Things are already happening.
Platforms for digitisation
It’s not only a matter of cost savings (BIM in public infrastructure projects can reduce lifecycle costs by up to 20%, for example), but also of environmental impact — the implementation of energy management systems in public buildings in New York City resulted in a 22% (!) reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, over five years.
Progress like this cannot be met without properly digitising FM practices. The issues of the environmental footprint of public structures, operational efficiency, data-driven decision-making, or the focus on post-pandemic health & safety have gained new ground and sparked interest in aspects that were previously less contemplated, from an integrated FM perspective. Those have all moved past the point of being just nice-to-have features — and standard maintenance management systems are just not keeping up with change.
I’d often refer to a success case regarding a City Council from northern Portugal that, in 2020, faced a series of challenges in managing 730 buildings and more than 12,000 pieces of equipment. The operation was based on the use of paper, the maintenance team was undersized; and the COVID-19 pandemic added to the equation by requiring remote working and procedures to guarantee data security.
The adoption of an Intelligent Maintenance Management Platform (IMMP) gave the City Council total control and visibility. The platform integrated all existing data from Excel and other tools, centralising it, and the use of NFC tags facilitated quick access to asset information.
Challenges in digitising FM will always exist: initial investment, cybersecurity risks, integration with legacy systems, skill gaps, you name it. But the change in the public sector’s relationship with facility management is taking place now — not just in terms of recognising its importance, but also in terms of how maintenance operations are actually managed.
We are undoubtedly on the road to intelligence. We must continue to do so, working with people — decision-makers, technicians, stakeholders — towards a public sector that is capable of incorporating technology, and providing the FM with the robustness that our times demand.
Felipe Ávila da Costa is Co-Founder and CEO at Infraspeak.
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