Hertfordshire, United Kingdom: BIFM has announced publishing a new Good Practice Guide to explore the growing trend for organisations to manage and procure facilities management (FM) services at a continental or global level.

The ‘Managing FM Teams Across Borders’ guide, the announcement said, examines the challenges of managing FM teams in different locations and the various models for doing so. With step-by-step help and advice on managing a global facilities management team, each section, the announcement explained, offers practical advice and tips on handling issues that can arise from cross-border FM delivery, such as political climates, currency risk and cultural differences.

The guide, the announcement revealed, has been authored by longstanding BIFM member, Bruce Barclay, senior manager EMEA, Global Real Estate and Facilities at Dell EMC, and it is aimed at client and supply side facilities professionals.

“Cross-border delivery of FM, and management of FM teams,” Barclay said, “is now a common challenge for many large organisations and this guide has been produced in response to this trend in order to support facilities management professionals who are undertaking this task and to make them aware of the challenges and best practice in this area.”

Peter Brogan, Research and Information Manager, added: “This latest Good Practice Guide has been developed for anyone who is planning to manage, or is currently managing, FM teams across borders with the aim of helping them to expand their knowledge and understanding of the advantages and challenges associated with a cross-border approach.

“The guide covers everything FMs need to know to be successful in this area, from understanding the benefits of increased consistency in workplace experience and achieving a standardised approach to customer relations, to handling legislative and cultural differences. It also contains tips and advice on measuring success and aligning cross-border FM delivery to the organisation’s core business objectives.”

BIFM said that the guide is available to be downloaded from here.