The Facilities Management (FM) market consists of a large and competitive supply base, ranging from small "man-in-a-van" individual service providers to huge Facilities Management outsourcing conglomerates such as CBRE and Jones Lang LaSalle. These latter firms deliver greater value to their customers by bundling facilities services, such as janitorial services, repair and maintenance services, and waste management into an integrated solution. The result - Integrated Facilities Management (IFM) - has become a common strategy for organizations with complex facilities portfolios.
As organisations mature their shared service and captive business models, the ability of the leadership to gain information on the global market for skills, resources and knowledge becomes ever more important as they move up the value chain to gain that elusive seat on the board.
Outsourcing from the continental European perspective
Looking through the myriad of outsourcing-related news, views, blogs and tweets, it’s easy to assume that the Anglo Saxon perspective dominates; this is a dangerous assumption.
