Procure services and products for workplace and facilities services
Overview
This standard covers procuring services and products for workplace and facilities services. It is about supporting the process of acquisition and procurement in line with the organisation's business plan and objectives, including the management of business efficiencies and sustainable practices.
It involves evaluating and confirming that the best value is achieved, and savings are made where possible, when services and products are obtained. This could include discounts for guaranteed future custom or bulk buying.
It is about understanding the supply chain involved in procurement, the needs of the departments or individuals involved and affected to assess the potential resources required and obtaining funding as appropriate.
It is important that you know and understand your responsibilities under the current environmental and health and safety legislation, codes of practice and organisational policies.
This standard is applicable to those who deliver workplace and facilities services, this can be to an internal client (within your organisation) or to an external client, both are referred to as the "organisation" within this standard.
Managers at this level will be required to drive workplace and facilities services within the organisation.
This standard has links to the standards suite Facilities Management and the standards suite Management and Leadership managed by Instructus.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
- carry out your work in accordance with the current environmental and health and safety legislation, risk assessment requirements, codes of practice and policies of the organisation, including business efficiencies and sustainable practices
- assess the costs, risks and opportunities of the planned actions, including an assessment of life-cycle costing
- confirm that the procurement process supports aggregated purchasing, increased buying power and the development of business relationships with the organisation and suppliers
- identify opportunities to include business efficiencies and sustainable practices into the procurement process
- demonstrate and communicate with those involved in the procurement process the value and importance of sustainability when sourcing services and products
- contribute to the continual review of the procurement strategy for services and products
- liaise with individuals, departments or organisations involved to inform them of the procurement process
- produce a specification for the tender process which states the organisation's requirements and expectations
- compare and consider different suppliers and weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of procuring from each
- consider implications of cost and quality when procuring services and products to support workplace and facilities services
- choose the supplier that best meets the needs of the specification and negotiate contractual arrangements
- where required, work with involved individuals, departments or organisations to secure the acquisition and/or funding of services and products
- evaluate the supply of services and products from suppliers and re-negotiate contracts or terminate your relationship, as required
- confirm that the organisation operates to the current legal requirements and social responsibilities
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- your responsibilities under the current environmental and health and safety legislation, codes of practice and policies of the organisation, including business efficiencies and sustainable practices
- the approach of the organisation to the acquisition and procurement of services and products for workplace and facilities services and how this supports the organisation's business plan and objectives, procurement strategy, systems, procedures and policies
- the supply chain process involved in the procurement of workplace and facilities services
- the opportunities to include business efficiencies and sustainable practices into the procurement process
- why it is important that acquisition and procurement processes support the development and maintenance of working relationships with suppliers
- the information needed from other individuals, departments or organisations involved in the work, to inform the procurement process
- how to develop a specification and how the tender process works
- the costs, risks and opportunities of the planned actions
- how to cost and specify the required services and products
- the resources available to you for the acquisition or procurement
- how to secure funding, where required, for the services and products and who is responsible for making decisions on this
- the range of suppliers that are available to supply the services and products required
- how to obtain competitive prices for services and products at the required level of quality
- the range of contractual arrangements that can be entered into for the products and services required, and how to negotiate them
- the current methods and techniques for managing and developing working relationships with suppliers
- how to evaluate the supply of services and products from suppliers and re-negotiate contracts or terminate your relationship when required
- the responsibility for managing workplace and facilities services in accordance within the legal requirements and social responsibilities
Scope/range
Scope Performance
Scope Knowledge
Values
Behaviours
Skills
Glossary
Business efficiencies
This relates to the sustainable management of resources such as water, energy efficiency and waste management in line with the organisation's business efficiency policies, which aim at improving operational efficiency. In business, efficiency refers to the production of goods or the offering of services by using the smallest amount or resources, such as capital, energy etc. Efficient businesses can create products, offer services and accomplish their overall goals with the minimum effort, expense or waste
Operational performance
**An organisation's performance can be measured against a standard or prescribed indicator of effectiveness, efficiency, and environmental responsibility such as, time, productivity, waste reduction, and regulatory compliance.
Sustainable practices
**Sustainable business practices are characterised by environmentally friendly practices initiated by an organisation for the purposes of becoming more sustainable. Organisations aim to reduce their environmental footprint through initiatives that cut down on waste, poor environmental stewardship and unethical environmental practices that offer a reduced level of sustainability within the organisation's policies and practices.
Sustainable business practices differ between industries and are often specific to the type of organisation and the product or service it produces or provides.
Social responsibilities
**Social responsibilities refer to a type of self-regulatory business plan and the efforts made by a company to improve society and contribute towards sustainable development. It describes initiatives run by a business to evaluate and take responsibility for their impact on issues ranging from human rights to the environment.
The business plan will focus on achieving economic, social and environmental benefits for all stakeholders involved (employees, consumers, investors and other groups).The purpose of it is to encourage businesses to conduct their companies in an ethical manner and work towards having a more positive impact on society through ensuring sustainable growth.
Workplace and facilities services
**Workplace and facilities services is "the organisational function which integrates people, place and process within the built environment with the purpose of improving the quality of life of people and the productivity of the core business." Workplace and facilities services professionals are responsible for services that enable and support business performance.
All organisations have responsibilities under the current health, safety and welfare regulations to ensure the daily health, safety and welfare of their employees. This includes ensuring provisions are made for:
Workplace and facilities services (soft services)
• Soft services are ones that make the workplace more
pleasant or secure to work in.
Examples of soft services are cleaning, catering, security.
Facilities Management (hard services)
• Hard services are ones that relate to the physical fabric of the
building and cannot be removed. They ensure the safety and
welfare of employees and generally are required by law.
Examples of hard services are plumbing, heating and lighting
Hard services are covered in the Facilities Management suite