A New Approach to Campus Challenges for Facilities and Estates Teams
The COVID-19 pandemic has stretched Facilities and Estates organizations to the limit, creating new challenges and exacerbating existing ones. Leaders are therefore rethinking how to manage the physical campus, creating change and driving innovation.
During our past event, The State of Facilities 2022: How Estates and Facilities Management Teams Are Evolving to Meet Campus Challenges, EAB outlined the current state of higher education and the impact it is having on Facilities and Estates organizations.
Participants saw the results of EAB’s industry survey detailing the way divisions are approaching challenges, and entered into a small group conversations on pressing problems on campus. Explore the takeaways below or jump to the next steps.
Review the key takeaways
1. The top four priorities for Facilities and Estates leaders over 2022 are: Talent management, sustainability, hybrid work, and space planning and management
75% of Facilities leaders reported talent management as their primary concern over 2022, and 84% said that sustainability responsibilities on campus directly or indirectly fell into their remit. Campus repopulation efforts in light of the pandemic—and their impact on long-term flexible working policies and space designs—also remain top priorities.
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75%
of Facilities leaders reported talent management as their primary concern of 2022
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84%
of Facilities leaders said sustainability responsibilities on campus directly or indirectly fell into their remit
2. Facilities and Estates teams are taking a more centralized, dedicated approach to their activities on campus
More than seven out of ten institutions have both operations & maintenance and capital projects planning reporting to the same Senior Facilities/Estates officer. Within maintenance itself, dedicated zone maintenance has declined, while the number of dedicated preventive maintenance teams has increased to 41% of campuses.
3. Outsourcing within Facilities and Estates remains popular outside the United States
Nearly 90% of institutions outside the U.S. contract out the majority of their custodial services, and 50% outsource their grounds and landscaping activity. This is two to three times more common than within the U.S.
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90%
of institutions outside the U.S. contract out the majority of their custodial services
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50%
of institutions outside the U.S. outsource their grounds and landscaping activity
4. Facilities and Estates executives are satisfied with their tools, but concerned about their means of financially supporting their operations
Satisfaction with computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) reached a record high of 90%. Most divisions continue to rely exclusively on a central allocation of operating resources each year, with only 20% reporting successfully implementing or maintaining a space charge throughout the pandemic.
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