Case Study – A Total FM Service for The Physiological Society

See how our facilities management services are helping The Physiological Society.

Founded in 1876, The Physiological Society is now Europe’s largest network of physiologists and for over 140 years, its members have made significant contributions to our knowledge of biological systems and the treatment of disease.

Since 2012, The Society has been based at Hodgkin Huxley House in central London. Four years ago, following a remodelling of how the building was used, Precision FM was awarded the contract to manage the building and provide a full range of facilities management services.

The total facilities management contract provides The Physiological Society with both hard FM services, such as routine and reactive building maintenance and soft FM services, including cleaning and site security.

Liam McKay, Head of Operations at The Physiological Society explains: “When we first engaged with the team at Precision FM we had recently undertaken a review of how we managed our building and were looking at ways to maximise efficiencies and revenue.

“We were looking to outsource our facilities management to one company that would not only look after the fabric of the building and provide soft services but one that could also cover a variety of additional services including our security and on-site reception. Precision FM now provide us with a full range of services. I am confident that they’ll source the right people for the job and with only one point of contact, it really takes away the previous headache of having to manage a variety of contractors.”

Ensuring Compliance

One of the major benefits for The Society is that through the services provided by Precision FM, they can ensure they stay up to date with a wide range of statutory compliance.

Liam continues: “One of the key strengths of our relationship with Precision FM is that they are very knowledgeable about the wide range of technical compliance issues we need to adhere to. For example, they made us aware that our air conditioning units needed to meet the requirements of the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations and brought in the necessary team that could carry out the inspection. They also helped ensure our electrical equipment PAT testing was carried out, this was particularly challenging as so many of our team were working from home.

“We know that we can rely on Precision FM to keep us abreast of any changes to technical legislation and that they will ensure we remain compliant right across the business.”

As well as The Physiological Society, a number of other businesses also occupy space within Hodgkin Huxley House. This means that The Society has a responsibility not just to their staff, but also as landlord to the other occupants, to keep the building operating correctly, providing a safe, clean and welcoming place to work.

Adapting to Covid-19 Protocols

One of the key areas where The Physiological Society has seen a benefit in working with an outsourced FM company has been around getting their workplace COVID secure to allow their team, and other occupants, to feel safe when they return to the office.

Liam explains: “with the various protocols now required to ensure a safe return to the office, Precision FM has worked with us to ensure that these procedures are in place. This included placing directional and social distancing signage around the building, developing an enhanced cleaning schedule and temperature checking of staff and visitors at our reception. The support from the Precision FM team around this has been fantastic and we know we are in safe hands.

“When it became increasingly difficult to get hold of some essential items such as PPE, we really benefitted from working with a supplier like Precision FM as they were able to offer an increased purchasing power to ensure that we could get the equipment we needed to provide the reassurance to all our staff and tenants that we were taking their safety and welfare seriously. As an employer, landlord and international centre for excellence in our field, the impact that a poorly managed facility could have on our productivity would be considerable.”

A Facilities Management Partnership Built on Communication

A good working relationship between Precision FM and The Physiological Society has played a key part in the partnership, with the Operations Team at The Society benefitting from access to Precision FM’s helpdesk support and online portal for the logging and monitoring of jobs.

Richard Theobold, Operations Director at Precision FM says: “We are pleased to be working with The Physiological Society and since we started work with them, we have increased the services we have been able to provide. We recently took over their cleaning contract, with their existing team TUPE’d over in order to maintain a continuity of staff while allowing us to now manage the cleaning schedule alongside the other on-site activities carried out by our teams.

“We pride ourselves on providing a high level of customer service and this includes access to a dedicated shared calendar that ensures total transparency of when work is scheduled to take place at the clients’ facility as we have with The Physiological Society. We have clear KPIs for the monitoring of our customer service levels, with all calls to the helpdesk being answered within five rings, and have a client retention rate of 98%.”

To find out more about the range of facilities management services offered by Precision FM contact us on 0116 366 6508.