UAE-based smart and green facilities management (FM) company Farnek has rolled out a new flexible FM proposition. Its adjustable contract will enable educational institutions to switch between three distinct operational modes within 24 hours to align with campus usage.

The three types of operational mode include a normal cycle, holiday cycle and a crisis cycle, said Farnek in a statement. The crisis mode manages sudden and unexpected closures, whereby facilities management would be reduced to minimal maintenance and remote monitoring of critical assets, it added.

The holiday cycle would cover the usual academic breaks with reduced services and planned maintenance. The normal cycle supports campus facilities during regular academic terms with full facility management operations.

With dedicated mobile teams and state-of-the-art connectivity, this flexibility affords universities and schools full control over their campus facilities, irrespective of the situation regarding student attendance, aligning facilities management with actual campus usage, maintaining compliance, safety, and asset performance.

"Carrying out the same FM services throughout the entire year, creates operational inefficiencies during periods of low occupancy. Traditional FM models don’t match campus reality because they are designed for fixed operations. Adjustments are slow and complex and simply reducing services without any visibility poses real risks to asset performance," said Julian Khalil, Managing Director of Farnek.

"It can also create a false economy, saving money in the short term, but costing much more over a longer period if assets begin to fail. Comparing the cost of a traditional fixed FM contract with our new flexible contract, we can deliver up to 20-55% in monthly TFM savings for educational institutions," he stated. 

Farnek's flexible model is enabled by an integrated technology ecosystem that gives management full visibility and control over their campus operations, by employing digital solutions such as CAFMTEK AI Predictive Maintenance, IoT Remote Monitoring, Fault Detection & Diagnostics, Energy Optimisation, Real-Time Dashboard Insights, HSE Compliance through its Safetek solution and Hitek’s Command Centre, which provides 24/7 Monitoring.

Farnek’s initiative coincides with the recent announcement by The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), that Dubai will begin to resume in-person learning across private schools and higher education institutions.

However, the return to classrooms will be conditional upon the completion of comprehensive readiness plans, including adherence to approved regulations and compliance with health and safety measures issued by the appropriate authorities.

Farnek, which manages the facilities at over 3,000 buildings across the UAE has also long been a trusted FM partner of many of the UAE’s leading educational institutions, with proven operational excellence. They include the American University of Sharjah, Higher Colleges of Technology, Dubai College, Swiss International Scientific School and JESS Dubai, to name but a few