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Foster’s Virtual Facilities Management offers property owners peace of mind

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Providing a great construction experience has been taken to new levels by Foster Construction Group with a Virtual Facilities Management (VFM) programme.

Designed to provide peace of mind for commercial property owners, VFM provides a strategic and long term view of building maintenance. Based on an initial condition assessment of a building, a VFM plan is ideal for those building owners who are keen to preserve their asset values and optimise whole of life maintenance spend, or for those needing to establish budgets for maintenance and renewal work.

Providing 24/7 access to the right people at the right time to deal with property related issues, VFM manager Brock Vuleta says the facilities management service complements the full package that Fosters already offers, from the development stage of the build right through to the completed project.

“With VFM, Fosters are providing a one-stop shop for commercial property owners or someone intending to build” says Vuleta.

“We can take them through the develop stage with Foster Develop, build the property with Foster Construction, Foster Engineering provides high-quality fabrication services and with Foster Maintain we can look after that building for the next 30, 50, 80 years.

“We are creating a really good full life cycle of the property from concept to completion and beyond.”

While a build project may last 6-24 months, the finished building should be around for the next 50 years or more and Vuleta says a well-maintained building retains its value better in the long term.

“The VFM planned maintenance service ensures warranties and guarantees from a new building remain valid, and all compliance works are completed in accordance with the building act.

“Our Long-Term Maintenance Plan keeps assets working and you in control.”

Having the Fosters team at your disposal, Vuleta adds, is one of the huge benefits of VFM. Property owners can have confidence that Fosters is not only scheduling the maintenance, but their highly experienced and reputable team are the crew on site taking care of any maintenance needs.

“Unlike many other companies, Fosters are in a unique position where we are able to use our expertise in construction and organising other trades” he says. “And because we manage it all, our clients deal with one point of contact rather than a raft of suppliers.”

The Foster Maintain team offer a range of skills, including carpentry, painting, roofing and floor-laying to assist clients with refurbishments, upgrades and modifications around a property.

“Property owners can rely on our experience and professional know-how to ensure their building services are fully optimised, compliant, and efficient. It is also largely proactive property management rather than reactive – which delivers cost savings and peace of mind for both the owner and their tenants.”

But as Vuleta points out, every property has its own special requirements and VFM designs a maintenance plan that is tailored to the building and the environment. Plus, there are always reactive issues that pop up.

Utilising Tell Frankie, an Auckland-based property management App, the building owner can check into the maintenance schedule every step of the way.

“Tell Frankie gives our clients full overview of what’s happening in the maintenance schedule” says Vuleta. “Our team can schedule a property’s work and the client can log into the programme as well and see everything that is happening on their property.

“They can also use the programme to log reactive work. For example, if there was a door not closing correctly, they can log the job in Tell Frankie and our team can pick that up and react to it.

“It gives them a really transparent overview of everything that goes on.”

The VFM planned maintenance service is contracted on a three-yearly basis and property owners can opt out after 12 months if the service does not meet expectations.

Planned maintenance costs are agreed up front and broken down into monthly payments to assist with budgeting and cashflow.

Go to the back page to find out how Foster’s VFM partners with DV Bryant Trust to ensure the trust’s well-managed assets continue to help fund its philanthropic activities in the Waikato.

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