Speech by SMS Tan Kiat How at Singapore International Facilities Management Association (SIFMA) Facilities Management Expert Summit (FMES)

Dec 1, 2022

Good morning. I am happy to join you all today at FMES 2022.
SIFMA plays an important role in bringing the FM industry together. You have led the drive to raise the competencies of both FM firms and professionals through your accreditation schemes. And you launched the “See Space Differently” branding campaign to change mindsets and attract younger Singaporeans to the industry.
I am encouraged by the work done by SIFMA and industry partners.
We need to press on to prepare the FM industry for the future. would like to suggest three focus areas – 3 “Ts”: technology, tenders, and technical skills.

Technology
First, technology. With more deliberate use of technology, we have seen how many firms improved their operational efficiency, and enhanced workplace safety. Another benefit is that firms can more optimally deploy limited manpower resources, reskill workers so that they are more productive, and pay them better wages in tandem with productivity improvements.
An example of a firm that has pushed the boundaries of technology is Fonda Global Engineering, which I visited a few months ago. At its centralised operations hub, Fonda can remotely coordinate cleaning, landscaping, and maintenance tasks across its building portfolio using an integrated digital platform. This is what we refer to as Integrated FM (IFM) and Aggregated FM (AFM). For instance, Fonda’s employees on the ground are alerted to mosquito breeding and littering incidents through their smart devices, allowing them to quickly rectify any issues. Fonda’s adoption of IFM and AFM has resulted in manpower savings of more than 20%, and reduced the use of resources such as electricity and water, which are significant cost items.
The move towards IFM and AFM has also raised the career prospects of Fonda’s officers. Feroz Ariffin is one such example. Having first started out as an Assistant Manager more than 10 years ago, Feroz is now a Senior Estate Manager leading a team of 22 employees to pilot integrated municipal operations for Tampines town. Such new and exciting jobs will contribute towards our efforts to attract younger Singaporeans to join the industry.
That said, the adoption of IFM and AFM is still nascent. To encourage greater adoption, BCA had launched a $30m grant, and recently opened applications. I am pleased to note that more than 15 firms have expressed their interest thus far.
Together, we have also made good progress in facilitating the adoption of smart technologies upstream, through incorporating maintenance considerations in building designs.
This is what we call Design for Maintainability, or DfM.
To facilitate DfM, we have to consciously consider how we design our buildings. For instance, cleaning and security robots would require sufficient space to make their way around to carry out their tasks. Building designers may also need to consider slip-resistant surfaces and avoid abrupt level changes in ensuring that the robots do not topple over. And we need to design locations for parking and charging of the robots.
There is value in sharing good practices across our industry. BCA has thus enhanced its DfM guides to include more design considerations for Smart FM. In particular, BCA has included a new section on design strategies for the use of robots. BCA has also enhanced existing sections with additional DfM considerations for security, landscape, and environmental services. I encourage developers and designers to utilise these enhanced guides, which are available on BCA’s website today.
While technology comes with many benefits, we will need to stay vigilant against cybersecurity threats. This is especially so with the greater use of interoperable digital solutions. For example, a cyber-attack on a single element such as a sensor or a robot could potentially cripple an entire system for IFM and AFM operations, and may even result in the theft of sensitive personal or company data.
In this regard, I am happy to announce that IMDA has worked together with BCA and industry stakeholders to launch a new “Cybersecurity for Smart Buildings” guide. The guide comprises easy-to-use checklists on key steps in designing Smart FM systems to be more resilient against cybersecurity threats. I urge service providers to make use of the guide, which is available on IMDA’s website today.

Tenders
The second focus area is tenders. Progressive procurement practices will incentivise service providers to innovate and improve their service quality. This involves moving away from awarding tenders based on cost alone or the amount of manpower deployed, and instead adopt outcome-based provisions that reward service providers for better service standards. For instance, bonus payments can be provided to FM firms that can resolve cleaning and security incidents efficiently. And service buyers should also consider longer tender durations of at least three years, across multiple buildings and FM services. This will provide FM firms with greater confidence to invest in technology and innovation.
The Government has taken the lead to adopt these progressive practices. We have mandated outcome-based contracting for public sector cleaning and security tenders of at least $1 million in value.
JTC has also made strides in its efforts to drive progressive procurement. For instance, JTC had awarded Singapore’s first large-scale outcome-based FM contract for its South West Precinct to Certis. The contract covers the integration of various security and maintenance services across 60 properties, totalling 2.5 million sqm in floor area. The contract allows Certis to deploy its digital IFM and AFM platform, alongside advanced technologies in data analytics and Internet of Things sensors. Taken together, service productivity is expected to increase by more than 25%. As the Centre of Excellence for FM for the Government, JTC will actively share its learnings, and work closely with other agencies to drive greater adoption of similar practices for their FM tenders.
I encourage both service buyers and providers to explore the opportunities presented by progressive procurement. You can refer to BCA’s Guide for FM Procurement on its website for more details.

Technical Skills
Lastly, we need to ensure that the FM workforce has the necessary technical skills to support our transformation efforts, and to take on new roles created.
On this note, I am pleased to note that SIFMA has put together its Certified Facilities Management Companies and Certified Facilities Management Expert accreditation schemes. These schemes cover key skillsets including Smart FM, IFM and AFM, and progressive procurement. They provide a roadmap for upskilling, as well as greater professional recognition for FM professionals.
There has been strong interest and uptake of SIFMA’s accreditation schemes thus far. SIFMA has received more than 400 applications for its Certified Facilities Management Expert scheme, with 34 firms and 62 professionals having been accredited as of November 2022.
One of these professionals is Larissa Wan, an employee under C&W Services, who has been recently accredited as a facilities executive. To be accredited, Larissa had to demonstrate strong technical capabilities in her specialisation area of Mechanical & Electrical maintenance. This included competencies in making use of smart technologies, including for IFM and AFM, within her daily tasks. I am glad to hear that Larissa aims towards gaining even more competencies to qualify for the higher accreditation tiers, and move up the career ladder.
I am also pleased to share that the Certified Facilities Management Expert scheme will be expanded to include two additional tiers for junior FM professionals. This enhancement will provide greater clarity on technical skills that FM officers and technicians in entry-level positions should develop. SIFMA targets to launch the expanded scheme in 1Q2023, and more details will be provided when ready.
I encourage both FM firms and professionals to consider becoming accredited. This will position your businesses to do well as we push ahead with transforming FM for the future.

Conclusion
Often undervalued, the FM industry is an important one – ensuring our spaces that we live, work, and play in are well maintained, pleasant, clean, and safe – which we often take for granted.
Likewise, our FM workers are also often underappreciated – they are often the ones that start work the earliest and leave the latest, working quietly in the background, sometimes within environments that are not the most conducive.
Our experience during COVID-19 clearly demonstrated the essential nature of our FM firms and workers.
We owe a debt a gratitude to the men and women in our FM sector in keeping us and our loved ones safe during the most trying times, even at the risk of their own safety.
Therefore, to me, the transformation of the FM industry is not just about achieving higher productivity of our firms, creating better jobs and wages for our workers; and realising more exciting career opportunities to attract younger Singaporeans.
Don’t get me wrong – these are important goals.
But it is also about ensuring that our firms and workers get the appreciation, respect, and dignity that they deserve – that they are valued for their contributions; and that there are pathways for career progression and success within this profession.
Therefore, I seek the support of FM industry partners to work together with us to transform the sector - through the “3Ts” of transformation – technology, tenders, and technical skills.
On this note, I thank SIFMA for organising today’s event, and wish everyone a fruitful day ahead. Thank you.