Increasing productivity by introducing facilities management software

Traditionally, a public service such as the Federal Public Service (FPS) Economy focused on its internal operation rather than on the wellbeing of citizens. Public servants saw themselves as the guardians of law and order. In 21st-century society, people are no longer satisfied with being governed but want value for their money. For the Belgian federal government this revolutionary idea led to a new vision and an ethical change in the working process. This case study explains what this change in ideas meant for the facilities organisation of the FPS Economy and how this public service proceeded in order to make the necessary changes. Rather than being an organisation that provided services and goods without considering citizens’ needs, this organisation has been transformed into a client-oriented service provider. To become such a service provider, it was necessary to redesign the organisation itself and its operations in order to improve efficiency. The use of a Facilities Management Information System (FMIS) as a tool to support business process re-engineering allows productivity to increase. After the decision of the government to reduce resources, the facilities department was forced to reorganise. In order to achieve this business process re-engineering, a practical and user-friendly methodology was applied. In this paper, the different steps that led to a better organisation are summarised. At the end of this case study, a few lessons learned are given.