Moving towards an integrated facilities management tool to evaluate facilities for service performance in local government

Appraisal of facility performance has of late concentrated heavily on the strategic evaluation of facility performance – that is, the alignment of the real estate function with the organisation’s overall strategic aims. Here we present a refined model for the measurement, management and benchmarking of facilities in relation to their ability to enable service delivery. Developed specifically for the context of local government, the Logometrix model is the outcome of a collaborative research project with eight local government authorities (LGAs) in Victoria (Australia), Swinburne University (Australia) and UNITEC University (New Zealand). Logometrix allows LGAs to measure the performance of their community facilities strategically and to benchmark with like councils over the Internet using a browser interface. Looking beyond the obvious in property, the model incorporates financial and non-financial indicators, and balances the demands of service delivery with those of maintenance, preservation of asset value, and financial performance. Various models have been used to measure facilities strategically, most of which have been drawn from the general theory and literature on performance measurement. Many of these promote a balanced approach and acknowledge the need to include intangible and non-financial measures of performance together with the more ‘tangible’ financial data. However, these models of performance measurement are limited when transferred directly from a general context in the private sector to the management of facilities in the local government. Recent research indicates the need to view the facility as the nexus of service provision, physical building substance and the community using the facility.