Social enterprise applications in an Urban facilities management setting

Annual increases in the costs of running facilities operations and associated services for many local authorities in various countries have drawn the attention of a large number of researchers in the facilities management field. In seeking solutions to this problem one can look at some approaches that have been applied elsewhere, such as privatization, and outsourcing. The move away from the traditional service provider approach is seen as a way of reducing costs in facilities operations. This brings a new notion of developing a sustainable design for managing public facilities for the benefit of the community. However, many researchers have argued about whether it is possible for private companies to both protect the public's interests and make profits at the same time. The use of urban facilities management (urban FM) as a mechanism for developing a sustainable system for managing public facilities operations could be a way of achieving this in order to make a difference. The underlying philosophy of urban FM has been identified as facilitating social enterprise applications. So, social enterprise applications could be used within an urban FM setting. Within this context, this paper explores the relationships between urban FM and social enterprise principles within multiple and diverse organizations in order to gain further explanations towards developing acceptable criteria for the suggested new model. Accordingly, this paper focuses on community facilities and the premise of community alignment in order to explore a new service delivery model. Its focus on community facilities will involve two recognized stakeholders: the facilities provider, which is the local council, and the user, which is the community itself. In highlighting the above, this paper further discusses the identified criteria for the new model, which has been developed through a comprehensive literature review coupled with initial findings from the case studies undertaken. As a result, this study proposes a list of enablers for a new service delivery model.