1. Executive Summary
An executive summary (as the name suggests) summarises the key points of the document and is a compelling introduction as to what’s to come. Just follow your NOSE...
A reader should be able to look at your exec summary and understand at a high level what your business needs are and what your proposal entails - without reading the whole thing.
Using the classic ‘NOSE’ checklist ensures you’re making all the critical points of your business case on your opening page.
2. Business Requirements
This section of the business case should describe the business problems that the proposed project will address. It should not describe how the problem will be addressed, only what the situation is.
Need some help? We've created some sample copy that you can adopt and adapt for your proposal:
What does the business need:
Currently, our control and oversight of FM services is limited and our access to FM data is restricted. Our view of FM success is fragmented across various platforms making it difficult to benchmark and optimise our operations. This is threatening our ability to maintain service levels, control compliance risk and prepare for future competitive challenges. It is resulting in serious commercial inefficiencies, lost revenue and impacting our ability to plan strategically.
We're wasting time and resource:
Expectations around the speed and efficiency of the FM team are growing. But we’re lacking the tools to automate our maintenance processes and streamline operations. Our call centre and engineers are still using clunky legacy tools. We’re still using spreadsheets, phone and email to organise maintenance. It’s slowing us down and increasing workload, as well as increasing the risk of mistakes.
• Response times are slow.
• First-time fix rates are low.
• Engineers are attending jobs under-prepared.
• Record keeping is patchy - vital compliance data is not being captured.
We're wasting money:
We currently have no way of centrally tracking and controlling spend against budget. We are losing money through:
• Duplicating work orders that generates unnecessary call outs.
• Lack of data analysis which which restricts our ability to audit costs effectively and efficiently.
• Lack of service performance management tracking and reporting which means we could be paying for missed SLAs.
• Our inability to consolidate work orders for a single visit to reduce callout charges.
We have a lack of visibility and control over spending on fixed assets:
• We are mainly reactive in our maintenance approach - we are losing opportunities to extend asset lifecycle through preventive maintenance and better lifecycle management.
• Asset lifecycle - we have no centralised storage capacity for asset documentation and recording service history, we can’t effectively monitor dilapidation, match warranties to equipment, or accurately predict Capex requirements.
• We’re unable to provide the data analysis that the team requires in order to make quick judgement calls on whether to repair or replace assets.
Our compliance risk is increasing:
• Compliance is an increasing risk to our organisation. Our manual approach is preventing us from automating servicing and discharging mandatory H&S duties efficiently.
• We are struggling to ensure compliance documentation is up to date and have no automated capacity to alert the business when servicing is overdue or when we are in danger of H&S breaches.
• Remedial action is always at risk of slipping through the net as we do not have any central reporting capacity to capture
these requirements.
We lack the right FM data for strategic insight and continuous improvement:
• Our company needs to collect and analyse more FM data to drive our insight and strategic decision making.
• Our directors need oversight and visibility of FM data to share and direct strategy to make us more profitable and efficient.
• A lack of integration with finance and other system systems risks creating more silos, confusion, duplication of work and other inefficiencies.
3. Introduce your proposed partner and their solution
Provide a concise introduction to the partner and their software.
BACKGROUND
- Who are they?
- How many staff do they have?
- How long have they been established?
- Are they culturally a good fit?
SERVICE
- What is their core offering?
- What other services do they offer other than the core CAFM?
USP
- What can this solution deliver that no other company can?
- What is their “Unique Selling Point”?
EXPERIENCE
- Which clients do they have?
- Do they specialise in certain sectors?
- Are they aligned to what you are trying to achieve?
SECURITY
- Are they ISO 27001 certified and GDPR compliant?
4. Describe the benefits the solution will bring
A deep dive into the benefits that the solution will bring the business. Both the hard and soft benefits of the CAFM solution are relevant here. But as always, lead with the need and speak to your BOD audience’s priorities.
Need some help? We've created some sample copy that you can adopt and adapt for your proposal:
Through implementing a CAFM we can save time and money, while reducing risk and improving performance.
A CAFM will help us automate, organise and report on all our FM activity in a single platform. It will be a single source of truth around our FM operations to support data-driven, strategic decision making.
The main functions of the proposed CAFM system will solve many of the operational challenges we currently face.
Those functions include:
- Workflow management
- Supply chain management
- Cost control
- Asset management
- Compliance risk management
- Business intelligence
- Systems support & integration
Let’s go into detail on the problems, solutions and benefits across these functions.
4.1 Workflow Management
FM is fast becoming a 24/7/365 operation. We need to be there to meet new business needs wherever and whenever they arise.
With automated workflow management and other tools we aim to bring new efficiencies to our help desk process and improve service levels for our customers.
Workflow tools - what we need and why we need it
4.2 Supply Chain Management
We’re outsourcing and dependent on contractors and other third parties more than ever before. We need the tools to report on, benchmark and optimise their performance.
Supply chain / resource management tools - what we need and why we need it
4.3 Cost Control
We are wasting money through our lack of reporting and access to performance critical data.
Cost control tools - what we need and why we need it
4.4 Asset Management
“Businesses, on average, spend 80% of their time reacting to maintenance issues that arise rather than preventing them.” Capterra
By setting up a digital asset register and a full asset management programme we expect to lengthen the lifespan of our assets, improve compliance management, plan Capex requirements and save the business money.
4.5 Compliance Risk Management
75% of businesses say: compliance is the biggest day to day concern and challenge of their FM team. (source Facilitate Magazine).
We need more oversight and control within our systems to reduce mounting risks stemming from increased regulation, as well as more complex equipment and maintenance regimes.
- What are the risks?
- H&S breaches and compliance failures resulting in fines.
- Penalties for non-service and SLA failures.
- Loss of business or revenue following reputational damage.
4.6 Business Intelligence
The business needs a holistic view of FM spend, performance and trends. The BOD wants to be able to see exactly where money is being spent, how their suppliers are performing and how data is driving the strategic direction of the operation.
The proposed CAFM purchase will be a business intelligence tool allowing us to instantly create, view and share visual reports in real-time.
With a CAFM that makes this data available we can analyse trends more effectively, uncover new opportunities to drive cost control, efficiencies and revenue.
4.7 Systems Support & Integration
“The internet of things, combined with AI and machine learning, is set to make FM more responsive, predictive and cost effective” IWFM
In the future we will need our approach to FM to be more flexible and integrated. This will help us keep pace with changes in technology and new opportunities for cost saving and innovation.
Our proposed CAFM solution can use existing APIs to integrate rapidly with our current business systems.
The comprehensive data migration and customer service package offered by the supplier will take day to day responsibility for internal support around help desk and asset management away from our internal IT team.
This is an opportunity to refocus our existing IT resources and budget away from internal, routine customer service activity and into long term, higher value strategic projects.
5. Risks
Remind your readers about the ongoing risk that a fragmented FM function poses in a changing world.
Need some help? We've created some sample copy that you can adopt and adapt for your proposal:
The expectations around FM performance in modern businesses have never been higher. Covid has shown how vital facilities management is in ensuring workers and customers’ safety, while driving revenue in disrupted times.
In the years to come, we are expecting yet more dramatic changes in business needs driven by technology. But we are lacking the digital tools to rise to these challenges.
We need to act now to prevent:
If the business does not act now to correct these issues, we risk:
- Inefficiency - in the way we manage work orders, communications, data, priorities and reporting.
- Compliance risk - prevent H&S risks to our colleagues and customers, avoiding fines and regulatory sanction
- Missed SLAs - we need to avoid H&S issues and unplanned downtime to protect our revenue and brand experience.
- Poor supplier management - we need to optimise engineer and contractor relationships at a time when outsourcing and remote management is becoming vital than ever
- Overspending - we need to monitor spend vs budget to avoid spiralling costs, driving opportunities to reduce callouts and payments for non-service.
- Poor planning - we need the right data to support strategic decision making, accurate budget creation, asset replacement and resource planning.
- Missed commercial opportunities - we need the capabilities to take advantage of future trends in smart buildings and IoT
6. Savings analysis
HOW MUCH COULD YOUR BUSINESS SAVE?
The procurement of a CAFM system is not always driven by cost cutting but also by the need to improve performance, reduce risk and other ‘soft benefits’.
However, it’s always recommended to highlight the savings that an FM digital transformation can bring to the business. The size of the saving can vary based on certain factors and scenarios, however this should give you some idea of what to expect.
Need some help? The below is an indication of the types of savings which should be possible. Use your own business data, budgets and resources to calculate what your FM digital transformation could be worth to you:
7. Timelines
How long will the solution take to define, design and configure for your business?
The BODs need to know there is a plan for configuration and training within your team as they adopt the new solution. Should you suggest a staggered implementation of functionality to ensure the company sees business benefits and savings from the solution as quickly as possible? Your CAFM partner should help you workout a realistic timeline for implementation to present to the board.
This project plan outlines the key steps and milestones involved in the mobilisation of a CAFM system. The overall timescale and go-live strategy can vary depending upon project scope.
8. Summary
What do you need the reader to take away from this document?
Need some help? We've created some sample copy that you can adopt and adapt for your proposal:
Right now the BODs do not have the visibility around our FM data and operations to:
- Meet current business and compliance demands
- Accurately monitor FM spend
- Predict future FM budget requirements
- Help the business meet their long term commercial and strategic goals
But this CAFM will allow all our teams to address these issues:
We will have a powerful mobile first platform, with robust SLAs to support our digital growth and protect our data and cyber-security. It will liberate our IT resource to concentrate on big picture, strategic objectives.
Our FM team will have the tools they need to digitally organise and automate all our processes. We will be able to centralise reporting, manage spend and budget oversight through one single platform. We will save money and create more efficient ways of working.
The finance team will have confidence that our budgets will be an accurate reflection of our spending each year; that we can manage our equipment lifecycle and project required Capex.
The business, as a whole, will have the tools we need to:
- Control FM spending & eliminate waste
- Visualise spending and performance trends
- Optimise supplier relationships in real time
- Support changes in business strategy to increase revenue
- Report to the business about the success of these efforts
In this proposal we have laid out the objectives, costs, timelines of a proposed CAFM implementation together with details of the savings we expect from it.
This CAFM will control business risk, but open up new opportunities for innovation and revenue growth.
