MCL Consultancy Ltd was established in 1996 to provide consultancy advice on the appropriate strategies for operating and maintaining physical assets.
With the development of facilities management companies for operating and maintaining non-core assets, many organisations have been examining the market place for operation and/or maintenance of their core productive assets. Whereas with non-core assets, responsibility for performance can be transferred to the supplier with minimal risk, the issues of risk, responsibility and accountability are high on the agenda when judging potential outsourcing of core activities. Separating maintenance from operation in order to outsource the maintenance activity has proved highly inappropriate in some market sectors, particularly where poor contractual arrangements have led to operational failures and subsequent litigation.

It is imperative, therefore, that there is clarity and understanding of the client’s asset management strategy, current asset performance, client and supplier risk, and the roles and responsibilities of the supplier in any new working arrangement before embarking on any potential outsourcing initiative.