​​Principles, standards and guidelines for lease and facilities management

Each principle has accompanying standards and guidelines, designed to help those in government agencies tasked with acquiring and disposing of leases, and managing leases and facilities.

The aim of these standards and guidelines is to assist agency staff to operate in a proactive way when managing leases and facilities. This will maximise cost efficiencies and maintain a productive environment for staff.

• The standards are compulsory and agencies are required to apply them at the soonest practicable opportunity.
• The guidelines are not compulsory. They have been created to assist agencies proactively manage their leases and facilities.

1. Integrate property and business planning

Property needs should be identified when the strategic objectives of an organisation are being set.

2. Cost efficiency

The proactive and attentive management of lease obligations will minimise unnecessary costs, fees and penalties. Common furniture and layouts will eliminate the costs and disruptions associated with churn within agencies.

3. Centralise information and risk management

Utilise the Government Property Portal (GPP) to manage, monitor and report on lease and property obligations.

4. Service

Service-level contracts (such as those for cleaning and utilities) are to be monitored and managed to ensure maximum performance and value. The purpose of building and facilities will be monitored and managed according to the ‘building performance specifications’ and the ‘operating procedures and building regulations’ within leases. Agencies are to maintain and keep working environments operating in a manner which provides a safe, secure environment for staff which also supports staff productivity and wellbeing.

The lease and facilities management principles set expectations of integration, management and service. The focus is on the acquisition and disposal of leases and the proactive management of leases and facilities to maximise cost efficiency and maintain a productive environment for staff.

Focus of the standards and guidelines

Although the vast majority of the office accommodation and public interface areas occupied by agencies are leased rather than owned, the focus of these standards and guidelines is the management of facilities in both the freehold and leasehold environment.

Certain office and public interface space is excluded from the scope of these standards and guidelines. The excluded space is either integrated with agencies operational areas, for example, office and public interface areas within courts of law; or is on designated land, for example, New Zealand Defence Force land, and is not able to be used by other agencies.

Agencies can choose to apply the standards and guidelines to excluded spaces where a guide towards ‘best practice’ is required.

Purpose

The purpose of the lease management standards and guidelines is to:

• provide best practice for negotiating new leases, proactively managing leases once executed and disposing of leases.

The long term nature and financial commitment of commercial leases requires the application of specialist skills and knowledge. It is essential that agencies use internal agency staff with the relevant skills, knowledge, and experience or engage external advisors with the relevant skills, knowledge and experience, when negotiating new leases, managing existing lease agreements and disposing of leases.

Lease management standards and guidelines

The purpose of the facilities management standards and guidelines is to:

• Assist facilities managers to operate in a proactive way
• Coordinate and monitor the operation and maintenance of property assets in a cost effective manner and proactively manage assets through asset management planning and forecasting
• Operate and support workplaces to be safe, efficient, productive and increases wellbeing for staff
• Ensure that the operation of facilities are in accordance with contractual obligations, legislation and regulations
• Ensure that the operation of facilities are in accordance with contractual obligations outlined within the relevant lease and any contractual obligations with third party providers.

Facilities management standards and guidelines