Contract wins and renewals for the past year at integrated facilities management company Emrill have totalled over $135 million, a new record for the UAE-based entity.
A statement from Emrill said the record figures follow a string of top contract wins, including the Bulgari Residence, Mansions and Resort, Marina Gate 1, The Hills, Town Square Dubai and La Mer, totalling $67m and featuring a broad range of industry sectors such as aviation, master communities, retail, industrial and residential projects.
Alex Davies, managing director of the company, which has operations in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi and nearly 8,000 directly employed staff, attributed the results, among other factors, to the company’s ‘Value Partnerships’ model which has gained traction this year and is paying dividends to all stakeholders and end-users.
“Essentially, we view clients as partners where there’s a shared responsibility for strategic business outcomes. This is central to our overarching mission to create great places to live, work, and visit. Ultimately, our partners’ success is our own triumph and this approach has resulted in record high levels of client satisfaction and retention with over 80% of our new contract wins coming from existing clients,” Davies said.
According to Emrill, renewals totalling $68m resulted from a range of existing commercial contracts, including: DC Aviation Al Futtaim at DWC, Dubai Airport – Terminal 3 and Anantara Hotel Resorts and Spas. Residential contract renewals included well-known towers, such as Dubai Marina Towers, Princess Tower and 23 Marina.
Sally Harrison, head of work winning and business development, added: “We are very pleased with this result which is a credit to the ongoing efforts across the business, but of course there is still room to further grow our market share. The facilities management industry in the UAE is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 8.51% through to 2021 and we are certainly experiencing the positive effects of an enlarging market as the UAE built environment continues to grow in scale.
“Although we are observing some price pressure in certain market segments, overall client feedback is that service quality and FM innovation and sustainability initiatives are still important factors when selecting FM providers.
“Our range of award-winning sustainability initiatives, such as the Emrill Energy Performance Contract delivering energy savings of up to 26% and our Community Water Leakage Reduction Initiative, which reduces unnecessary water leakages by up to 70%, are proving to be important value-adds for our partners. They are also effective cost offsets that can reduce overall operating overheads. Commercially, these innovations create a win-win situation and critically it’s better for the environment.”
Davies added: “At Emrill, our mission is ultimately to create a sense of place. Through innovation, digital transformation and constantly investing in training and up-skilling our people, we aim to redefine the UAE facilities management experience by firmly keeping client value partnerships and the end-user experience at the core of our value proposition. This ensures we are able to create and consistently deliver great places to live, work and visit, while serving the greater good by supporting economic growth in the UAE and promoting the country’s reputation as a world class business hub and tourist destination.”