Opening a new facility is only half of the battle. Ensuring it operates efficiently for years to come is where the real challenge begins. Too often development teams and facility managers work in silos, leading to gaps that create operational headaches, hidden costs and long-term inefficiencies.
An owner’s representative can play a critical role in bridging that divide, aligning project delivery with day-to-day operational realities. Senior editor Dan Hounsell recently spoke with Jake Zwaagstra, CEO of real estate development firm TriCelta Development, on the ways an owner’s representative serves as a partner to facility managers by helping translate design decisions into lasting performance, risk reduction and long-term value.
FacilitiesNet: How does an owner’s representative help bridge the gap between development teams and facility managers, especially in the early stages of a project?
Jake Zwaagstra: An owner’s representative brings facility managers into the conversation at the outset of a project, ensuring their operational expertise informs key decisions before they become costly or difficult to change. An owner’s representative works early on to map out the operations and maintenance team’s structure, skillsets and vendor relationships so the project is designed with the realities of day-to-day management in mind.
This approach includes reviewing design choices, such as equipment selection, floor plan layouts and circulation paths through the lens of long-term usability to prevent added service burdens or future knowledge gaps. An owner’s representative also helps facilitate communication between development teams and facility managers, ensuring the perspectives and day-to-day realities for front desk staff, maintenance crews and administrators are factored into design decisions.
FacilitiesNet: What strategies are most effective for improving collaboration between facility teams and development professionals?
Zwaagstra: One of the most effective strategies is early engagement with an owner’s representative. The sooner an owner’s representative is brought in to guide the process, the greater an impact they can make. When involved early, an owner’s representative can document operational pain points, translate them into actionable requirements and align current operations and future project goals. This early collaboration ensures that development decisions are grounded in day-to-day operational realities rather than assumptions, and it reduces the risk of misaligned expectations or costly redesigns later.
Structured communication and regular checkpoints further strengthen collaboration. Establishing a clear framework for updates, reviews and approvals allows all stakeholders to stay informed and accountable throughout the project lifecycle. Early and continuous engagement also enables proactive problem-solving so potential challenges can be addressed before they escalate into delays or inefficiencies.
FacilitiesNet: How can early involvement of an owner’s representative help prevent future headaches for facility managers?
Zwaagstra: Facility managers achieve the best outcomes when contractors and design teams are fully informed of operational requirements and translate them into workable solutions. The challenge is making sure those requirements are clearly communicated, understood, and applied throughout the project.
This is where a seasoned owner’s representative makes all the difference. Their communication skills are critical in connecting stakeholders, resolving conflicts and keeping the project on track. An owner’s representative will ensure that all operational requirements are captured and communicated, that design details are buildable and that procurement and installation plans account for long-term maintainability.
For example, when our firm works with hotel developers, one key strategy we always implement is the creation of model rooms. Not only are model rooms helpful in gauging guest feedback regarding aesthetic choices. They also are crucial in evaluating efficiencies for maintenance, facilities, and IT teams.
Once the model room is set up, we send the facilities team in to evaluate their needs. Can they navigate the vacuum easily around the bed? Are there enough outlets to reach every corner of the room? Is there room to place a cleaning cart? We also send in the maintenance teams to place access panels in the most convenient locations for future needs.
By anticipating potential pain points, facilitating communication between disparate teams and reviewing critical details before construction begins, owner’s representatives help set the team up for success from day one.
FacilitiesNet: What common disconnects, risks or hidden costs tend to arise between development plans and long-term facility management goals? How can an owner’s representative help align objectives?
Zwaagstra: Disconnects can arise around equipment that is difficult to maintain, emergency systems that are hard to access and gaps in operational training and documentation. These issues can create hidden costs and risks for facility teams once the building is turned over.
An owner’s representative helps close these gaps by embedding emergency readiness and maintainability into every stage of planning. That means ensuring emergency shutoffs and disconnects are accessible, specifying equipment that matches the facility team’s capabilities and verifying that vendor separation, clearance zones and servicing protocols are built into the design.
An owner’s representative also can collaborate with facility groups to align preferred vendors, confirm preventive maintenance schedules and establish a post-handover knowledge base with clear standard operating procedures.
FacilitiesNet: What best practices ensure design decisions support long-term performance and efficiency?
Zwaagstra: Clear documentation of needs, equipment alignment and formal plan sign-offs keep everyone on the same page during delivery and after turnover. Through this process, an owner’s representative can record every decision, communicate updates to all stakeholders, integrate requirements into design packages and follow a regular review cadence to ensure there are no surprises.
We conduct robust staff training sessions, which are then recorded and provided to the operations team for use when new employees are brought on. The training sessions outline a step-by-step process for all operational elements of the property. We align this with the operations and maintenance manual and as-built drawings to ensure that maintenance teams are fully equipped to address any situation that might arise.
FacilitiesNet: How does an owner’s representative help manage risk throughout a facility’s lifecycle?
Zwaagstra: Engaging an owner’s representative early is key. From initial programming through project closeout, they ensure every decision prioritizes the owner’s interests and mitigates risk. Owner’s representatives act as an extension of the ownership team, translating goals into actionable strategies, holding stakeholders accountable and maintaining transparency throughout the process.
During planning and construction, they proactively identify risks, validate budgets and schedules, assemble the right team and ensure the design aligns with operational expectations. Post-construction, the involvement of an owner’s representative in commissioning, warranty tracking and turnover documentation ensures the facility operates as intended while avoiding costly inefficiencies. This oversight lays the foundation for long-term performance, minimizes lifecycle costs and maximizes asset value.
Successfully delivering a new facility is just the first step. Ensuring it operates safely, efficiently and sustainably over the long term requires foresight, coordination and expertise. By bridging the gap between development teams and facility managers, an owner’s representative can ensure that design and construction decisions reflect operational realities, mitigate risks and support lasting performance.
From early planning through post-construction turnover, their proactive involvement reduces hidden costs, prevents operational headaches and positions facilities for long-term success, transforming a completed project into a high-performing, resilient asset.
Dan Hounsell is senior editor for the facilities market. He has more than 30 years of experience writing about facilities maintenance, engineering and management.
