Germany - SPIE continues to manage the premises of the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin on behalf of BImA

Berlin, 4 September 2024 – SPIE, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications, has received an early contract extension from the Institute for Federal Real Estate (BImA) for the operation in the premises of the Foreign Office in Berlin for the next five years. SPIE has served this customer for almost 20 years and is responsible for technical facility management for nearly all of the building services systems on the property, where close to 3,000 people work.

High level of professional expertise and years of experience

SPIE Deutschland & Zentraleuropa continues to manage the complex building technology of the federal agency, which has a usable area of approximately 186,000 square metres. In addition to ensuring the seamless operation of the building management system, the scope of services includes the maintenance, inspection and repair of air conditioning systems, cooling, lift, door, sprinkler, backup power, electrical, heating and sanitation systems, as well as metering, control and regulation technology. The multi-technical service provider also ensures round-the-clock on-call availability 365 days a year.

The 21-member team, led by project manager Stefan Fürl from SPIE’s Efficient Facilities operational division, meets the customer’s high standards for ensuring the continuous availability of technical systems by acting with unrivalled flexibility, speed and skill. The team’s long-standing local and systems expertise also plays a key role. “Our in-depth knowledge of the Foreign Office’s processes and systems, combined with our commitment to excellence and extensive experience, ensures the federal agency’s infrastructure operates reliably,” says Stefan Fürl. “Our high level of in-house expertise is particularly noteworthy, with over 70% of repairs at this site being carried out internally. Our on-site staff have the interdisciplinary skills to provide comprehensive support for almost any technical building system,” adds Karsten Prietz, the responsible site manager from the Efficient Facilities operational division. Each year, the SPIE team at the Foreign Office handles approximately 3,200 tasks, around 1,000 of which arise from daily operations.

Collaboration built on trust and solution orientation

“Our employees are deeply committed to their work at one of Germany’s largest ministries. SPIE is more than just a service provider. We’re a solution partner that continually adapts to current customer requirements to deliver bespoke solutions,” says Falk Fickert, Branch Manager for the Northern Region in the Efficient Facilities operational division. For example, the SPIE team at the Foreign Office develops proposals to reduce energy consumption, devises appropriate metering concepts and adjusts lighting schedules and temperatures based on actual demand. Staff members also assist in converting traditional lighting to LED technology. In 2023, these optimisation measures resulted in energy savings of approximately 550,000 kWh (kilowatt hours).

The long-term collaboration and early contract extension demonstrate the high satisfaction of both the property user and the customer with SPIE’s performance. “We are delighted that our customer has chosen to extend the existing contract ahead of schedule for another five years due to our long-standing collaboration built on trust, high reliability and service orientation,” says Rainer Hollang, Member of the Management Board of SPIE Deutschland & Zentraleuropa and Managing Director of SPIE Efficient Facilities GmbH.