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Investwell Real Estate Consultancy has announced it has signed a facility and service management contract with LEEDS –TFM to manage its Avalon New Cairo and Avalon New Capital projects.

The contract includes full services and facilities management for the two projects, including maintenance, operation, hygiene, and security services, in addition to,  management of the Quality Health Safety Environment (QHSE).

Moataz Abdel Shafi, Chairperson of W ASSETS, owner of the projects, said that the Avalon New Capital project consists of two integrated services buildings on ​​8,400 sqm in the New Administrative Capital’s (NAC) financial district.

In a press conference held on Monday, Abdel Shafi added that each building comprises a ground floor and seven upper storeys, and is worth total investments of EGP 1.4bn.

He noted that the gross sales area is estimated at 33,000 sqm, and encompasses administrative units of various areas starting from 70 sqm, alongside serviced offices for rent.

Abdel Shafi also revealed that the second phase of the project is currently being offered.

He pointed out that, uniquely, the entire administrative building includes executive offices, which are distinguished by a special reception, a VIP lounge, and a specially designated area for parking.

Sherif Abdel Shafi, Founder and Chairperson of Investwell, which serves as the commercial consultant for the projects, said that the Avalon New Cairo project is scheduled for delivery in June 2023, and work has already started at the site. He added that the first phase, which spans over 11,000 sqm, has sold out.

He pointed out that the second project is Avalon New Cairo. It is a building located in the banks area of the​​ Fifth Settlement in New Cairo. It has the same character as the capital building in terms of distinctive services designed by Distance Studio.

Avalon New Cairo includes a floor for offices, spaces for banks, a café, and units with separate entrances, in addition, floors assigned to multinational companies, Abdel Shafi said.

He noted that it is planned to launch the project by the end of this year, under the management and marketing of Investwell.

The company aims to sell a total area of 20,000 sqm in both projects during 2021, Abdel Shafi concluded.

Climate change has been an issue over the years and the concern has been particularly praised by the growing technology and population. Egypt is one of the fast-growing countries with higher demand for energy required by the growing population and technology. In turn, the Egyptian government has been strategizing to achieve an environmentally sustainable future by pushing the homegrown reforms of structures with the goal of having a sustainable, green, and inclusive private sector economy. Egypt has been at the forefront in creating a predictive policy environment that has allowed the growth of more transparent macroeconomic frameworks which stabilizes the private sector and allows the dialogue between the private and public sectors.

Although the efficiency of energy has not been the main goal in the Egyptian past, it has currently become the highest priority. With the inadequate supply of domestic gas and oil and a public budget that is tough, the Egyptian government has now concluded that energy efficiency needs to be pursued intensively. Egypt has been in search of more information and formulation of frameworks that avails sustainable sources of renewable energy.

Egypt’s efforts towards a greener energy source

To promote green growth, Egypt has been able to promote public-private dialogue and international cooperation. The approach has ensured that public leadership meets the national priorities and objectives and also engages the private sector to promote innovation and growth following the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles.

Egypt has also been able to strengthen partnerships through the creation of a conducive environment for dialogue. To succeed, the international community through Multi-Stakeholder Platforms, launched in April 2020 has been mobilized.

In partnership with the European Investment Bank (EIB), Egypt is renovating Cairo Metro Lines 1 and 3, reducing the number of cars that use the roads. The project aims to connect cities with surrounding rural districts.

Additionally, the partnership with EIB includes the creation of a 200 MW wind farm on the west coast of the Gulf of Suez. This project contributes to supporting Egypt’s reforms on energy and aims to increase shares of renewable energy to approximately 30% by 2030 and promote sustainable growth in the economy of Egypt.

Egypt initiated solar and wind energy in 1986 as the New & Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) was created to access the renewable energy resources of the country and investigate the technology options through the demonstration projects and studies. Egypt has installed the largest capacity wind energy source in Africa.

Egypt also manages the solar power project which was commissioned in Kuraymat in 2010 and is a 140 MW solar thermal cycle power plant to reduce the reliance on finite sources of energy.

Generally, evidence shows that the Egyptian government has pushed for energy diversification strategies, called the Integrated Sustainable Energy Strategy (ISES) to 2035, to ensure the continuous security and stability of the country’s energy supply. This strategy involves the stepping up development of renewable energy and energy efficiency, using vigorous rehabilitation and maintenance program in the power sector.

What should the private sector do to engage with green energy solutions?

Egypt’s private sector can capitalize on promoting green energy alternatives by participating in dialogues and implementing strategies stipulated to promote the use of green energy sources. The environmental objectives include energy efficiency, climate change, and waste management, and managing.

Private sector professionals also need to realize that sustainability is a key variable for operation efficiency on the long run. The increasing green technology has led to the development of industrialization, urbanization, and sophisticated tools that boost economic development.

Urbanization increases human activity on land due to increased construction activities and industrialization. Waste from industries, institutions, and residential areas is a great challenge in urban areas. Therefore, the private sector – in partnership with the public sector – also needs to put in place effective policies and reforms that will help reduce vulnerability to climate change effects by adopting activities that reduce stress on the environment.

Manufacturing companies need to embrace the use of solar panels, battery packs, and other technology products that store power and save energy. Awareness and empowerment need to be promoted in all sectors so that they can reduce fossil fuel use including greenhouse gas emissions and work to embrace sustainable development.

Sustainable development is the main focus of countries despite the challenges of the COVID -19 pandemic. Therefore, to cut the cost of operation and reduce energy use and degradation of the environment in pursuit of sustainability, the public and private sectors need to agree on actionable alternatives including renewable energy sources. The government needs to come up with strategies to design and implement key interventions that are geared to achieve development. Reforms engage various subjects of economy and civil society providing problem-solving techniques, mobilization of stakeholders, and clear communication to promote proper integration of climate change actions and development reforms.

Left unchecked, any small leakage, malfunction, or damage could turn into a health hazard potentially threatening the safety and wellbeing of employees and other individuals present at the workplace. Workplace hazards and injuries are one of the leading causes of preventative liabilities, be it financial, legal, physical and moral in businesses. A business owner has a responsibility towards all his tenants to ensure their wellbeing in order to create a healthy, safe, and productive work environment.  

Compliance with all safety regulations

The first thing a business owner must do is make sure that the workplace is compliant with all safety regulations legislatively set by the country that the office is based in. Every profession, location, or machine that require licenses for legal operation need to have their necessary certifications, constantly renewed and up-to-date with all the requirements.  Operational standards must meet international safety regulations whether in the back-end office space or in operational industrial environment, equipped with heavy machinery. Such safety precautions ensure not only compliance with the state’s safety regulations, but also protect organizations from any legal problems that might occur.

Close safety loopholes with disaster planning

In order to guarantee a safe working environment, a business owner has to know the ins and outs when it comes to potential safety hazards. All potential safety hazards should be audited regularly with elaborate crisis plans in place and most importantly the division of roles in crisis cases, with graphical representation of different potential causes of accidents. It is also advisable to hire an expert company, specialized in health and safety auditing, contracted to classify issues not identified internally.

Availing safety-related communication

Businesses managing construction, drilling and other industrial sites should ensure their personnel are working in a safe environment, with their wellbeing not compromised at any stage of operations. Internal safety regulations need to be clearly communicated through posters and signages. Communication should encompass operational safety best practices and regulations and evacuation plans in cases of fire.

Regular maintenance check ups

Even if a company possesses all safety regulation certifications and even if they ensure their workers’ safety from the minute they clock in till they check out, it is important for the QHSE manager to run regular maintenance checkups for all the electrical and mechanical appliances on premise, as a power burst or a machine malfunction could fatally threaten employees’ wellbeing.

In order to enhance the direct correlation between to productivity and efficiency and workplace safety, business managers must understand safety measures not only from a financial and legal perspective, but also from a moral one.

The Benefits of Outsourcing Facility Management to Experts

Playing the most important role in making business decisions, efficiency has increasingly become the main goal for business owners, yielding great influence over management processes. When it comes to facility management sector, deciding whether to outsource or use in-house staff can be an arduous task.  It might seem attractive at first glance to hire trusted in-house personnel for facility management and operations maintenance, but ultimately business owners might run into some limitations that come with such a decision.

Limitations could be in the form of inefficient knowledge of safety precautions when dealing with dangerous electrical or toxic material, or undermanned cleaning staff and security when managing a huge event. Outsourcing facility management work not only prevents those limitations but also provides organizations with a wide variety of services and skilled labor.

Experienced experts for facility management

One of the many perks when it comes to outsourcing is having a more experienced labor force. Naturally, an outsourced facility management personnel encounters a variety of incidents on various customers’ premises exponentially elevating his expertise to manage crisis incidents smoothly and swiftly. For instance, outsourcing a facility management team entails familiarity with any challenging maintenance matter that can cause business process disruption, based on their encounter in different industries on other customers’ premises. Outsourcing allows business to avoid wasting time and resources, in an attempt to train their own in-house staff to do maintenance work and freeing up their already cramped schedules to pursue other more profitable business endeavors.

Capitalizing on facility management’s flexible offerings

Because there is no one size fits all, another outsourcing advantage is the variety and flexibility it offers. Facility management outsourcing offers a stretched spectrum of services that address customers’ specific business needs, only a phone call or an email away.  In a hypothetical situation where an electrical meltdown causes the ventilation system to malfunction, a contracting company can quickly deliver a technician team equipped with both electrical management and ventilation maintenance skills, rather than looking for separate expert for each event.  

Facility management offers an opportunity for scalability

Outsourcing facility management does not only mean that an organization will get more quality for less money and time, but also can capitalize on swift scalability upon changing business needs without being concerned with resource management. When business requirements mandate resource contraction, facility management offering scope can be flexibly and swiftly adjusted to new business needs.

While it might seem more attractive to use your own trusted staff when it comes to facility management, no matter how much money, resources, and time a business owner might put into training, it will remain challenging to fulfill all facility management requirements with in-house resources.