Structures of maintenance organisations in Malaysian universities

The size of university maintenance organisation depends on the size of the university and the procurement strategy the university uses for the maintenance services. The absence of a well-structured maintenance organisation leads to poor service delivery, unnecessary increases in maintenance costs and increases in maintenance backlogs. However, there are many complaints in the media and research literature concerning the performance of university buildings in Malaysia. This paper aims to investigate and describe the maintenance organisations of universities in Malaysia. The survey questionnaire conducted indicates that most universities in Malaysia outsource their maintenance services. However, there is a need for organisational changes in maintenance service delivery in order to shift towards value added initiatives. The paper concludes with the recommendation that those occupying top management roles in the maintenance organisation who do not possess knowledge of maintenance should return to university to obtain degrees in maintenance or related disciplines.