Issues and challenges of maintenances works for Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) student accommodation under private finance initiative

Abstract

The Ministry of Higher Education has decided to use the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) concept for the development of Public University student accommodation as an effort to reduce the financial burden on the Government and to ensure the projects development to be completed on time as stipulated in contract and all developments risk shall be borne solely by the Concession. Upon project handover, the Asset Management Services (AMS) shall start until the end of the concession period. During AMS period, lack of guideline on how to monitor maintenance works has led to some important components or criteria in the maintenance aspect is ignored. The objective of this study are to determine user satisfaction on hostel facilities maintained by concessionaire, to identify critical issues and challenges in AMS period and to develop maintenance checklist for critical services during AMS period. Hundred (100) questionnaires sets using five point Likert scale method were collected while six (6) respondents involved in interview session. Collected data were analyzed using frequency distribution, average index and content analysis method. Based on the findings, occupant agreed and satisfied with the hostel facilities maintained by the concessionaire. Three (3) services has been identified namely landscape, electricity and Wi-Fi services as critical issues in maintenance works during AMS period. The findings also show that procurement management, others item and failure of maintenance strategies become one of the major issues and challenges faced by the Government and the concessionaire. In order to improve the performance of maintenance works, maintenance checklist has been proposed that can be considered in any Government project on student accommodation.