Third‐wave Internet in facilities management

Superlatives abound when talking about the impact of the Internet in business. Facilities management is no exception. However, simply becoming Internet enabled is not enough for facilities management firms. The Internet itself is undergoing a process of perpetual renewal. Firms already have Internet based systems that are obsolete. Systems have passed through a first phase of static delivery, through to dynamic delivery and we are now witnessing the emergence of intelligent delivery. This will result in an Internet environment that can be interpreted by machines (agents) as well as humans. This paper attempts to shed some light on this evolution. The author considers the groundswell of activity that is likely to take place as facilities management addresses the virtual value chain as well as the physical value chain. The discussion in the paper is based in the research explored in a forthcoming book Net Gain in Construction.