A SERVQUAL-based framework for assessing facilities management service quality in Malaysian government office buildings

Effective facilities management (FM) is vital for sustaining government office buildings. Despite significant government spending and established KPIs, user satisfaction remains underexplored, as current evaluations overlook qualitative aspects. Assessing FM service quality is complex, influenced by diverse stakeholder expectations and service delivery challenges. Therefore, this study aims to develop a framework for assessing the quality of FM services in Malaysian government office buildings using the SERVQUAL approach. Employing a mixed-methods design, the study first identifies relevant FM service quality dimensions and evaluates their applicability to current practices. It then examines the relationship between these dimensions and end-user satisfaction, where cause-effect relationships are tested through hypotheses, resulting in a validated framework. Data collection was carried out in three stages. Stage 1 involved preliminary semi-structured interviews with end-users, facility managers, and verifiers from the Public Works Department to confirm the study direction. Stage 2 used a questionnaire survey targeting government office occupants to assess their perceived and expected service levels. Buildings were selected based on specific criteria, including FM service scope, office designation, location in Klang Valley and Putrajaya, a minimum contract period of six months, building size (50,000m² to 100,000m²), and satisfaction scores below 80%. Gap analysis revealed shortcomings in service quality dimensions—reliability (-0.218), responsiveness (-0.183), assurance (-0.160), empathy (-0.175), and tangibility (-0.214). Results showed that reliability, responsiveness, tangibility, and assurance significantly influence end-user satisfaction, while empathy showed no significant correlation (0.299). In the second phase of Stage 2, SmartPLS 4.0 was used to assess the reliability and validity of the measurement model, with the SRMR score within the acceptable threshold (0.059). In Stage 3, FM experts from the Public Works Department and academia validated and endorsed the framework. This study refines the SERVQUAL model for FM applications and provides insights into service quality challenges in the Malaysian public sector.