ASSESSMENT OF FACILITY MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT IN BANKING INSTITUTIONS (A CASE STUDY OF HERITAGE BANK, IBADAN).

Purpose: Facility management has increasingly become a strategic function for commercial institutions in Nigeria, particularly in the banking sector, where service reliability and customer trust are paramount. However, many banks continue to operate with inadequate maintenance planning, overreliance on reactive approaches, and limited integration of digital tools. This study aims to examine the facility maintenance practices at Heritage Bank, Ibadan, identify the types of maintenance management employed, and assess the key barriers undermining effective facility maintenance performance.

Design/methodology/approach: Adopting a case study design, the research covered all ten employees of the bank branch, ensuring a census of both facility staff and operational staff to capture diverse perspectives. Data were collected using structured questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and direct observation, while analysis combined descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, and mean scores) with thematic analysis for qualitative responses.

Findings: Findings reveal that while routine and preventive maintenance practices exist, the bank relies heavily on reactive strategies, with 80% of respondents confirming that repairs are often triggered only after breakdowns or complaints. Predictive maintenance is applied in some cases (mean = 3.60), but the absence of sensor-based or digital systems limits its effectiveness. The study also shows weak employee awareness of maintenance policies (mean = 2.20), minimal management prioritisation (mean = 2.40), and poor adoption of technology (mean = 2.00) in tracking maintenance activities. Key barriers identified include communication gaps (mean = 3.80), delays in procurement (mean = 3.80), and poor planning and scheduling (mean = 3.60), alongside reliance on external contractors and budgetary constraints.

Research limitations/Implications: Limitations include the use of one banking institution in the study area. Study provides valuable implications for commercial banks in Nigeria seeking to align facility management with competitiveness, sustainability, and regulatory compliance.

Practical implications: The study recommends that strengthening proactive and predictive maintenance, improving interdepartmental communication, digitising facility management systems, and building in-house technical capacity are essential to enhancing operational reliability and customer satisfaction.

Originality/value: The study concludes that while Heritage Bank demonstrates some structured maintenance efforts, its practices remain constrained by systemic inefficiencies, weak managerial involvement, and low technological adoption.