DMA Digest November 2025
We believe good stories are worth sharing, especially when they show how we’re making buildings work better.
Welcome to the latest DMA Digest – your inside look at how we’re improving performance, driving innovation, and making buildings work better. From our evolving BiO® platform to new energy projects and customer experience updates, here’s what’s been happening across DMA.
What's Inside?
It’s been a busy and rewarding few months at DMA, with service improvement, growth, and customer experience at the forefront of everything we’re doing.
In this edition, we’re sharing some of the developments shaping what’s next for DMA and our customers:
- BiO® – Powering the Next Chapter: We’re transforming our in-house platform into a Service as a Software (SaaS) product, launching first to our customers who helped shape it.
- BRAVO Scheme: How our new recognition framework is driving sharper accountability, faster service, and stronger partnerships.
- Customer Experience: Meet Nichola Gofford, our new Customer Experience Manager, and see how your feedback has driven real improvements.
- Service Partner Rating System: Now live and appearing in customer reports, giving greater visibility of performance across our network.
- Energy & Sustainability Projects: From community hospitals to leisure centres, we’re delivering real carbon and cost savings for our customers.
- Projects Update: Highlights from recent completions at UCL and QMUL, demonstrating our capability in complex, live environments.
- COMING SOON – New BiO® Compliance Dashboard: Designed with input from our customers, this new dashboard offers a clear, simplified view of asset compliance with faster access to the issues that matter. Masterclass workshops are on the way – watch your inbox for an invite.
- Upcoming Events: join us at emex London 2025, where Steve McGregor will speak on the New Hospital Programme panel.
We’re proud of the progress we’re making and the partnerships driving it. As always, thank you for being part of our journey. We hope you enjoy this latest insight into how we’re making buildings work better.
Company Update
BiO® is Powering the Next Chapter
We’re entering an exciting new chapter at DMA. Seven years of transformation have led to this moment. BiO® is about to take its next leap; we’re preparing to launch BiO® as a Service as a Software in early 2026!
Built entirely in-house, BiO® has been the engine of our digital transformation, driving how we plan, deliver, and report on every aspect of facilities management. It’s transformed DMA into a faster, smarter, and more transparent business, where data, automation, and accountability sit at the heart of every decision.
Now, we’re taking the next step: sharing BiO® beyond DMA. By offering our platform as a service, we’ll enable our customers to benefit from the same real-time visibility, efficiency gains, and performance insights that have helped us raise standards across the FM industry.
This isn’t the end of our journey – It’s the next evolution of how we make buildings smarter.
You can read more about our digital transformation and the story behind BiO® in our blog post.
BRAVO!
Rewarding Excellence, Delivery Results
Great service starts with great people. That’s why this year we launched BRAVO. BRAVO is our new company-wide recognition and accountability framework to keep our teams motivated, measured, and focused on what matters most to our customers.
What this means for our customers is that it directly translates into better service, stronger relationships, and measurable results:
- Sharper accountability
- Engaged teams, better service
- Aligned with customer goals
- Continuous improvement
- Stronger, lasting partnerships
We are your partner that’s motivated, responsive, and focused on delivering measurable results.
Welcoming Customer Experience Manager Nichola (Nic) Gofford
You may have already seen this exciting news…
We recently announced that Nichola (Nic) Gofford has joined DMA Group as our new Customer Experience Manager.
Nic joins us with a wealth of experience in customer relationship management and service delivery, and she’ll be focused on ensuring every customer receives an exceptional experience – from first contact through to ongoing support.
Her appointment reflects our continued investment in customer satisfaction and our commitment to building stronger, more transparent relationships with the organisations we serve.
”DMA’s customer-first approach really stood out to me. I’m excited to work with such a dedicated team that genuinely cares about delivering value and making buildings work better.
Customer Experience & Satisfaction
Your Feedback, Driving Real Change
Since our last NPS survey, we’ve taken important steps to improve the customer experience, building on your feedback to make it easier and faster to work with us.
We’ve strengthened our Customer Service team with new expertise dedicated to improving communication, responsiveness, and overall satisfaction. Alongside this, we’ve introduced several process improvements designed to ensure faster response times, clearer updates, and more proactive support across every contract.
Your feedback also helped us identify opportunities to improve planning, communication, and speed of response, and we’ve acted on each.
There have also been some key improvements within our Remedials function. We’ve now categorised remedials into High, Medium, and Low priorities to ensure that critical issues are resolved quickly and efficiently, and we’ve simplified BiO®’s Compliance Dashboard, making it easier to see the status of asset compliance and to action remedials that need attention.
Service Partner Management
It’s been a busy and rewarding time for our Service Partner team, with several improvements aimed at strengthening relationships, enhancing collaboration, and improving the customer experience.
Over the past few months, we’ve continued to develop and strengthen our relationships with both long-standing and new Service Partners. These partnerships are fundamental to delivering high-quality, consistent service to our customers, and we’re proud of the progress being made. Regular performance reviews and more collaborative engagement have built a stronger sense of shared accountability and understanding.
A key part of these meetings has been the introduction of our Service Partner Rating System, which guides conversations and focuses on key performance areas. This structured approach has encouraged valuable two-way feedback, helping to identify what’s working well and where improvements can be made in real time.
These changes are creating a stronger, more connected network, and better results for every customer.
Energy Services Update
Smarter Buildings, Lower Carbon, Better Value
We’re helping customers cut carbon and cost. Our recent blog series on lowering carbon emissions was written with Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) in mind, highlighting practical ways to reduce energy use, cut costs, and support sustainability goals. However, the fundamental messaging, around improving building efficiency, lowering emissions, and making data-driven sustainability decisions, applies equally across every sector we work in. Whether it’s in education, healthcare, commercial, or residential environments, the same principles of smarter maintenance, better energy management, and long-term value creation remain central to making buildings work more effectively.
Powering a Greener Future: DMA’s Impact on Energy Efficiency
From community hospitals and leisure centres to housing associations, we’re helping public sector organisations cut energy use, costs, and carbon emissions.
Some of our more recent projects include:
- Five Villages – Solar PV and battery systems saving £6,500 annually and cutting 38.2 tCO₂
- Rye Leisure Centre – Solar power reducing grid dependence to 64% and saving £8,300 in just four months.
- The Hub on Rye Hill – £18,000 in savings and 54.7 tCO₂e cut since installation.
- Rye & Winchelsea Memorial Hospital – A flagship project delivering 474.5 MWh in energy savings and setting the standard for sustainable healthcare as the UK’s first carbon neutral community hospital.
Together, these projects have generated over 400 MWh of clean energy and saved more than 109,000 tCO₂e — equivalent to powering 137,000 homes for a year.
You can read the full report by clicking the button below.
We’re also proud to be supporting the transition to lower-carbon leisure facilities through two major energy-efficiency schemes currently in delivery.
At Larkfield Leisure Centre, our 56-week project is transforming the site’s heating infrastructure, replacing gas boilers with new Air Source Heat Pumps and constructing a dedicated EDF transformer substat
Meanwhile, at Cygnet Leisure Centre, a 12-week plant upgrade is enhancing energy performance and reducing carbon emissions. Both projects are progressing on programme and form part of DMA’s ongoing commitment to helping our customers operate more sustainable buildings.
Projects Update
Our Projects team continues to deliver a strong pipeline of complex schemes across the education and leisure sectors, combining technical excellence with reliable, on-programme performance.
University College London (UCL)
At UCL, we’ve recently completed several key projects, including Phase 1 of the refurbishment at the Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, which saw the successful installation of new biological cleaning equipment areas and an upgrade to the AHU plant. Works were delivered on time and to the highest standard.
We also completed the Bioscience Unit mechanical and fabric replacement and laboratory fit-out project, which has now passed Home Office inspection and has been officially reopened.
This challenging project within in a live and fully functioning academic and research building was expertly delivered by Project Manager Mathew Warne and Site Manager Graham Shaw, with the ethos of ‘Safety First’ at the forefront of every aspect of the project delivery.
The opening ceremony held on the 16th October was attended by Ian McGregor our Chief Operations Officer of the Projects and Engineering team (pictured right, with Professor John O’Keefe FRS FMedSci left). Professor O’Keefe has won multiple prestigious awards during his distinguished career, including Nobel Prize in 2014. During his speech, John personally mentioned Matthew and Graham and praised them for their efforts and dedication to delivering this amazing project that will allow him and his team to continue with research for many years to come.
Queen Mary University of London (QMUL)
At QMUL’s Fogg Building, the 28-week district heating upgrade, which removed gas boilers and connected the system to the campus heating network, has been delivered on time and on budget. The accompanying 36-week fire alarm replacement project is also well underway.
”This project is a great demonstration of DMA’s capability to deliver highly technical works in complex, live environments. Our team approached every stage with precision and care to ensure the safety of all building users and the successful delivery of the refurbishment. We’re proud to have played a part in enhancing UCL’s facilities to support its ongoing world-class research.
Ian McGregorCOO Projects & Engineering, DMA Group
Customer Workshops
Building Our New Compliance Dashboard Together
Since our last newsletter, we’ve continued to run interactive workshops with customers to shape BiO, including our new Compliance Dashboard.
What’s new? A clear, simplified view of asset compliance with faster access to the issues that matter and the actions to take next. It’s designed hand-in-hand with customers to support real-world estate strategies.
What we’ve been exploring together
- How you want to capture, update, and report asset and service data.
- Linking asset condition to planned and reactive maintenance.
- Whole-life cost visibility across portfolios.
- Day-to-day operations: managing direct labour, streamlining work allocation, and getting a real-time view of performance.
- Turning BiO®’s reporting into actionable insights for senior leaders.
Built From Your Feedback
Want to be part of the journey?
We’re hosting customer masterclass workshops to help you get the most out of the new dashboard and to continue improving it together. If you’d like to join a session or are not yet a customer but are struggling with legacy systems or multiple contractors, we’d love to hear your perspective.
Please get in touch with Rob Tate at rob.tate@dma-group.co.uk to arrange a session.
(BiO® is preparing to launch “as a service” in early 2026, with early access for existing customers.)
Events
emex London 2025
We’re delighted to share that our Executive Chairman, Steve McGregor, will be a panellist on the New Hospital Programme session at emex London 2025.
What is emex?
emex 2025 is being held over the 19-20th November at ExCeL London and is the UK’s leading energy management and net zero event. It brings together top leaders and innovators across four dedicated stages: Energy & Carbon Management, Sustainability & Net Zero, Energy Future & Flexible Networks, and Smart Buildings & Built Environment. This year’s agenda will tackle the realities of decarbonisation, the role of AI and smart tech, the business case for sustainable buildings, and how organisations can unlock long-term value from energy efficiency and flexible networks.
Steve will contribute to the debate: “Can the UK’s New Hospital Programme Deliver?” and will be exploring how policy can be turned into hospitals that truly work for patients, staff, and communities. With funding now secured, the discussion will focus on the challenges of cost pressures, skills shortages, sustainability, and collaboration.
Drawing on DMA Group’s healthcare estates experience, including our role in helping Rye, Winchelsea & District Memorial Hospital become the UK’s first net zero community hospital, Steve will bring an FM and sustainability perspective to the panel.
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LinkedIn Network
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Inside DMA on YouTube
We’re now on YouTube! Here, we bring you exclusive interviews with the talented makers and shakers behind DMA. Our channel is designed to provide an insider’s perspective on our team’s creativity, passion, and dedication to innovation. We feature key individuals who shape our organisation, exploring their insights, experiences, and the driving forces behind our projects. It’s the collaborative spirit that fuels our success!
