by Brianna Crandall — August 30, 2013—The British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) announced on August 27 that it has decided to withdraw from the merger discussions it had been conducting with three closely related U.K. organizations: the Facilities Management Association (FMA), the Cleaning and Support Services Association (CSSA), and Asset Skills, the U.K. sector skills council for FM, housing, property, cleaning and parking.
After careful and thorough consideration of the potential merger, the BIFM board of directors concluded on August 22 that the current merger plans were not in the best interest of BIFM and its members at this time, although it did not preclude future discussions on the subject. Gareth Tancred, chief executive of the BIFM, said, “The Board’s first priority is to ensure decisions such as these are in best interest of its members. Right now it has been decided that we must focus on the delivery of our strategy and continuing our current success.
“This does not rule out any future discussions about merger and acquisition opportunities and nor does it rule out working with other like-minded bodies for the benefit of our members, the FM profession and the wider support services industry. Anything that serves to strengthen the representation of our industry and its services must be a good thing, and BIFM wishes to support Asset Skills, CSSA and FMA and we look forward to working with them in their future endeavors. But we do not believe the involvement of BIFM in this merger is right for the Institute at the current time. This is a difficult decision, but it has been taken for the best interests of our organization and its members.”
In response to the BIFM withdrawal, Asset Skills, CSSA and FMA expressed disappointment in the decision, but announced that the three parties are now accelerating their plans to merge and to provide “a more consolidated voice and greater benefits both for corporate and individual members,” according to Richard Sykes, Chairman of the FMA and chair of the merger group steering committee.
Sarah Bentley, Chief Executive of Asset Skills, commented, “Through our ongoing consultation with industry we have developed plans, which fall into the following core areas: sector skills education, supported by the delivery of training, and a membership offering, delivered by a trade body. Together this offering will enable the merged body to drive and shape the industry’s future. We are all still really excited going forward, as we plan to meet the needs of employers and offer them the guidance and representation which they require.”
