by Brianna Crandall — February 28, 2018 — The way that a building is operated and maintained will have a huge influence on user satisfaction and on its environmental impact and running costs, points out UK-based building services engineers group CIBSE. Property/facilities managers are the professionals responsible for ensuring the successful operation and maintenance of a building. But how does a facilities manager (FM) demonstrate their competence to operate and maintain the buildings?
A new guide published by CIBSE sets out to raise awareness of the issue and get the industry talking about competence and competency, focusing on the management of building engineering systems in operational buildings. The document, CIBSE Knowledge Series (KS) 21: Competency and competency management systems in facilities management, details the journey individuals and organizations need to look inwards and determine how to maintain and manage competency by linking it to job roles, of human resources and talent management.
Geoff Prudence, chair of CIBSE Facilities Management Group, stated:
Providing leadership in competency is key to the successful operation of buildings. CIBSE’s new guidance provides a framework for embedding that leadership in any organization.
All organizations will benefit from implementing an FM competency management system. This document aims to demonstrate how to review and apply effective management of competency in organizations of all sizes, including large corporate bodies.
Jo Harris, author of KS21 and committee member of CIBSE Facilities Management Group, added:
In facilities management we need competent people, as facilities management is a people business. Ensuring competence protects users of buildings, owners, service providers and the engineers themselves.
The publication fills a significant gap in the range of publications produced by CIBSE and augments guidance currently available, says the group. It is not intended as a definitive work, nor is it a model solution to achieve and maintain competency in every case. It is, however, a useful guide for building owners, maintainers and operators, and FMs as to how they can demonstrate the effective management of individual competency and in so doing contribute to corporate competency.
To find out more about CIBSE Knowledge Series KS21: Competency and competency management systems in facilities management, or to purchase a copy of the document, visit the CIBSE Web site.
