by Brianna Crandall — April 13, 2016—The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) announced yesterday a landmark collaboration that promises to transform the U.S. $1 trillion global facilities management (FM) industry. By joining strategic resources, they expect to create an unprecedented level of industry support to meet growing demands from the 25 million FM practitioners around the world, as well as launch a single and compelling career pathway into the FM profession.
Over recent years, the FM industry has advanced in stature and evolved into an increasingly strategic discipline. IFMA and RICS research has empirically demonstrated the tangible advantages of effective facilities management, ranging from improved productivity and cost savings to energy efficiency and employee well-being. As established leaders offering extensive resources to practitioners across the built environment, IFMA and RICS have come together in collaboration to further develop and professionalize the field of facilities management.
Even as the industry has attained increased status and prominence, the global professional community that has pioneered much of this advance has suffered through fragmented support, according to a RICS survey of professionals across six continents. The IFMA-RICS collaboration will seek to address this by providing strong global leadership and the tools needed to harness the power of strategic FM services.
The collaboration will also seek to address the current shortage of FM professionals in the workforce.
The goals of the IFMA-RICS collaboration include:
- Advancing global knowledge sharing and cohesion within the FM community
- Expanding the existing informational and networking infrastructure for members of both organizations
- Unifying the FM career path through both IFMA credentials and RICS qualifications
- Incorporating FM trends and best practices into a more comprehensive picture of the built environment
- Encouraging graduates and young professionals to select careers in FM
- Asserting the strategic value of FM to business in order to further elevate the profession
The IFMA-RICS collaboration will be shaped over time, but initially will leverage both organizations’ existing resources in education, research, conferences and events, and external relations. IFMA and RICS will also work together to align credentials and qualifications to shape a single FM career path with demonstrable professional status that is recognized and respected globally.
RICS professionals who have qualified in FM will automatically receive IFMA member benefits. In turn, IFMA members and credential holders will be enabled to attain RICS professional qualification and benefit from RICS’ international standards and global professional network.
IFMA
U.S.-based IFMA supports 24,000 members in 105 countries. The association’s members, represented in 134 chapters and 17 councils worldwide, manage more than 37 billion square feet of property and annually purchase more than $100 billion in products and services. Formed in 1980, IFMA certifies professionals in facilities management, conducts research, provides educational programs, and produces the World Workplace FM conference and exposition.
RICS
U.K.-based RICS promotes and enforces the highest professional qualifications and standards in the development and management of land, real estate, construction and infrastructure, accrediting 118,000 professionals. With offices covering the major political and financial centers of the world, RICS is ideally placed to influence policy and embed professional standards. The organization works at a cross-governmental level, delivering international standards that will support a safe and vibrant marketplace for the benefit of all.
