by Brianna Crandall — May 14, 2014—The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) has been recognized by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) as a provider of professional credentials that are in alignment with the requirements of the Federal Buildings Personnel Training Act (FBPTA). The FBPTA, which was signed into law in 2010, directed the GSA to establish performance requirements for FM professionals responsible for the operation of federal facilities, acknowledging for the first time in code the critical role of facilities management, points out IFMA.
With more than 500,000 facilities around the world—including courthouses, embassies, zoos, museums, ranger stations and more—the U.S. federal government is said to be the largest property owner in the world. To account for the wide variety of facility types, locations and functions, GSA identified 232 performances FM professionals will need in order to perform key job functions while running federal facilities.
IFMA’s three world-renowned credentials were found to be significantly aligned with these 232 performances. The Certified Facility Manager (CFM) credential program covers 144 of the identified performances. The Facility Management Professional (FMP) covers 76, and the Sustainability Facility Professional (SFP) covers 31 specifically geared toward skills needed to minimize environmental impacts. These industry-leading credentials will be part of every federal agency’s compliance strategy.
Many of these functions are already included in IFMA’s professional development program. Since 1992, the CFM has reportedly been the main certification for facilities management. It covers 11 competency areas identified by IFMA’s Global Job Task Analysis, which defines the body of knowledge that constitutes facility management while shaping the industry’s educational landscape. This study also directly impacts IFMA’s other credentials, the Facility Management Professional and Sustainability Facility Professional.
Each of these competency areas, listed in alphabetical order below, encompasses multiple performances identified by GSA under its core competencies list:
- Communication
- Emergency Preparedness and Business Continuity
- Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability
- Finance and Business
- Human Factors
- Leadership and Strategy
- Operations and Maintenance
- Project Management
- Quality
- Real Estate and Property Management
- Technology
For more information about IFMA’s credential programs, visit the organization’s Web site.
