World-renowned FM and real estate thought leaders launch landmark collaboration

The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) have announced a landmark collaboration which promises to transform the $1 trillion global facility management (FM) industry. By joining strategic resources, they will 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 facility 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 facility management.

“As global thought leaders dedicated to the professionals who support the built environment, IFMA and RICS identified a unique opportunity to team up and fortify existing resources to enhance the outstanding level of service they already provide to professionals and built environment industry,” said IFMA President and CEO Tony Keane. “The framework of this collaboration will create a less fragmented, more inclusive and highly regarded global facility management community.”

The collaboration will also seek to address the current shortage of FM professionals in the workforce.

“Whilst there is a growing market demand for facility management skills around the world, currently there is a shortage of professionally qualified practitioners equipped to deliver this service,” said RICS CEO Sean Tompkins. “Our collaboration will establish a clearly defined, single career pathway which will see FM practitioners acquire the leading skills they need to become recognized as preeminent professionals.” 

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

More information about the collaboration can be found here: http://www.ifma.org/ricscollaboration