The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) has been recognized by the United States 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). IFMA’s three world-renowned credentials are significantly aligned with the 232 performances identified by the GSA for men and women running federal facilities.

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.

“For decades, IFMA has been the gold standard for facility management professionals looking to validate existing skills and develop new ones,” said IFMA President and CEO, Tony Keane. “With the passage of the Federal Building Personnel Training Act, the U.S. federal government acknowledged for the first time in code the critical role of facility management (FM). It comes as no surprise that IFMA’s time-tested credentials are aligned with the GSA-identified performance requirements. IFMA will continue to work shoulder-to-shoulder with GSA and all of our government-sector partners to provide the most up-to-date information in a rapidly evolving industry.”

The FBPTA, which was signed into law in 2010, directed the U.S. General Services Administration to establish performance requirements for FM professionals responsible for the operation of federal facilities. With more than 500,000 facilities around the world — including courthouses, embassies, zoos, museums, ranger stations and more — the U.S. federal government is the largest property owner in the world. To account for the wide variety of facility types, locations and functions, GSA identified 232 performances facility management professionals will need in order to perform key job functions.

Many of these functions are already included in IFMA’s professional development program. Since 1992, the CFM has been the only true certification for facility 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:
    •    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