The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) have launched a landmark collaboration to transform the global facility management (FM) industry.

The purpose of the collaboration is to create an unparalleled level of support to meet the growing demands of the US$1-trillion global FM industry. It will also launch a single career pathway into facility management.

In recent years, the FM industry has benefitted from research proving the tangible advantages of effective facility management, such as improved productivity, cost savings, energy efficiency and employee well-being. With this new collaboration, IFMA and RICS are working together to further develop and professionalize the FM field.

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 in a press release. “The framework of this collaboration will create a less fragmented, more inclusive and highly regarded global facility management community.”

Other goals of the collaboration include addressing the current shortage of FMs in the workplace; furthering global knowledge sharing within the FM community; expanding the existing information 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; and encouraging graduates and young professionals to choose careers in FM.

IFMA and RICS also plan to work together to align professionals’ credentials and qualifications to create a single FM career path with a professional status that will be recognized and respected globally. RICS professionals that are qualified in FM will automatically receive IFMA member benefits, while IFMA members and credential holders can receive RICS professional qualification and benefit from RICS’ international standards and professional network.