HOUSTON, TX – The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) is proud to announce that its facility management credential program has earned accreditation and seven commendations from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). ANSI, which oversees thousands of standards and guidelines that directly impact businesses in a range of sectors, accredited IFMA for the Facility Management Professional (FMP®) and Sustainability Facility Professional® (SFP®) credentials.

“Thousands of facility management professionals from around the world have worked hard to earn professional credentials from IFMA because they appreciate the value of third-party recognition of their knowledge and skills,” said IFMA Chair James P. Whittaker, P.E., CFM, CEFP, FRICS. “By earning accreditation for IFMA’s FMP and SFP, we have achieved the same value of third-party recognition for the quality of our credentials. For those who have already earned one of these credentials, this recognition makes your designations all the more valuable. For those who have been on the fence, we can now say with certainty that earning an FMP or SFP is a worthwhile endeavor.”

IFMA was awarded accreditation as an ANSI Accredited Program Certificate Issuer Accreditation Number 1057. Both the FMP and SFP programs were described as “world-class, gold-standard models of learning and development.” Additionally, IFMA received seven commendations, including:

The solid foundation provided by IFMA’s Global Job Task Analysis process.

Comprehensive needs assessments.

Subject matter expert selection process.

Alignment of learning outcomes and assessment instruments.

The International Credentials Commission (ICC) structure, scope and responsibilities enabling stakeholder oversight of all credential program activities.

The ICC’s diversity.

IFMA’s partnership with Holmes Corp., “a world-class model of best practices.”

IFMA’s globally recognized FMP designation is a knowledge-based credential for FM professionals who study and successfully complete a series of comprehensive assessments covering four knowledge domains: operations and maintenance, project management, finance and business, and leadership and strategy.

Displaying the highest rate of growth among IFMA’s credentials, the SFP designation is an assessment-based certificate program delivering a specialty credential in sustainability. FM professionals undertaking the SFP learn to develop environmentally responsible facility management practices.

These accreditations would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of the IFMA International Credentials Commission, including current members: Chair James E. Loesch, IFMA Fellow, P.E., CFM; Patrick H. Okamura, CFM, SFP, FMP; Stephen J. Jones, CFM; Paul A. Ratkovic, CFM, FMP; Meredith Thatcher, IFMA Fellow, CFM, FMP; David Wilson, CFM; Mark R. Sekula, IFMA Fellow, CFM, FMP; Laurie A. Gilmer, P.E., CFM, SFP, FMP, LEED AP; Dean Hitchcock, CFM and former members Albert Pilger, IFMA Fellow, CFM; Sharon Harrington, IFMA Fellow, CFM, FMP; Yvonne Holland, CFM, ARP; Arnald Pui Shan Ng, CFM, MRICS, LEED AP.

About IFMA

IFMA is the world's largest and most widely recognized international association for facility management professionals, supporting 24,000 members in 93 countries. The association's members, represented in 133 chapters and 17 councils worldwide, manage more than 37 billion square feet of property and annually purchase more than US$100 billion in products and services. Formed in 1980, IFMA certifies professionals in facility management, conducts research, provides educational programs and produces World Workplace, the world's largest facility management conference and exposition. To join and follow IFMA's social media outlets online, visit the association's LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter pages. For more information, visit the IFMA press room or www.ifma.org.