According to the International Facility Management Association, facility management "is a profession that encompasses multiple disciplines to ensure functionality of the built environment by integrating people, place, process and technology."

In the government, what does that mean? This "Jack or Jane of Every Trade" is responsible for the overall safety, comfort and welfare of every federal employee within the building, agency or floor. The facilities department can include, but is not limited to the following experts: Facilities Director, Property Manager, Building Engineer, Security Personnel, Designers, Janitorial team, Superintendent and even the administrative and/or mailroom team.

As professionals, facility managers have backgrounds in real estate, architecture, engineering, with life experience in IT and Personnel Management.

In the government or on base, the facility manager can be found in the facilities department, engineering, design, installation support, warehouse, superintendent's office, property management office or the security office.

Businesses marketing and supporting a facility manager's day-to-day operations could be as follows:

• Architects
• Furniture Manufacturers, installation, and design
• Moving companies
• HVAC Companies
• Fire and Safety Supply Companies
• Security Personnel and Access Card Companies
• Mail Room Support & Equipment
• Copy Room Support & Equipment
• Flooring Companies
• IT or Video Security Cabling Companies
• Heating and Cooling
• Engineering Contractors
• Building Maintenance Companies
• Landscapers
• Janitorial Companies
• Drapery, Window and Window Cleaning Companies
• Cleaning Supply Companies
• Hardware & Pluming Supply Companies
• Electrical Suppliers
• Support Services - Administrative and Subject Matter Experts
• Roofing Companies
• Stock Room and Office Supply Companies
• Filing Companies
• Green/Leeds Program Companies
• Lighting
• Elevator Companies
• Professional Services and Training Companies
• Real Estate Consultants
• Earthquake Survey Consultants
• Emergency Clean Up Companies
• Ergonomic Consultants
• Security Locking Companies
• Emergency Signage Companies
• General Signage Companies
• Artwork and Plant Supply Companies
• Interior Designers
• Event Planners and Temporary Office Suppliers

If you believe that your service or product could be utilized by a facility department, besides cold calling each federal building and asking for the facility manager, you could network into one of the facility management associations. This is a great way to talk to facility managers out of the office in a networking/sales environment.

One association, the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) is the largest and most widely recognized professional association for facility management, supporting approximately 17,300 members. The Association's members are represented in 126 chapters, 16 councils and one Special Interest Group (SIG), in 54 countries worldwide.

Globally, IFMA certifies facility managers, conducts research, provides educational programs, recognizes facility management degree and certificate programs and produces World Workplace, the largest facility management-related conference and exposition

In Washington, DC alone, there is an enormous membership of government facility managers attending and being involved in IFMA. You can simply consider becoming a member of this association, by looking up http://www.ifma.org or checking out your area IFMA organization. Or, you could just attend a few meetings to see if this association has more benefit than traditional telemarketing and cold calling.

UNDERSTANDING A FACILITY MANAGER'S RESPONSIBILITIES AND CHALLENGES:

A study of over 3,100 facility managers nationwide was conducted in December of 2004 by the six leading facility management organizations: IFMA, FMLink, the Association of Facilities Engineering, the Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers, the Building Owners and Managers Association and Building Operating Management magazine. (Link: http://www.ifma.org/tools/research/surveys/industrysurveyreport2004.pdf  They reported the following interesting statistics:

• 72% manage contracts
• 71% manage construction
• 68% manage energy
• 63% manage moves
• 18% were asked to take on disaster planning and manage additional space
• 43% said their top challenge was managing their budget
• 24% said their top challenge was lack of staff
• 79% were male and 21% female
• 69% were employed internally, 13% were an outsource provider
• 60% said they were responsible for more than 500,000 sq. feet of space
• 46% managed a budget exceeding $5,000,000
• 72% focus on operations and maintenance
• 55% facility planning
• 51% architectural/engineering/construction
• 47% space management and planning
• 41% administrative services
• 39% environmental health and safety
• 27% real estate
• Their average years of service in the profession: 17 years
• 42% hold Bachelor's Degrees and 22% hold Master's Degrees
• 16% say the just had "computer-aided facilities management" added to their list of responsibilities, while 18% have had disaster planning/recovery added, 9% handle fleet management now, 13% have added IT/Telecom and 18% have added to the number of facilities they manage.

Facility Managers' "high priority" topics today are:

• 56% Aging building and/or building equipment
• 41% Acquiring and maintaining quality staff
• 36% Diminishing Budget
• 34% Energy management
• 32% Growth/expansion
• 27% Keeping up with technology
• 25% Contingency planning/disaster recovery
• 21% Restructuring
• 18% Downsizing
• 18% Environmental concerns
• 9% Replacement by outsourcing firms

What facility managers envision to be issues of tomorrow:

• 43% Outsourcing
• 38% Changing demographics of workforce
• 30% Increased globalization
• 25% Labor shortages
• 23% Resource scarcity
• 22% Telework and its impact on facilities
• 21% Shared services
• 20% Existence of facility management as a profession
• 6% Other(security, sustainability, technology, effects of deferred maintenance)

While this survey is among commercial and governmental facility managers, it at least gives you a little understanding of their daily and anticipated "pains" and if you can solve one of them, you could establish trust and win their business. By showing them this survey, they might also realize that many people in their professional share their pain. Many government employees don't feel that the commercial marketplace experience their same pains and this survey might be a great resource of information for you to share with your facility managers in the government.