BIFM Course Accreditation Process

BIFM ACCREDITATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION COURSES INSTRUCTIONS FOR APPLICANTS PROCEDURES Introduction The BIFM as the leading FM professional institution has devised three routes to a professionally recognised qualification in Facilities management. One of these routes - the Higher Education Route - requires the candidate to hold a recognised first degree or post graduate level qualification from an institution of higher education in the UK. Having graduated successfully, candidates are eligible to apply for the BIFM Qualification and are required to undertake the development of a portfolio of evidence to demonstrate their practical skills and competence. All the routes are based on assessing a candidates knowledge and skills in comparison with the criteria laid down by the BIFM in its Core Competences. These are grouped into six generic areas of: 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Understanding Business Organisation Understanding the structure & behaviour of organisations Understanding business & organisational strategy Developing FM strategy Managing People People management Communication Working with suppliers & specialists Managing Premises Property portfolio management Understanding building design Building fabric maintenance Managing Services Managing building services Managing support services Project management Managing customer service

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BIFM Course Accreditation Process

5.0 5.1 5.2 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Managing the Working Environment Environmental issues Space management Managing Resources Procurement Risk management Financial management Quality management Information management

In order to establish which Higher Education course should be recognised the BIFM has instituted a formal accreditation procedure whereby courses at recognised institutions of higher education can be put forward for accreditation. The following documentation describes these procedures and sets out all the information required to make an application for accreditation. The procedures are designed to establish both the coverage of the curriculum content in relation to the BIFM Core Competences (which form the basis of the BIFMs evaluation of a candidates professional competence) and the ability of the institution to deliver vocational education of the required standard. Accreditation will only take place once the course has at least one successful cohort of graduates. Level of Courses The BIFM will accredit courses at post-graduate and undergraduate levels, which have a substantial element of facilities management in their content. This will include taught Masters programmes, post-graduate diplomas, and BScs in Facilities Management or closely related subjects. The criteria used will rely on an assessment of the knowledge and skills developed in the course. Description of Procedures The procedures are based on a two-stage process. There will be an initial paper exercise to evaluate the documentation which supports the course and this will be followed by a one day visit to the institution by a panel of up to four persons nominated by the Professional Standards & Education Committee. Rationale The accreditation process is designed to examine the curriculum content of the course, to ensure it covers sufficient of the BIFM Core Competences to meet the skills and knowledge elements of the Higher Education rote, and to ensure the institution has sufficient and adequate resources to deliver the course to an adequate level in respect of its vocational content.

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Pre-visit Procedures Institutions will be required to submit documentation relating to the running of the course and complete a self-assessment pro-forma, which compares the curriculum content of the course with the Core Competences. The documentation, which will be required a minimum of one month prior to the visit will consist of: The course document, including any relevant modular framework documents The internal validation report form when the course was set up Samples of support material (e.g. course notes provided to students) List of external contributors Annual course reports External examiners reports Staff resources document Relevant staff CVs A physical resources document Target intake & a list of recent graduates, profiling age, background & experience Copies of 4 completed final stage dissertations or equivalent student work demonstrating a range of attainment Course work topics & past examination questions Any other relevant background material (e.g. research, consultancy, short courses)

The documentation will be examined by the visiting panel, which will be appointed by the BIFM before documentation is requested. BIFM request 4 hard copies of the documentation are sent directly to the Panel members (contact details will be supplied).

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The Visit The HE institution will receive a one-day visit from a panel of up to four representatives of the BIFM. This will usually comprise of 2 academics with the relevant backgrounds (one of whom will act as Chair), a Senior BIFM representative (who will act as secretary) and a Senior Member of the local Regional Committee. The agenda will normally comprise a meeting with senior staff to discuss resourcing, a meeting with the course team who deliver the course and a meeting with a group of existing students representing each year of the course. A tour of facilities may also be included. Previous graduates for the course would also be welcome if this is practical. A standard Agenda will be available for download from the BIFM web site: http://www.bifm.org.uk/bifm/careerdevelopment/education/bifmqualification/highereducationroute/accreditation *A detailed timetable and Agenda will be agreed, between the HE Institution and the BIFM, prior to the visit. The panel will normally make a verbal preliminary report of the outcome of the visit from the feedback session at the end of the day, but this will be subject to later approval by the Professional Standards & Education Committee, BIFM Executive and Board. This will be confirmed in writing by BIFM. Retrospective accreditation of previous graduates will normally be granted. *A typical draft agenda is attached. Post-Visit Procedures The secretary of the panel will prepare a report of the visit and its recommendations for submission to the Professional Standards & Education Committee, BIFM Executive and BIFM Board. If this is approved, a copy will be forwarded to the higher education institution. The possible outcomes will be as follows: Full accreditation for a maximum of 5 years Full accreditation for a period of less than 3 years Accreditation of a specified route way or specified modules Rejection of accreditation (this will be accompanied by a recommendation for revisions to enable the course to comply applications for a further visit will not be considered prior to 12 months following rejection)

To maintain accreditation, Higher Education institutions will be required to submit annual course reports and external examiners reports to the BIFM for each academic year. These will be scrutinised by the Accreditation Working Group of the Professional Standards & Education Committee. The appointment of external examiners is the responsibility of the institution, but the BIFM would normally expect to see both an academic and a practising external examiner in post.

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Course Curriculum Summary Pro-forma To help the panel compare your course curriculum content with the BIFM Core Competences, please complete the attached summary pro-formas.

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