The Society of American Military Engineers (SAME), in collaboration with the International Facilities Management Association (IFMA), launched a pilot project to help interested SAME members obtain a Certified Facilities Management (CFM) designation. The program supports the President’s goal to form strategic alliances with other professional societies and associations to support the professional development and education of SAME members.

SAME Executive Director Bob Wolff signed a Memorandum of Agreement with IFMA to provide the CFM program to SAME members at IFMA member prices. The agreement results in a $200 savings for the CFM Review Course, another $200 savings for the CFM Exam, and additional savings on courses designed to increase an individual’s knowledge in one or more of the competency areas. However, prior to promoting the program, SAME elected to run a pilot program to evaluate its alignment with facilities management at military installations.

SAME President Maj. Gen. Fox established a Task Force, Chaired by Col. Marvin Fisher, USAF, to evaluate the IFMA CFM program and to decide whether the Society should promote the program to its members. The Task Force, which met in Colorado Springs in July 2004, included representatives from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Public Health Service, Coast Guard and the private sector. The Task Force endorsed the alliance with IFMA and supported the pilot program to evaluate the CFM program in support of the Society’s professional development and education goals and the needs of the uniformed services and the private sector performing facilities management at military installations.

Thirty SAME members applied for and were accepted to participate in the pilot program based on their education and experience. The entire cost of the pilot was borne by IFMA and SAME HQ. Twenty-six of these members took the 16-hour review course in September 2004 while attending the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley Joint Regional Conference. Twenty-two of the 26 participants who took the 6-hour CFM exam have passed. A remarkable success rate compared to the normal 70 percent pass rate. The SAME participants were then asked to complete an evaluation of the CFM course and exam.

The majority of the individuals who participated in the program gave high marks to SAME for sponsoring the program. Most felt the review course necessary to prepare them for the exam, and most felt the competencies included in the CFM designation to be relevant to the work at military installations. However, the majority of participants felt the answers to the questions on the exam often represented a facilities management culture different than what they experienced at military installations.

While the participants supported the program, they did not feel they would necessarily pay the $400 to take the exam to obtain the certification since the CFM is not a requirement for promotion or hiring in the uniformed services or in civil service positions at installations.

However, for those individuals who want to demonstrate their professionalism in facilities management, the CFM is a widely recognized certification that has been proven to give individuals an edge on promotions and salary in the private sector.

“The pilot project showed us that the review course is a ‘must’ for everyone who sits for the CFM exam,” Wolff said. “But it also showed us that the exam needs to be modified to better reflect the culture of facilities management in the public sector, or at least on military installations, before SAME can fully endorse the CFM program.”

The SAME Board endorsed the continuation of the strategic alliance with IFMA to benefit SAME members involved in facilities management, and charged the new SAME Facilities Management Committee, to work with IFMA to determine if the exam can be modified to better support the application of the facility management competencies in the public sector.

“I am very excited about the opportunity to work with IFMA on this project, and to facilitate collaboration on facilities management issues that can be addressed by SAME to the benefit of the uniformed services and the private sector,” said Cdr. Gene Hubbard, P.E., CFM, USN (Ret.) Director of Facilities and Real Property at NASAHQ, and Chair of the SAME Facilities Management Committee.

“While the pilot program provided mixed results, there is a growing importance to professionalizing the facilities management career field, and the CFM is probably the best avenue for people who work on military installations and who want to consider themselves professionals. While I am proud to be a Professional Engineer, I am also extremely proud to be a CFM since managing existing facilities is important to supporting the mission of any public agency and private corporation.”

Congratulations to the following SAME Members who are now Certified Facility Managers (CFM) as a result of the SAME pilot program:

NASA
Cdr. Eugene Hubbard, P.E., CFM, USN (Ret.)
Deanna Murphy, CFM
Charles B. Pittinger Jr., P.E., CFM

U.S. Coast Guard
Cdr. Michael Carosotto, CFM
Cdr. Robert Diehl, CFM
Thomas E. Hickey, P.E., CFM
Cdr. J.D. Philips, P.E., CFM
Douglas R. Sundstrom, CFM

U.S. Air Force
Lt. Col. Jerry R. Christensen, P.E., CFM

U.S. Public Health Service
Richard Wermers, P.E., CFM

U.S. Army
Joseph Cocco Jr., CFM
Michael R. Maier, CFM
Angela B. Rolufs, CFM
Maj. Kevin D. Ryan, CFM

Other Government Agencies
Nancy Casto, CFM, Veterans Administration

Private Sector
Paul J. Liesman, CFM, Syska Hennessy Group
Wayne C. Malek, P.E., CFM, Baer Engineering and Environmental
David Palmer, CFM, Intergraph
Charles Scott, CFM, J. M. Waller Associates Inc.
Jeff Sorenson, CFM, CH2M HILL
Jon Paul Stenberg, CFM, MAARS Inc.
Reed Tarkington, CFM, Four Seasons Environmental Inc.