By Healthcare Facilities Today

HOUSTON, TX — The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) has introduced an enhanced Benchmarks Exchange (BEX) platform with quicker, more convenient data entry, access and export for the benchmarking and reporting needs of facility management professionals around the world. IFMA’s online benchmarking portal allows facility professionals to compare building data filtered by industry, facility type and geographic region. Benchmarking is a process of comparing the performance and processes of a specific facility and facility management team to those of a similar or related industry. It is one of the valuable tools facility management professionals have at their disposal to identify industry best practices and measure relative performance. As the largest professional association for facility managers in the world, IFMA’s benchmark software, BEX, offers a unique and powerful tool to the FM industry. In February, IFMA’s BEX was enhanced to empower FM professionals to achieve the benefits of benchmarking a efficiently and conveniently as possible. Updates to the overall look and feel of BEX offer a more streamlined and expedient way to enter, access and report data in the areas of annual facility costs, O&M practices, space and staffing. New and improved features include: Users have the ability to create a portfolio so they only need to enter their facility description once. Users may complete data entry at a time that is convenient for them. Users can save their facility data to compare with a range of facilities. Users can easily save and export queries to aid in regular reporting efforts. Users are empowered to conduct benchmarking annually. There is no charge for use of the enhanced data-entry interface and those who complete all required data will have complimentary extended access to the reporting function as well. The reporting function is also available by subscription, with a discount offered for IFMA members. The platform can be found online at: www.ifma.org/BEX. IFMA is the world's largest and most widely recognized international association for facility management professionals, supporting more than 23,500 members in 94 countries. The association's members, represented in 130 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 www.ifma.org.