i-FM: The online resource for facilities professionals

In the 10 seconds or so that it takes you to read this sentence, it is a fact that the public sector will be spending in the region of £100,000 on outsourcing.

Unless you've been asleep in a cave somewhere, you will probably have noticed that RICS has launched a consultation 'to help shape global facilities management standards'.

The origin of that 'ancient Chinese curse', may you live in interesting times, is disputed; but it's wonderfully apt to our situation these days.

The facilities management sector is awash with acronyms, especially in the technology sphere as three and four-letter terms are bandied around with increasing ease, if not understanding.

David Emanuel is the subject of the feature interview in this month's FMX magazine. An interesting experience for both sides.

Should we regret the passing of the traditional office, that pre-technology hub of activity where business was always face-to-face?

Did you ever have cause to wonder why you do what you do? Has your time at work been well spent? Do you think FM is well recognised, and that you are too?

I had quite high hopes for this budget particularly as George Osborne stated that it would be 'unashamedly' pro business and designed to help kick-start economic recovery.

When winning business is tough it is very tempting to use price as a key differentiator, but is this a sustainable practice?

One of the many good things to come out of this year's Workplace Futures conference was the identification of a common but heretofore unlabelled service delivery model.

As one of America's great retail moguls once famously said, 'Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half'.

After temperature ('it's too hot', 'the office is freezing'), lighting is one of the main issues that keep facilities helpdesk lines buzzing.