(ANSI: Washington) -- The British Standards Institution (BSI) has submitted a proposal to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for a new field of technical activity on facilities management. As the U.S. member body to ISO, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) invites all interested stakeholders to submit comments on the proposal by Fri., Aug. 12, 2011.

According to the proposal, facilities management is one of the world’s fastest-developing disciplines. A suite of international standards in this field would contribute to the maturation of the profession and provide the global facility-management industry with the tools to support best practices.

According to BSI, both public and private organizations use facility services to support their primary activities. Facility management influences an organization’s ability to act proactively, optimize performance, and meet its requirements. If approved, the technical committee in this area would focus on the preparation of international standards for facility management covering operational, tactical, and strategic levels to support primary processes.

All comments on the proposal should be sent to Steven P. Cornish, ANSI senior director for international policy (isot@ansi.org). Feedback received by the Aug. 12 deadline will be reviewed and compiled for the recommended ANSI position and comments, which will then be presented to the ANSI ISO Council (AIC) for formal approval.

Click here to read the BSI proposal.