BS EN 15221
[edit] Introduction
BS EN 15221 (also referred to as EN 15221) was the British and European standard for facilities management from 2006 to 2018. The standard was introduced in 2003 to support the belief that the facilities management profession should be considered as equal to traditional professional disciplines (architecture, engineering, surveying and others) associated with the built environment.
The original development of BS EN 15221 was lead by the British Standards Institution and the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM), now then known as the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM). In 2018, BS EN 15221 was replaced by ISO 41001:2018.
[edit] Seven sections of BS EN 15221
As the precursor to ISO 41001:2018, the standard was primarily used by organisations to prepare facilities management outsourcing agreements. However, many aspects of the standard also apply to the operation of in-house facilities departments.
BS EN 15221 examines the following areas of facilities management:
- Part 1: Terms and definitions.
- Part 2: Agreements.
- Part 3: Guidance how to achieve/ensure quality in facility management.
- Part 4: Taxonomy, classification and structures in facility management.
- Part 5: Guidance on facility management processes.
- Part 6: Area and space measurement in facility management.
- Part 7: Guidelines for performance benchmarking.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Benchmark.
- British Standards Institution BSI.
- BS 8210:2020 facilities maintenance management code of practice.
- Business process outsourcing (BPO).
- Facilities management.
- ISO 41001:2018.
- ISO 14001:2004 Environmental management system -- Requirements with guidance for use.
- ISO 14001:2015 Environmental management systems. Requirements with guidance for use.
- ISO 9000.
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