Following the news that Carillion has gone into liquidation, the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) have issued a statement in which they outline their priorities.
The statement made it clear that the highest priority was to “ensure that the work the construction and services firm is contracted to do can be completed and the impact for the thousands of Carillion workers, as well as its customers and suppliers, can be minimised”
In the statement BIFM said: “BIFM will be reaching out to its members affected by this development. Chief Executive Linda Hausmanis has written to reassure the learners from Carillion currently studying for a BIFM qualification in Facilities Management that their situation is unaffected by the news and encouraging them to complete their studies as normal.
“It is too early to draw conclusions about what the collapse of Carillion means for the wider outsourced services industry. Beyond the widespread concern for the thousands of people directly affected that BIFM shares; the case is already raising questions around the now established arrangements in our economy where outsourcing is a mainstay of so much public and private service provision, not least facilities management,” they continued.
Linda Hausmanis, Chief Executive of BIFM, said: “The news of Carillion is indeed a sad moment for all those affected. BIFM’s immediate priority has been to reassure the learners from Carillion studying for qualifications in Facilities Management that their situation is unchanged. I want to encourage them to continue their self-development and I wish them luck.
“We can’t change what has happened; but we must learn from this event and use it as catalyst for change. The case can and must be made to change from a model of service delivery that is driven by cost alone to one that is driven by value,” Linda concluded.
