Resources
Facility management associations: IFMA, BOMA, IREM, ISSA and BSCAI
Five bodies come up again and again around commercial buildings. IFMA serves the people who manage facilities, BOMA International serves building owners and managers, and IREM serves property and asset managers. On the cleaning side, ISSA spans the whole cleaning and hygiene supply chain, while BSCAI is specific to contract building service companies. This guide sets out who each one represents, what it offers, where its local groups meet in Northern California and Nevada, and what its programs mean when one turns up in a bid or a lease.
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Which association covers what
Pick the body by who it represents. IFMA is for facility managers in any type of building; BOMA International is for commercial building owners, managers and their service providers; IREM is for property and asset managers. ISSA and BSCAI belong to the cleaning industry: ISSA from manufacturers to contractors, BSCAI for the contractors alone.
| Body | Represents | Offers | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| IFMA (International Facility Management Association) | Facility management professionals, in-house or outsourced, in any building type | CFM, FMP and SFP credentials; research and benchmarking; World Workplace and Facility Fusion events; FMJ magazine; local chapters | ifma.org |
| BOMA International (Building Owners and Managers Association) | Commercial property owners, managers, service providers and property professionals | BOMI education and designations; advocacy, including building codes; the BOMA 360 and BOMA BEST building programs; floor measurement standards | boma.org |
| IREM (Institute of Real Estate Management) | Commercial and residential property and asset managers | CPM, ARM and ACoM credentials; AMO for firms; CSP for buildings; courses, forms and templates; research; an ethics program | irem.org |
| ISSA | The cleaning and hygiene industry: distributors, manufacturers, building service contractors, in-house teams and others | CIMS; GBAC and GBAC STAR; CMI training; Clean Standards; the ISSA Show; ISSA Today, CMM and Cleanfax | issa.com |
| BSCAI (Building Service Contractors Association International) | Building service contractors, from family-owned cleaning firms to national brands | Executive events; a Knowledge Center and training academies; CSS, CBSE, RBSM and RBSP certifications; a cleaning and disinfecting SOW guide | bscai.org |
Details come from each body’s own site, as of November 2026.
IFMA: the body for facility managers
IFMA dates to 1980 and states its mission as advancing the knowledge, value and growth of facility management professionals. Its About page gave more than 26,000 members in over 140 countries in November 2026. Besides its three credentials, it runs research and benchmarking, the World Workplace conference (Anaheim in 2026) and Facility Fusion, publishes FMJ magazine, a blog and a podcast, and points readers to ISO’s facility management standards committee, TC 267.
Its credentials are the CFM, the FMP and the SFP. The guide to facility management certifications on this site explains what each one takes and how the CFM differs from the other two.
BOMA International and BOMI
BOMA’s stated mission is to advance commercial real estate through advocacy, influence and knowledge, and it serves every commercial building type. Local BOMA associations are federated with BOMA International.
BOMA and BOMI merged in 2023, and BOMI’s courses, certificates and designations, including the RPA and FMA, are now offered through BOMA’s education pages. Two other BOMA programs matter to anyone who manages or bids on office space: BOMA 360 and the floor measurement standards.
BOMA 360: a designation for buildings, not people
BOMA 360 rates a building, not a person or a contractor. It measures an occupied commercial or industrial building, owner-occupied ones included, against industry best practices in six areas, and the building must meet the requirements in every area. BOMA members and non-members can apply, and an independent council oversees the program with audit procedures.
BOMA’s 2026 application guide for office buildings sets a points threshold in each section:
| Section (2026 office guide) | Points needed |
|---|---|
| Building operations and management | 14 of 18 |
| Life safety, security and risk management | 19 of 26 |
| Training and education | 13 of 20 |
| Energy | 16 of 23 |
| Environmental, sustainability and wellness | 20 of 30 |
| Tenant, occupant relations and community | 9 of 13 |
The same guide asks that an office building have at least 12 months of operations before it applies, reviews applications within 45 days and requires a fresh application every three years, or sooner if the management company changes before renewal.
Where cleaning appears. The environmental section has a cleaning and sanitation item worth up to 3 points: 1 for a cleaning plan that meets or exceeds EPA, CDC, OSHA or similar guidelines; 1 for a green cleaning program covering product purchasing, use and disposal, chemical handling and storage, spill management and instruction for the people using the products, with Green Seal or equivalent products; and 1 for touch-free hand sanitizer stations in common areas plus sanitizing wipes in fitness centers. The section also credits products used in place of hazardous chemicals, such as green janitorial supplies. A building pursuing the designation has to document those items, so the cleaning plan and the products in use need to be in writing. Our eco-friendly cleaning page covers the green side of that work.
BOMA floor measurement standards and your cleaning bid
BOMA published its first office measurement standard in 1915 and is the ANSI secretariat for its floor standards, which it develops under ANSI-approved procedures. As listed on BOMA’s site in November 2026, the office standard is BOMA 2024 for Office Buildings (ANSI/BOMA Z65.1-2024), whose main purpose is calculating Rentable Area. The other current standards are:
- Industrial buildings: ANSI/BOMA Z65.2-2025
- Gross areas, five methods for all building types: ANSI/BOMA Z65.3-2024
- Multi-family and hospitality: ANSI/BOMA Z65.4-2023
- Retail, focused on Gross Leasable Area: ANSI/BOMA Z65.5-2025
- Mixed-use: ANSI/BOMA Z65.6-2026
BOMA’s 2026 office guide gives 2 points for a lease excerpt or drawing showing the BOMA standard or another approved method was used. The practical point for buyers is ours, not BOMA’s: because the area on a lease is measured under a named standard, a cleaning bid should state which square-footage figure it is priced on. Our guide to comparing janitorial bids shows how to line proposals up on the same basis.
IREM: property and asset managers
IREM has served commercial and residential real estate managers, retail and mixed-use included, for more than nine decades, with a mission built on education, certifications, ethical standards and a peer community. Its November 2026 page reported almost 20,000 members, 72 U.S. chapters and 17 international ones.
It grants credentials to people (the CPM, ARM and ACoM), recognizes property management firms with the AMO and buildings with the CSP. It also publishes the Journal of Property Management and Real Estate Management News and offers more than 250 forms, checklists and templates.
ISSA and BSCAI: the cleaning industry’s groups
ISSA began as the National Sanitary Supply Association and now calls itself the association for cleaning and facility solutions and reported more than 11,000 members on its June 2026 page, from manufacturers and distributors to building service contractors, in-house teams and residential cleaners. Its programs include CMI training, Clean Standards, GBAC STAR accreditation and the Cleaning Industry Management Standard. CIMS certifies cleaning organizations rather than individuals, and ISSA keeps a public directory of certified organizations.
BSCAI focuses on the success of building service contractors: owners of commercial cleaning companies, plus firms providing maintenance, security, landscaping and related services to building owners and facility managers. It reports more than 1,000 member companies in the United States and 15 other countries. Its certifications are the CSS (Certified Site Supervisor), CBSE (Certified Building Service Executive), RBSM (Registered Building Service Manager) and RBSP (Registered Building Supply Professional), searchable through its Certified Professionals tool, and it publishes a cleaning and disinfecting scope-of-work guide.
Local groups in Northern California and Nevada
Here are the local groups as each parent body lists them, read in November 2026. Contact details and meeting schedules are on the parent sites.
| Body | Northern California | Nevada |
|---|---|---|
| IFMA chapters | San Francisco; East Bay; Silicon Valley; Sacramento Valley; Redwood Empire | Nevada (Las Vegas); no Reno or northern Nevada chapter is listed |
| BOMA local associations | BOMA/San Francisco; BOMA/Oakland-East Bay; BOMA/Silicon Valley; BOMA/Sacramento | BOMA/Nevada |
| IREM chapters | San Francisco Bay Area; Sacramento Valley; San Joaquin | Northern Nevada/Tahoe; Las Vegas |
Find the current lists on IFMA’s chapter map, BOMA’s local finder and IREM’s chapter finder for California and Nevada.
Get help
Associations set the vocabulary; your buildings still need a team that shows up and documents the work. If you manage property between the Bay Area, Sacramento and Reno and want cleaning, porter, grounds and light maintenance under one plan, see what facility services include or how vendor consolidation works, then ask us for a quote.
A few useful answers
Common questions
What is the difference between IFMA and BOMA?
IFMA represents the people who manage facilities, in any building type, and issues the CFM, FMP and SFP. BOMA International represents commercial building owners, managers and their service providers, and runs BOMI education, the BOMA 360 building program and the floor measurement standards.
Is BOMA 360 a certification for cleaning companies?
No. BOMA 360 is a designation a building earns across six areas of operation. A cleaning plan and a green cleaning program are documented items within its environmental section, worth up to 3 points in the 2026 office guide together with hand sanitizer stations.
Are BOMA and BOMI the same organization?
BOMA says the two merged in 2023. BOMI’s courses, certificates and designations now appear on BOMA’s education pages, and bomi.org redirects there.
What is ANSI/BOMA Z65.1-2024?
It is BOMA 2024 for Office Buildings, the office floor measurement standard listed on BOMA’s site in November 2026. Its main purpose is to calculate Rentable Area, and it replaced the 2017, 2010 and 1996 editions.
Which associations represent commercial cleaning companies?
BSCAI is built around building service contractors. ISSA is broader, covering the cleaning and hygiene industry from manufacturers and distributors to contractors and in-house cleaning teams.