Q&A: BAM FM's Journey with The SFMI

BAM FM has been part of the SFMI since 2015 and is among the few holders of a Platinum Award. We spoke to Reid Cunningham, Business Development Director – Energy at BAM FM, to find out more about the company’s sustainability achievements and the value it receives from the SFMI.

Q: Well done on maintaining your SFMI Platinum status for 2024, after first obtaining this in 2022. How important is this to BAM FM and what kinds of benefits does it bring?

A: BAM FM is really serious about ‘Building a sustainable tomorrow’. Internally we come back to this focus point all the time. Much of what BAM FM does is directed towards construction and civil engineering. BAM FM achieving a Platinum Award is a way of recognising BAM FM’s consistency across everything we do, not just construction and civils. It is a great independent verification that resonates really well externally, and customers want to hear about it. If we operate at Platinum, that’s as good as we can be in the industry.

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your sustainability journey and the role that the SFMI has played in it?

A: BAM FM was established in 1998 and our initial sustainability focus was on energy efficiency and atmospheric emissions. In the early noughties, we saw the emergence of social value and then between 2010 and 2020, we witnessed an acceleration in other sustainability topics, including governance and most notably decarbonisation. There was so much change during that period, we were unsure how we were performing in our market. That’s where the SFMI and its 23 ESG criteria came in. They helped us to accurately and objectively measure, compare and plan across the full scope of ESG. After that, by harnessing the ambition and tools of BAM FM, we received the Rising Star Award in our second year, then a Gold and now a Platinum Award.

“When we joined, the results of our SFMI audit let us see where we were good and where there was room for improvement. That was a real epiphany.”

Q: What improvements has your organisation made in the last few years particularly?

A: The expectations of society and the SFMI keep increasing – so we’ve tried to improve and make a difference across all 23 areas. One key initiative has been to harness BAM FM’s unique supply chain and whole life capability to identify and achieve ‘circular economy’ results from some lifecycle replacement projects. That has been something that we were really keen to demonstrate and celebrate with the SFMI.

Q: Every SFMI partner gets audited once a year. Can you give us an insider’s perspective of what this is like and what you get out of the process?

A: After some nerves during our preparation, I find that I really enjoy the audits because they become a real celebration of all the things that we are doing. In addition to our subject matter experts we also try to make sure our practitioners who have implemented and delivered sustainability improvements join the audit too. And everyone gets a moment to show off – to describe all the great things that they have done. We really enjoy it and I think the auditors do too!

Q: You’ve been part of the SFMI since 2015. What do you think are the key benefits for those thinking of joining?

A: When we joined, the results of our SFMI audit let us see where we were good and where there was room for improvement. That was a real epiphany. The benefit for others thinking of joining is that you immediately establish your relative position for individual criteria against an objective standard. So, you can prioritise areas where other organisations are doing better or celebrate where you are already doing well. That’s invaluable.

There also aren’t many forums in the FM space where we can share sustainability insights and best practice, particularly in detail. For example, how we tackle challenges of ecology and biodiversity or deliver circular economy. One ongoing benefit of the SFMI is hearing about what the other partners are doing and interacting with likeminded organisations. It raises the bar internally. You ask yourself: ‘Could we do something like that or almost like that?’

Q: Any other final observations on your journey and the benefits of the SFMI?

A: Our membership of the SFMI has presented new opportunities to us like the really exciting stuff that we have been doing with the SFMI team on Scope 3. We’ve relished the opportunity to take a leadership role in the first phases of this project which is bringing best practice and consistency into the industry for everyone’s benefit. We really look forward to the next phase of this in 2025.

“It is a great independent verification that resonates really well externally, and customers want to hear about it. If we operate at Platinum, that’s as good as we can be in the industry”

BAM FM has shown excellent progress in its environmental, social and governance scores reflecting its work across all 23 areas. Commenting on these results, Sunil Shah particularly praised the progress made in governance which really sets top performers apart. “This is always the critical measure. It defines a great ESG strategy and is essential to integrating ESG in the business – it’s what makes changes stick.”