What is Facilities Engineering?

The term "facilities engineering" evolved from "plant engineering" in the early 1990s as U.S. workplaces became more complex. Practitioners preferred this term because it more accurately reflected the multidisciplinary demands for specialized conditions in a wider variety of indoor environments, not merely manufacturing plants.

Today, a facilities engineer (vs. a facilities manager) typically has hands-on responsibility for the employer's electrical engineering, maintenance, environmental, health, safety, energy, controls/instrumentation, civil engineering, and HVAC needs. The need for expertise in these categories varies widely depending on whether the facility is, for example, a single-use site or a multi-use campus; whether it is an office, school, hospital, museum, processing/production plant, etc.

In business, facility management (or facilities management) is the management of building, estates which encompasses both building fabric and services. The services are sometimes considered to be divided into "hard services" and "soft services." Hard services includes such things as ensuring that a building's air conditioning is operating efficiently, reliably, safely and legally. Soft services includes such things as ensuring that the building is cleaned properly and regularly or monitoring the performance of contractors (e.g. builders, electricians). The term "facility management" is similar to "property management" but often applied only to larger and/or commercial properties where the management and operation is more complex. Some or all of these aspects can be maintained by data-rich computer programs.

How can we help?

The CFE Facilities team consists of both in-house resources and supporting partners. In-house, CFE can provide real estate, survey, site civil engineering, structural engineering, and electrical engineering services. We have teamed with strategic partners to provide other critical components such as architectural services, landscape services, geotechnical engineering, and mechanical electrical plumbing engineering (MEP) services. Of note, just as every facility is different, every facilities project is unique. We will understand your specific requirements because “we listen first”, and then strive to assemble the right team to manage each opportunity.