The context
Why this conversation, why now
Facility management projects worth almost RM40 billion were recorded between 2023 and 2025, and in 2026 CIDB published CIS 33:2026, the first Construction Industry Standard dedicated to facility management practice. The market is real and the good-practice guidance has arrived.
What the sector still lacks is a recognised standard for the people and firms who deliver the work. Without one, maintenance is bought on price, benchmarked on guesswork and rarely exported. A Body of Knowledge (BOK) that starts in Malaysia can change that: first as the basis for certification, then as an industry standard shared with ASEAN members, and ultimately as an Industry Verified Trust Mark for the sector.
RM39.59bn
facility management projects recorded, 2023 to 2025
CIS 33:2026
CIDB's first standard dedicated to facility management
ISO 41001
global FM standard, already adopted as a Malaysian Standard
Objectives
What this session will set out to do
- 01Set out the case for standardising maintenance and asset management as a certified professional service.
- 02Explore how data collection and capacity building, anchored in a Body of Knowledge, can raise service quality across the sector.
- 03Show how the BOK can be converted into an industry standard shared across ASEAN.
- 04Chart the path towards an Industry Verified Trust Mark for maintenance and asset management.
Five Pillars
Where it fits
Malaysian Industry Trust Mark (MITM)
The BOK as the foundation for an Industry Verified Trust Mark for the sector.
Capacity Building & QTVET
Building recognised competence in maintenance and asset management.
Professional Mobility
A standard shared with ASEAN members lets practitioners deliver across borders.
Technology Adoption
Creating demand for the services and technologies built around maintained assets.
Challenges on the table
- Maintenance is treated as a cost centre rather than a professional discipline.
- There is no recognised standard or certification for maintenance and asset management services.
- Limited data collection makes it hard to benchmark service quality and asset performance.
- Commercial opportunities for services and technology around maintained assets remain underdeveloped.
Opportunities to explore
- Develop the Body of Knowledge as the framework for certification, starting in Malaysia.
- Connect directly to the Day 2 BIM-Integrated Digital Twins segment, opening a joint pathway into infrastructure and facilities-management contracts across ASEAN.
- Use ALACE's participation to test the framework's relevance for Lao PDR and other ASEAN members.
- Engage technology partners on selecting appropriate channels of solution providers for the sector.
Outcomes
What it will deliver
- Present the Body of Knowledge as a candidate framework for an industry standard.
- Define the steps from BOK to certification and an Industry Verified Trust Mark.
- Identify the data that must be collected to benchmark the sector.
- Position maintenance and asset management as a pilot sector for the Working Track.
Maintenance and asset management become a recognised, export-ready professional service for Malaysia and ASEAN.
Session journey
Where it leads
Builds on
- Opening of AIFTIS 2026
This session
- Maintenance & Asset Management
Feeds into
Sources for figures on this page: The Star, 18 August 2026 (facility management project value; CIS 33:2026); Department of Standards Malaysia (MS ISO 41001).
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