tefma

What tefma does

TEFMA (Tertiary Education Facilities Management Association) is an Australian non-profit professional membership association founded in 2003 (incorporated in New South Wales, headquartered at Crows Nest NSW), serving higher education institutions and commercial service providers across Australasia and the Pacific region. The association's core function is to support tertiary education facilities, property, and asset management professionals through benchmarking, events, professional development, and knowledge sharing. Its primary constituents are 75+ institutional members (universities, vocational, and dual-sector institutions) representing 1,700+ individual members, alongside a network of Business Partners (architects, contractors, FM service providers, consultants).

TEFMA's central product is its annual Benchmarking Program — a survey-based data collection platform (administered via ASR/Aussie Surveys) that aggregates comparative facilities management cost and performance metrics across member institutions, with a continuous time series dating to 1993 and over 85% member participation. The Benchmark Insights publication (analysed in partnership with ARUP) translates this raw data into sector-wide annual analysis. Surrounding this data core, TEFMA delivers an events program (annual rotating Australasian conference, regional events, sustainability workshops, monthly webinars via Zoom), a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points program now in phase 2 with Contribution-based accrual, awards (TEFMA Excellence Awards), scholarship programs, an online community portal (Crowdstack with SAML SSO), publications repository, members' and business partners' directories, and a job board integrated with Seek. Standards-setting outputs (Scope 3 Emissions Guidelines with ACTS, strategic asset management plans refreshed with GHD) reinforce the association's role as the sector's authoritative body.

TEFMA's revenue model is recurring subscription-based: institutional membership fees tiered by Equivalent Full-Time Student Load (EFTSL) and geography (Australia, New Zealand, International), Business Partner membership fees tiered Sole Trader / Standard / Premium, event and workshop registrations, sponsorship income (notably a 3-year Education Sponsor agreement with GJK Facility Services signed July 2022), and partnership-related revenue. Memberships run annually from July 1 to June 30, with pro-rated mid-year joiners. The go-to-market is community-led: members are recruited through the website, events, and referrals, while Business Partners join for visibility with senior FM decision-makers across the institutional member base. International strategic alliances with APPA (USA), AUDE (UK), and HEFMA (Southern Africa) extend knowledge exchange and scholarship access across three continents.

Name

tefma

Legal name

Tertiary Education Facilities Management Association Incorporated

Website

https://tefma.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Short description

TEFMA is an Australian non-profit membership association that supports tertiary education facilities managers across Australasia through a 30-year benchmarking database, conferences, workshops, CPD programs, and sector guidelines, serving 75+ institutions and 1,700+ individuals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services (Higher Education Facilities Management)

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Business Associations (813910), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional Education Service Agencies (ESAs/BOCES/Intermediate Units) (EDADABAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Environmental, Climate & Sustainability Standards & Reporting Cooperation (BPADANAI)

Keywords

• Facilities management association
• Higher education benchmarking
• Tertiary education facilities
• Professional membership association
• Facilities management events

Headquarters

HQ city

Hobart

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Institutional Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from universities and higher education institutions based on EFTSL (Equivalent Full-Time Student Load) bands. Fees range from AUD $3,860.08 to $6,163.68 depending on institution size and location (Australia, NZ, or International).
2. Business Partner Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from commercial organizations providing goods and services to the higher education sector. Categories include Sole Trader ($1,067.01), Standard ($4,041.20-$4,445.32), and Premium ($5,824.08-$6,406.50) with varying benefits.
3. Event Registrations: Revenue from workshop registrations (e.g., $1,050 for members, $1,250 for non-members for the Sustainability Workshop), conference attendance, and professional development programs.
4. Sponsorship and Partnerships: Business Partners sponsor TEFMA events, awards, and scholarships, providing additional revenue streams and support for association activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

TEFMA is a not-for-profit membership association that supports tertiary education facilities and property management professionals across Australasia through institutional and business partner memberships. Its core deliverable is the annual Benchmarking Program, which collects comparative facilities management cost and performance data from member institutions (with over 85% participation and a continuous data series back to 1993), complemented by a year-round calendar of conferences, workshops, webinars, a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program, awards, scholarships, and an online Community Portal for networking and knowledge sharing.

Product overview

TEFMA operates as a membership-based professional association offering a unified platform of services for higher education facilities management in Australasia. The core offering centers on the annual Benchmarking Program, which collects and analyzes facilities management data from member institutions. Supporting this are event programs (conferences, workshops, webinars), a Continuing Professional Development system with points-based tracking, awards and scholarship programs, and member directories. Additional services include a job board, publications repository, and community portal for networking. The organization has over 75 institutional members, 1700+ individual members, and manages data on facilities with approximately $69.8 billion (AUD) replacement value across the sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TEFMA Community Portal: Online community platform for members to access resources, discussions, and networking.
• GJK Facility Services Education Sponsor Partnership

Products and services

• TEFMA Institutional Membership Annual membership for universities, vocational and dual sector institutions, and other higher education providers across Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific. Provides one institutional voting member plus unlimited associate members access to the Benchmarking Program, CPD program, member rates at conferences and workshops, webinars, community portal, publications, awards eligibility, and scholarships. Fees range from AUD $3,860.08 (NZ, EFTSL 0–15,000) to AUD $6,163.68 (Australia, EFTSL 15,001+).
• TEFMA Business Partner Membership Annual membership for commercial organisations providing goods and services to the higher education sector (architects, contractors, suppliers, consultants). Provides access to 75+ institutional members and 1,700+ individual contacts, listing in the Business Partners' Directory, sponsorship opportunities at events, and networking with senior FM decision-makers. Pricing is Sole Trader AUD $1,067.01, Standard AUD $4,041.20–$4,445.32, and Premium AUD $5,824.08–$6,406.50 per year.
• TEFMA Benchmarking Program Annual benchmarking survey program that collects comparative costs and performance data for facilities management operations from member higher education institutions. Provides sector-wide performance metrics with over 85% member participation and continuous historical data back to 1993, enabling peer comparison of FM operating costs, capital works, and space utilisation.
• TEFMA Annual Conference TEFMA's premier annual educational, networking and knowledge-sharing event held in a different Australasian location each year. Brings together institutional FM leaders, business partners, and international speakers for keynote sessions, presentations, the Excellence Awards Gala Dinner, and Business Partner Functions.
• Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Members manage 16.4 million square metres of facilities
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GJK Facility ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2022Education Sponsor partnership with GJK Facility Services under a 3-year Corporate Partnership Agreement (signed July 2022) with a 2-year extension option. GJK collaborates with TEFMA members to organize thought leadership workshops and forums.
• APPA (Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers, USA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational strategic partnership with APPA in the USA. Provides TEFMA members with networking opportunities and access to international FM information. Supports scholarship programs enabling members to attend APPA conferences.
• AUDE (Association of University Directors of Estates, UK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational strategic partnership with AUDE in the UK. Facilitates knowledge exchange between Australasian and UK higher education FM professionals. Joint summer school scholarship program.
• HEFMA (Higher Education Facility Management Association, Southern Africa)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational strategic partnership with HEFMA in Southern Africa. Enables TEFMA members to attend HEFMA conferences and vice versa, expanding networking opportunities across three continents.
• ACTS (Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with ACTS on sustainability initiatives including the development of Scope 3 Emissions Guidelines for the higher education sector.
• Universities AustraliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry network connection with Universities Australia, the peak body representing Australian universities.
• ATEM (Association for Tertiary Education Management)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with ATEM to jointly organize the Tertiary Education Management Conference (TEMC). Presentations from each conference are hosted on the TEMC Website.
• CAUDIT (Council of Australian University Directors of Information Technology)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership with CAUDIT through a Memorandum of Understanding for collaboration on shared interests in higher education management.
• FMANZ (Facility Management Association New Zealand)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry network connection with FMANZ for New Zealand-based facilities management professionals in the higher education sector.
• SCUP (Society for College and University Planners)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partnership with SCUP based in the United States for knowledge sharing in strategic planning for higher education.
• ARUPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTEFMA partners with ARUP for developing the annual Benchmark Insights publication, providing in-depth analysis of the benchmarking data collected from members.
• GHDminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngaged GHD through a competitive process to lead a Special Interest Group refreshing TEFMA's strategic asset management plan and asset auditing guidelines.
• UnimutualminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Unimutual on Lithium-Ion battery guidance and a hail testing project in association with James Cook University Cyclone Testing Centre.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• APPA (Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers): US-based association for higher education facilities officers, with which TEFMA holds a formal strategic partnership. Most direct functional peer — operates a benchmarking program, annual conference, and professional development for university FM professionals, but serving North America rather than Australasia.
• SCUP (Society for College and University Planning): US-based organisation focused on higher education planning with which TEFMA has an international partnership. Adjacent direct peer — serves similar institutional audience with strategic planning, but with planning rather than facilities operations focus.
• AUDE (Association of University Directors of Estates): UK-based association for university estates directors, with which TEFMA has a strategic partnership including joint summer school scholarships. Direct counterpart serving UK higher education institutions with benchmarking, events, and CPD.
• HEFMA (Higher Education Facility Management Association): Southern African peer association with formal strategic partnership to TEFMA, enabling cross-continental conference attendance. Most direct functional equivalent serving higher education FM professionals outside the developed Western markets.
• ATEM (Association for Tertiary Education Management): Australia-based association for tertiary education management with which TEFMA co-organises the Tertiary Education Management Conference (TEMC). Closest direct peer serving the same Australasian tertiary institutions, but with broader administrative management rather than facilities focus.

Others

• Universities Australia: Peak body representing Australian universities as institutional members of TEFMA. Adjacent ecosystem player — TEFMA has an industry network connection, and Universities Australia advocates for the same institutional base from a sector-wide perspective.

Broad incumbents

• IFMA (International Facility Management Association): Global facility management association with CFM, FMP, and SFP certifications. Competes with TEFMA's CPD programme for individual member mindshare, while serving a much broader industry across all sectors and geographies.
• FMA Australia (Facility Management Association of Australia): Larger Australian facility management industry body offering FM certification and broader industry networking. Overlaps with TEFMA's audience but covers all industries rather than specialising in higher education.

Regional players

• FMANZ (Facility Management Association of New Zealand): New Zealand's national facility management association, with which TEFMA has an industry network partnership. Serves the same New Zealand higher education FM professionals but at the broader FM industry level rather than sector-specific.

Emerging players

• ACTS (Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability): Australasian sustainability-focused network with which TEFMA co-developed Scope 3 Emissions Guidelines. Partial overlap — ACTS addresses the same institutional members around sustainability but lacks the FM operations depth and benchmarking asset.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tefma

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about tefma