Institution of the Year Award

Applications for the Institution of the Year Award open late March each year. See Awards & Scholarships Key Dates here.

To be considered for the Institution of the Year Award , applications and supporting material should be received by TEFMA no later than 5pm AEST on the closing date. If an extension is required, this request is to be received in writing by the Secretariat by this date.

Submissions must be made on the official application form.

Award criteria should be addressed in applications.   

Selection of the successful applicant will be approved by the TEFMA Board following receipt of a recommendation from a panel established to review the applications.

The review panel will include the following members:

• Deputy Chair, Membership Services Committee
• General Manager, TEFMA
• A Past-President of TEFMA
• Additional panel members may be included at the discretion of the Deputy Membership Services Committee Chair.

Should an applicant be from the Deputy Chair, Membership Services Committee institution, the Chair, Education Services Committee will chair the review panel to avoid any potential conflicts of interests.

Applications will be judged against the published criteria.  Panel deliberations will be confidential, and the judges’ decisions are final.  No correspondence or appeal process will be entered into.

The judging panel may decide not to award if it deems that no suitable applications have been received.

Evaluation of applications for the scholarship will be completed in June / July, with those short-listed to be contacted at least 4 weeks prior to TEFMA 2023 Conference. The successful applicant will be announced at the Annual TEFMA Clever Campus Awards Dinner - Tertiary Education Facilities Management Association, which forms part of the TEFMA Conference.  Details of the annual TEFMA 203 Conference can be found via the Conference website.  Should there be any reason the Awards Dinner is unable to take place in person, an online event will be hosted.

The award winner and / or their nominator may be asked to make a brief presentation, including a 2-minute video, on receiving the award at the TEFMA Clever Campus Awards Dinner.  Runners up may have the opportunity to have their 2-minute electronic presentations on display at the Awards Dinner venue.   

The Institution of the Year Award is open for applications from any TEFMA Member Institution.  

Institutions with outstanding achievements in relevant areas during the past year are encouraged to apply. 

Institutions with multiple campuses may submit applications pertaining to the whole institution or for an individual campus. 

There is no limit on the number of applications from one institution.  

Applications should clearly reference the criteria provided.  Words provided are a prompt only, to assist those completing an application, but are not intended to be exhaustive.  

A.      Background

A thoughtful and creative approach to dealing with a property and / or facilities management situation in a member institution should be demonstrated, with outstanding work resulting in significant learnings and a contribution of great value both to the institution and the wider tertiary sector.  

The work should be considered best practice, exhibiting professionalism and demonstrating quality outcomes for the benefit of staff, students and visitors.

B.      Organisational impact

Applications should reference some or all of the following: 

• Impact:  The work has created a lasting positive impact on the organisation, in line with organisational objectives. 
• Customer relationships:  Excellence in customer relationship management has been displayed, with customer needs and expectations met and / or exceeded. 
• Organisational relationships:  Excellence in organisational relationship management has been showcased through outstanding leadership and / or teamwork, with creation of an environment fostering a high level of professionalism, resulting in excellent performance outcomes.

C.     Management practice

Applications should reference some or all of the following: 

• Strategic and operational planning:  Quality planning, where alignment with organisational objectives, clarity of purpose and goal setting, measurement and reporting, have resulted in outstanding results for the benefits of the students, staff and visitors of the organisation.    
• Process improvement:  Business effectiveness has measurably increased as a result of a new or improved robust and sustainable process; technical, administrative or other process types may be addressed. 
• Research:  Accurate and objective information gathering and well-planned analysis have resulted in increased knowledge and quality new information being identified, with direct application to its purpose.
• Innovation:  A creative approach to problem solving to achieve resolution of a significant issue has led to greatly improved results for the benefit of customers and the organisation.
• Delivery:   Excellence in management of service or project delivery has resulted in outstanding outcomes for the benefit of students, staff and visitors to the organisation. 
• Partnership:  Opportunities for partnership and different business models have been explored, resulting in measurable business improvements. 

Instructions

1.     To be considered for this award you must provide the following:

• Completed application form 
• Supporting materials (if any)
• Details of any additional material to be made available should the judging panel choose to make a site visit

2.     All sections of the application form must be complete for an application to be considered. 

3.     Applications must be endorsed and signed by the relevant Institutional Member.

4.     Applications must be submitted online via the Online Submission Portal.

5.     Save your file name as YOURSURNAME_AWARDNAME_datesubmitted i.e. SMITH_INSTITUTION_OTY_15.05.24.  Word or PDF is acceptable.

6.     If you have supporting documents (up to 2 supporting documents can be uploaded), please ensure they are saved as YOURNAME_AWARD NAME_Attachment A or Attachment B i.e. i.e. SMITH_ SMITH_INSTITUTION_OTY_ATTACHMENT A

7.    Once you have submitted your scholarship, you will receive an automatic email within 24 hours.  If you do not receive an email, please email the TEFMA Secretariat: info@tefma.com to confirm your application has been uploaded correctly.  

8.    Applications are due by 5pm AEST as advised on the TEFMA website unless otherwise agreed.  Please contact the TEFMA Secretariat on +61 2 9431 8692 or info@tefma.com with any queries.

9.    Applicants that are shortlisted may be asked to submit a 2-minute video presenting a snapshot of the nominee and their work proposed for the award.

Be factual and positive. 

It is important to provide evidence to back up your claims.  As well as describing the situation you are presenting, you should cite actual examples relating to the work done, how well it was carried out, what was achieved, and how it has benefited your institution. 

Responses need not be lengthy, but they should be relevant, include meaningful supporting descriptions, and should demonstrate particular characteristics, qualities or approaches that have resulted in the work making a significant contribution to your organisation.

A submission should anticipate the key points a panel member will be looking for in the responses to the award criteria.  

To maximize your chances of success it is important that you address the award criteria to clearly identify the suitability of your application for consideration as winner of the award. 

When addressing the criteria you should look for things to highlight that might set you apart from other applicants.

Be clear and to the point and do not exceed word limits.  Edit your responses for grammar, spelling and punctuation.