HOUSTON--The usage of e-commerce sites designed to serve the facility management industry may be on the upswing, according to a new study conducted by the CRS Center at Texas A&M University and sponsored by the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) Foundation Corporate Circle of Contributors. A total of 85 percent of respondents said they expect to purchase supplies and materials on the Web from a specific vendor "some" or "a lot" during the next two years. Fifty-two percent of respondents think that business-to-business e-commerce sites will change their facility management departments "some" during that period, and 24 percent said they expect a lot of change. The survey was conducted in July 2000 among more than 1,700 IFMA members employed at Fortune 500 companies. The sample was designed to reach members who manage large, complex facilities and netted a response rate of 33.7 percent. "The Impact of E-Commerce on Facility Management Practices" is available for $40 (plus tax and postage) from IFMA's publications department. Call (713) 623-4362 for more information.