The cheapest supplier is rarely the cheapest solution. That may seem obvious, but in practice price still drives many purchasing decisions. Yet facility managers are faced with an increasingly complex environment: stricter regulations, growing pressure to meet ESG objectives, hybrid working environments and the rise of data-driven management. The SFG20 State of Facilities Management Report 2025 shows that 75% of facility managers experience budget pressure as their biggest challenge, and that 40% dealt with a declining budget between 2024 and 2025. So how, as a facility manager, do you make every euro count, and what can you expect from your facility services?
From supplier to strategic partner
Traditionally, a facility partner was chosen based on price and availability. Today, organisations expect more: a partner who thinks along with them, reports based on data, and makes proactive adjustments. Facility management teams are increasingly being asked to demonstrate value that goes beyond day-to-day execution, with extra attention to longer-term cost control and sustainable decisions. That shift affects how you assess facility services.
Facility services 2026: 7 criteria for the modern facility manager
1. Data-driven reporting
A partner who works with occupancy data, energy consumption and user feedback gives you a factual basis for useful reporting. Reporting based on gut feeling is no longer enough. In addition, a good partner also provides a clear and transparent quality control system.
2. ESG support
Sustainability is high on every organisation’s agenda. A facility partner who helps you measure, report and improve in terms of environmental impact, social impact and governance is a partner who grows with the expectations of your customers, shareholders and legislation. If your suppliers also follow a meticulous ESG strategy themselves and use environmentally friendly products, your organisation is already halfway there.
3. Flexibility of services
Organisations are constantly evolving. Are you dealing with an expansion? Or perhaps certain locations on your site are temporarily given higher priority, such as an event space? Busier seasons, meanwhile, require more capacity. A good partner scales with you and can deviate from a plan quickly without major problems.
4. A single point of contact for multiple services
Coordination between different suppliers takes time and increases the risk of errors. A partner who combines multiple facility services under one responsibility significantly reduces that complexity.
5. Technology and innovation
Digital transformation and new technologies are now part of day-to-day operations. From predicting breakdowns and detecting pests to the use of cobots: a partner who invests in this values efficiency.
6. Transparent KPIs
Objectives are only as strong as their measurability. Clear, predefined KPIs give you as the client a fair picture of what is being delivered. Your partner knows what your expectations are and can therefore deliver consistent quality.
7. Proactive advice
An integrated facility partner identifies bottlenecks, proposes improvements and thinks along about the longer term. That is the difference between execution and added value.
What this means in practice
A selection process that only looks at price misses half the story. The focus is shifting towards total cost of ownership. What does a partner cost across the full collaboration, including quality, risks and the added value they deliver? That requires a different approach to tenders and evaluations. Not comparing one quotation on price, but assessing partners on how they handle data, how transparently they communicate, and how they respond to change. The best choice is the partner who convinces on each of those criteria, not just on the quoted price.
