As we reach the end of 2024 and look forward to 2025, it’s time to consider what's next for the FM sector. There may be uncertainty in the air, but with Expansive, you know that technology and teamwork will always be on your side.
A new year of uncertainty ahead?
With a new government in the UK ringing budgetary changes - and a new President in the US in full isolationist mode, labour costs might rise, and the supply chain may be even more tricky to navigate.
Maybe it's no surprise that new research published this year suggests that FM teams feel unhappy with the status quo - and recruitment into the profession is harder than ever.
In 2024:
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A third (32%) of facilities managers are considering moving jobs due to stress
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Over a third (34%) believe there aren't enough young people entering the sector
Source: Watco
Technology is promising more than ever before!
But it’s easy to forget that digital transformation is happening at a rate we’ve never seen before.
At Expansive, we believe technology is at a tipping point for the FM community.
AI is helping accelerate software development and turbocharging analytics to put yet more power in the hands of FM teams. Software like Expansive is changing the way FM can manage their assets, teams and external suppliers to maximise value and plan a more sustainable future.
What are the FM trends in 2025 that we’re helping with?
Throughout 2024, our content team have been working with experts from inside and outside our organisation to answer your most pressing challenges.
Here’s how we’ve reported on evolving trends that will power facility management in the year to come - with links to some of the most popular posts we wrote to help you through.
1. Cost-efficiency: Smart FM solutions
Economic pressures might be ramping up, but FM leaders are still finding ways to reduce costs while enhancing service delivery. Leveraging digital tools to centralise help desks, supplier management, and cost control can lead to meaningful savings without sacrificing quality.
Our guide to actionable cost-saving strategies in facilities management was one of our most popular reads this year. It’s full of real-world examples shared by our clients, designed to inspire you to make your own value-driven changes.
Centralising the help desk has helped us utilise our labour better. I don’t need as many people, and I can recruit from anywhere. They can all work together using our CAFM as one team, remotely.
Alan Jones - Activate Learning Group
2. Are you listening to your assets in 2025?
There’s no doubt the future of a more value-driven facilities management in 2025 lies in getting oversight and control of your fixed assets.
Value and waste continue to be bound up in the equipment we use every day - and to become more sustainable we must be able to harness that insight. In 2024, we’ve been working with organisations around the world to digitise their asset registers and understand the true value and costs of the assets they own.
Our asset management software provides visibility across the entire asset lifecycle, empowering FM teams to forecast repairs, optimise investments, and reduce waste. But achieving this kind of oversight doesn’t have to take months of disruption for your business - and it doesn’t need to break the bank.
Ready to unwrap the benefits of asset management in 2025?
Need to convince your bosses that now is the time to digitise your asset control?
Efficient spare parts management is critical in facilities management, yet many teams face the challenges of uncentralised purchasing processes, ordering errors, and delivery inefficiencies. In 2024, we threw a spotlight on the waste involved in poorly managed inventories while proposing a new way forward—read our blog post on revolutionising spare part management.
3. Taking control of supplier management
2025 is the time to rethink supplier relationships. Moving beyond the old models of Total Facility Management continues to help organisations spread risk, improve service delivery, and enhance accountability.
But getting this right depends on FM owning and managing all the contractor data they can.
As our friend Mark Whittaker (Chair of the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management) said in an interview with us in 2024:
More and more organisations are saying ‘we want to own this data. We want to be in the driving seat rather than be reliant on contractors to share their data with us.’ They’re saying ‘It’s our properties, it's our data, it's our neck on the line if these buildings aren't compliant and something happens.
Flexible CAFM systems are key to unlocking the data, which makes managing suppliers easy and takes the stress out of compliance and budget management. Learn more about this strategic shift in one of the most popular blogs of the year: The pros & cons of single service, bundled and total facility management.
With our new CAFM, we can do real appraisals with our engineers and contractors. We know how many jobs they’ve been given and how many they’ve completed. We didn’t have that data before. We couldn't challenge or reward them on the basis of their performance.
Greg Plummer - Facilities Helpdesk Manager, Fitness First
4. Evolving with technology
The rapid pace of technological change brings user experience and AI-driven tools to the forefront. From intelligent help desks to predictive analytics, these innovations enhance decision-making and streamline workflows.
In 2025, organisations need to choose FM technology partners with a strong plan for continuous improvement and a customer-centric focus. In this 2024 article we outlined the nine signs that your CAFM partner has a technology roadmap you can depend on.
5. Sustainability and ESG reporting as core responsibilities
In 2025, the pressure will be on for facilities management to become more transparent and effective in their energy, waste and carbon footprint management.
But many FMs still lack the tools to extract this data and deliver on their environmental goals with their current tech set-up.
Are you ready to manage the ESG revolution with your facilities management team?
Looking forward: FM in 2025 and beyond
As 2025 looms, the FM sector has the chance to become a cornerstone of business transformation. By saving money, embracing innovation, and building resilient operations, FM leaders can transform challenges into opportunities. The changing of the seasons reminds us of the potential for new beginnings.
From all of us at Expansive, have a great New Year!
