CRE Facilities Leaders Turn To Outsourcing To Reclaim Bandwidth For Strategic Work

In 2026, facilities management teams are redefining the line between in-house and outsourced work. Instead of seeing outsourcing only as a cost-cutting tool, corporate real estate groups are using it to free internal teams to support strategic initiatives like expansion planning and workplace strategy. With 68% of corporate real estate leaders now identifying limited operational bandwidth as the primary barrier to executing their expansion goals, routine maintenance and specialized tasks are increasingly moving to external partners. This shift requires preparation, financial baselines, clear KPIs, and careful timing to avoid conflicts with other corporate initiatives.

Amanda Muzzarelli, President of the IFMA® Central Illinois Chapter and an Independent Consultant for CRE and FM executives, previously served as Director of Global Real Estate & Facility Management Consulting at Trascent and Head of US Workplaces & Services at State Farm, managing a $430 million facility portfolio across 18 million square feet. With experience leading global supplier migrations across 57 markets, she sees outsourcing moving from cost-cutting to strategic enablement.

"The work of the future is bigger than just keeping buildings running. It's about making workplaces welcoming and making sure facilities actually support the people who use them. Everything else can be outsourced," Muzzarelli says. As workloads rise and resources stay tight, separating big-picture planning from everyday tasks is becoming the heart of modern facilities management.

• The gray zone shuffle: In leased buildings, landlords handle major maintenance, leaving internal teams to manage a gray area between strategy and mechanical work. "There’s this no-man’s land of services. Some of it can be outsourced, but that still leaves workplace services, mailrooms, copy centers, moves, and setting up new employees," Muzzarelli says. Many organizations begin outsourcing with this group because it covers most day-to-day reactive requests.

• Specialist squad: With tight budgets, organizations are turning to vendors who specialize and make every dollar count. "Some suppliers focus on highly regulated environments like manufacturing, and that’s their strength. Outsourcing in those areas stretches the dollar and allows internal teams to concentrate on keeping equipment and production running," Muzzarelli says. Global providers also offer skills in sustainability, energy purchasing, and compliance that would be expensive to build internally.

• Money moves: Outsourcing also removes the need to coordinate, schedule, and supervise specialized work, freeing internal teams for stategic work. "Spending goes further when specialists handle the work instead of relying on someone to call vendors, schedule visits, and oversee everything," she adds. "That’s one of the most time-consuming parts of operations when mechanical facilities and manufacturing work are separated."

• Badge of honor: According to Muzzarelli, certain enterprises prefer to maintain direct oversight of operational functions, asserting that high-touch workstreams linked to organizational culture should remain internalized. "Each engagement is unique, however, and the scope of internalization is ultimately dictated by the company’s strategic priorities," she says.

Once organizations decide which work stays in-house and which gets outsourced, the focus shifts to selecting vendors. The process from initial planning to a signed contract can take six months or more, so preparation is key. Successful teams start by auditing current facilities spending, establishing a solid financial baseline, defining clear KPIs, and planning timing carefully to avoid conflicts with other corporate initiatives. Early alignment ensures that outsourcing drives results rather than creating uncertainty.

• Contracts over handshakes: With a baseline in place, organizations can focus on building partnerships rather than chasing the lowest bid. "Going for the cheapest supplier is usually a mistake. What matters is whether they can deliver results, handle crises, and act as a true partner," Muzzarelli explains. "Relationships are nice, but they aren’t measurable. The key question is whether the supplier actually does what the contract requires."

• Beat the buzzer: Linking KPIs to workflows and digital tools helps teams track whether vendors deliver value. Metrics like 24/7 uptime are easy to monitor, but too many metrics can overwhelm small teams. Suppliers sometimes request KPI adjustments after seeing operations in action, since early proposals rely on estimates. "Set the key KPIs before contracting," Muzzarelli advises. "This allows organizations to review them with suppliers along the way, instead of waiting until the end when everyone just wants to sign the contract and get started."

• Timing is everything: Even a well-planned outsourcing deal can stumble if it overlaps with other initiatives or technology needs. Vendor rollouts affect finance, operations, IT, and frontline teams, so careful coordination is essential. Mapping dependencies and planning each step keeps transitions on track. "Request time and resources early, sometimes a year in advance, to give IT the lead time needed to set up the system," Muzzarelli says.

As organizations face tighter conditions in 2026, the line between in-house work and outsourced services will keep shifting. For Muzzarelli, the playbook is to keep work close to the business, prepare carefully before engaging the market, and actively manage everything else. Every company has its own constraints, but successful organizations share key traits. "The organizations that get it right understand their operations, their dependencies, and their goals before they ask someone else to run them," Muzzarelli concludes.