Where can savings for next year’s budget be found in facility management?

02. 11. 2026

The company’s operations for the coming year begin today. The end of the year involves reports and reviews, but also planning of expenses, goals and, last but not least, the budget. Good budget planning starts with evaluation and detailed review of existing operating costs.

If the budget preparation process also includes a cost-saving plan, this does not necessarily mean that it is inevitable to reduce the quality and scope of services or to search for a cheaper, lower-quality supplier. Cost optimisation rather represents an opportunity to thoroughly review the expenses and gain an overview of the actual flow of financial resources. Only after assessing their effectiveness is it possible for you to decide what steps to take.

1. Analysis of current costs

Without a thorough analysis, effective planning is impossible. Take a look at your costs for the current year and compare them with those of the previous one. Pay attention to energy, water consumption, cleaning, technical maintenance, waste management, contracts with external suppliers and, last but not least, to unexpected expenses.

Divide all the costs you have assessed into two groups: those that are essential for the running of the company and those that are not immediately essential, but contribute to its operation.

2. Energy efficiency

Energy consumption is one of the significant items in facility management expenses. Its cost is quickly reflected in bills and is relatively easy to measure. The first step is to assess energy consumption and the occupancy rates of individual spaces throughout the day.

– Heating: Is heating sufficient? Is the heating or air conditioning set to an unnecessarily high or low temperature? How do staff rate the temperature comfort? How are the heating and air conditioning set when staff members are absent from the premises?
– Lighting: Is there adequate lighting in the building? Are some of the lights located inappropriately? Do we use energy-efficient LED lighting?
– Water consumption: How much does water consumption cost us? Can we optimise it? Would it be necessary to invest in replacing equipment to do so? If so, would such an investment be profitable?
– Intelligent devices: Check the effectiveness of alarms, security camera systems, various sensors and other electronic devices. Consider whether they are all necessary and whether their operation meets the company’s real needs.

3. Do we pay for services we truly need?

An important area is looking for ways of saving on cleaning or technical maintenance. However, this does not automatically mean lowering hygiene standards, neglecting maintenance or postponing it. Essentially, it is about managing these services more efficiently.

In cleaning, it is important to review the frequency and quality of it, as well as the individual tasks involved, and to adapt them to the actual needs of the individual premises. Every space has different requirements and demands – whether it is production halls, warehouses, offices or operational areas. Are there any tasks where efficiency could be improved? Seasonal needs must also be taken into account. In some spaces, the intensity of cleaning varies depending on the time of year or production demand.

In technical maintenance, prevention is more important than solving problems once they arise. You should therefore try to think ahead and prevent malfunctions before they occur.

4. Suppliers and contracts

Regular payments for external services can represent a significant proportion of the operating budget. Contracts that were cost-effective a few years ago may no longer meet the company’s current needs or the current market conditions.

Before preparing the new budget, it is therefore advisable to review contracts for cleaning, technical maintenance, waste collection, facility management and other associated services. Check their scope, prices, regular payments and the terms and conditions for possible change of the supplier.

The potential for savings may exist, for example, in services that have been ordered twice, unused flat rates, or contracts that are no longer tailored to the company’s current operations. It may not always be necessary, but the possibility of comparing prices and the quality of services offered by other suppliers should not be ruled out.

5. Use of the premises

Premises are a significant expense item for a company. Their use may also have changed over the years. What was once sufficient may now be different – and vice versa. Take a look at your company’s real needs. Are your premises too large? Can they be optimized? Or, on the contrary, do you need more space? How much does unused space cost? Do you have any other purpose for your unused space? Excess space is also linked to the first point, namely energy. Are you heating, air-conditioning and lighting a space you are not using? How much does that cost you?

Regarding offices, you can assess their use, the possibility of working from home, office occupancy rates and the real need for private offices.

All these questions must be answered with regard to hygiene standards, real needs, and the efficiency of the company’s functioning.

6. Modernisation

The modernisation of businesses is almost synonymous with their effective operation. Ask yourself whether what worked in the past might not work even better today thanks to digitalisation and automation.

Digitalisation does not necessarily mean a huge investment in a new system. The first step could be simply unifying your records and performing regular assessments of basic indicators. It makes sense to introduce more extensive solutions only after assessing their benefits and costs.

The audit of operating costs is only the first, initial step. In order for these costs to be reflected in future budget planning, they must be quantified, priorities must be set, monitored regularly, and the return on investments must be taken into account.

The key to good facility management is knowing the building’s real needs, understanding your expenses, and decision-making based on data.