The full BCIS Quarterly briefing: Maintenance, cleaning and energy is published in the Briefing section, as part of BCIS OpX
Login to access the BCIS online service.
LoginPublished: 23/01/2023
The Facilities Management (FM) market will face difficulty over the next two years, as labour availability and high inflation drive an increase in costs. BCIS forecasts maintenance and cleaning costs are to rise by 4.8% and 7.7% respectively this year – the latest forecasts indicate R&M annual output could decline by around 2.9% in 2023, and general inflation, as measured by the Retail Prices Index (RPI), is expected to fall to 7.0%, by the end of the year.
The cost of living crisis and increase in wages due to labour shortages, could result in maintenance costs rising to 15.4% over the forecast period (to 3Q 2027). As companies adapt to post-Covid standards, cleaning costs are expected to rise 28.5% over the next five years.
Although energy prices remain volatile, energy costs are expected to decrease by 24.4% in the forecast period, as the markets stabilise.
Basic repairs and maintenance cannot be cancelled or postponed but some R&M expenditure in the public sector may be held back, as new build projects under the major hospital, school and prison building programmes are prioritised.
However, there is some good news for the sector. A new series of initiatives to tackle the energy price crisis and fulfil the government’s decarbonisation policy could help to spur growth. Pressure from central government to continue removing, and replacing, unsafe cladding will also help to stimulate the industry. Government statistics on the Building Safety Programme show that 95% of all identified high-rise residential and publicly owned buildings in England have either completed or started remediation work, but this work is likely to continue into 2023 or beyond.
Spiralling inflation and availability of labour are currently the key drivers for cleaning costs. If not addressed, severe staff shortages in the sector could compromise its ability to deliver. According to British Cleaning Council and All-Party Parliament Group (APPG) report, 21% of cleaning industry employees are immigrants. The Group suggests that the government should give urgent consideration to ensuring cleaning staff are eligible for the Skilled Worker Visa scheme.
The full five year Facilities Management forecast is available in the BCIS Building Running Costs online service.
To keep up to date with the latest industry news and insights from BCIS register for our newsletter here.
The full BCIS Quarterly briefing: Maintenance, cleaning and energy is published in the Briefing section, as part of BCIS OpX