Outsourcing facilities services: needs and practices of Swedish owners of commercial property

Paper in proceeding, 2004

Why and how facilities services are outsourced is a question that continues to attract interest. The purpose of this study has been to investigate links between categories of property owners and their demand for packaged facilities services. The empirical part is based on questionnaire responses from 20 large owners of commercial property in Sweden, and on interviews with 11 of these owners. Owners are characterized by portfolio value, geographical spread of properties, investment horizon, core business, and average tenant size. Three owner segments are identified and tentatively labelled Building Managers, Active Asset Managers, and Passive Asset Managers. Their outsourcing policies and practices differ clearly.