Business Confidence Monitor 2018

Report

 

This year’s BIFM Business Confidence Monitor (BCM) comes at a pivotal moment for the facilities management market. Since the first report in 2015, confidence in the FM business environment has been cautiously optimistic. Overall, a small majority of FM professionals have been positive in their outlook, but this group has begun to shrink in successive reports. This is due to a range of factors including concerns over the health of the UK economy as well as the repercussions from the EU Referendum.   

In 2018, however, the threats facing the FM market feel more acute. A number of large FM service providers, for example, reported profit warnings in 2017. When last year’s report was released, Carillion stood as one of the FM sector’s most prominent organisations. While this year’s survey was live, the company entered into liquidation. 

Despite these challenges, however, the FM market continues to represent a substantial slice of the UK economy. The BCM – in partnership with Barclays and i-FM – aims to harness this power. This research canvasses the views of business leaders and other professionals to gain a clearer picture of the issues and challenges facing the sector. By assessing the confidence, ambition and priorities of organisations operating in the FM market, the report provides invaluable insight into current and future business performance, and positions FM as a bellwether for UK industry.