The evolving facility management landscape in Saudi Arabia
Our latest research explores the evolving facility management landscape in Saudi Arabia, covering organisational maturity, lifecycle value, contracting and digitalisation and how companies can translate greater capabilities into measurable asset, service and financial outcomes
Foreword: Facility management at an inflection point
For many years, facility management (FM) in Saudi Arabia was viewed primarily as an essential support function - keeping buildings operational, maintaining equipment, responding to service needs and ensuring day-to-day continuity.
As the Kingdom’s asset base expanded and expectations evolved, the focus increasingly shifted towards more strategic management and optimisation of asset performance. The Saudi Vision 2030 has accelerated this transformation, with major investment in urban and infrastructure projects driving demand for more advanced facility management capabilities across the Kingdom.1
Global events like the FIFA World Cup 2034 are also expected to further elevate expectations for service quality, operational excellence and resilience in the Kingdom. Meanwhile, asset owners are placing greater focus on spending efficiency, digital technologies and AI and deliver superior end-user experiences.
In this context, the conversation is shifting from whether facility management should evolve to how far along that evolution has progressed. While the industry’s trajectory is clear, there needs to be a deeper evaluation on how these ambitions translate into practice.
Recognising this critical need, PwC Middle East and the Saudi Facility Management Association (SFMA) launched a facility management market survey in the Kingdom during 2025, gathering insights from both the demand and supply sides of the facility management ecosystem. The results were discussed in a workshop with representatives from government entities, private-sector companies, asset owners, operators and facility management professionals in Saudi Arabia to understand their implications for the FM industry.
The findings are consolidated into section 2 of this report, indicating that the facility management market in the Kingdom is maturing, although progress varies across organisations and capabilities. Building on this evidence, section 3 presents four interconnected shifts that are expected to shape the next phase of facility management in the Kingdom.
These shifts include a stronger emphasis on lifecycle management, value-driven spending, performance-led partnerships and a more integrated use of digital capabilities. Section 4 of the report looks at how organisations can translate these shifts into measurable outcomes by advancing the required capabilities in a connected way across governance, operating models, digital capabilities and workforce.
We would like to thank all who contributed their perspectives to the survey and this publication. We hope that the findings and insights offer valuable perspectives on the changes influencing the future of facility management in Saudi Arabia.
Mohamed Salah
Partner, Accounting and Transformation, PwC Middle East
About the report
The evolving facility management landscape in Saudi Arabia examines how FM maturity is developing across the Kingdom and how organisations are translating growing capabilities into operational, financial, asset and user outcomes.
Drawing on PwC Middle East and SFMA’s market survey of over 200 participants, the report explores three areas where this evolution is particularly visible: the strategic role of facility management, commercial and contracting maturity and digital maturity. It examines how practices differ across organisations and where more mature approaches are beginning to emerge.
Building on these findings, the report identifies four interconnected shifts shaping the next phase of facility management – from operational support to asset lifecycle influence, from savings targets to value-driven spending, from fragmented contracting to performance-led partnerships and from technology adoption to integrated, measurable digital value.
It also introduces a facility management maturity journey and an outcome-to-execution pathway to help organisations consider how these capabilities can work together to deliver more consistent and measurable outcomes across assets, portfolios and service providers.
Key survey findings
- The strategic role of facility management
- Commercial and contracting maturity
- Digital maturity
The strategic role of facility management
FM is not yet consistently positioned as a strategic function
48% of respondents primarily view FM as a cost centre or support function, while only 10% see it as a strategic partner aligned with corporate objectives.
Maturity varies across organisation types
50% of developers and asset operators rate their FM maturity as advanced or leading, compared with 46% of semi-government entities, 36% of private-sector companies and 27% of government ministries and authorities.
More mature organisations involve FM earlier in the asset lifecycle
82% of ‘advanced’ or ‘leading’ organisations report early FM involvement in new projects, compared with 37% of organisations at ‘basic’ or ‘developing’ maturity.
Commercial and contracting maturity
Cost efficiency is a major management priority
77% of end users operate under either a specific FM savings target or a broader cost-saving mandate.
Balancing cost and service performance can be a challenge.
Only 12% of end users are ‘very satisfied’ with both service-provider performance and value for money.
Contracting models remain predominantly compliance-led
57% of end users use SLA/KPI-based financial deductions, compared with 19% using continuous improvement clauses and 14% using performance bonuses.
Digital maturity
Digital maturity remains uneven across FM functions
User request and helpdesk system functions record the highest average digital maturity score at 3.45 out of 5, while cleaning and waste management functions score 2.88.
Foundational systems dominate technology adoption
CAFM/CMMS is used by 37% of respondents, while 20% still rely on Excel, manual sheets or paper-based logs and adoption of AI-powered predictive analytics and digital twins remains limited.
Broader digital maturity is associated with greater reported savings
58% of organisations with four to six digitally mature FM functions report significant or moderate cost savings, compared with only 30% of organisations with zero or one mature function.
Four shifts shaping the future of facility management
The research identifies four interconnected shifts likely to shape the next phase of FM maturity in Saudi Arabia.
Progressing from traditional to strategic FM
The four shifts shaping facility management in Saudi Arabia are interconnected. The opportunity is not simply to introduce more tools, processes or capabilities, but to connect them and turn them into repeatable, measurable outcomes across assets, portfolios, providers and the asset lifecycle.
The report’s facility management maturity journey shows how organisations can progress from Traditional FM towards Strategic FM, moving from keeping facilities operational to maximising asset and business value.
For asset owners, service providers and policymakers, this requires stronger governance, more mature commercial models, better use of data and technology and a workforce equipped for a more strategic FM environment.
The next phase of facility management in Saudi Arabia will be defined by how effectively the sector converts capability into performance, resilience and long-term asset value.
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