India’s largest media channel in the cleaning & hygiene space

Global trade reports highlight a stark deviation in the procurement process, driven by geopolitical uncertainties, shifting tariff policies, continued supply chain constraints and logistics challenges. At the domestic level, procurement has rapidly evolved from a back-office task into a frontline function. Yet, this change differs across segments and at different levels of organisations.

Facility management professionals, both at the client and service providers’ end, as well as vendors share their thoughts on different aspects of procurement in this issue. Their insights reveal a complex landscape where execution varies wildly depending on operational priorities.

At one level, procurement operates in an increasingly “smart” world driven by real-time analytics and automation, but at another level, habits remain deep-rooted in legacy practices. There is a clear friction caused by an unwillingness to give up manual processes and rigid RFP frameworks. This stalls the adoption of innovative hygiene and facility automation solutions that could close productivity gaps.

This resistance is further compounded by a disconnect across organisational levels. For the CEOs, procurement is a macro-strategic lever for digital transformation and long-term resilience. For middle management, it is strictly cost containment and administrative compliance. At the operational level, it reduces to daily firefighting where immediate resource availability takes precedence over long-term requirement.

This misalignment is more pronounced as procurement decisions are made at different levels in different organisations. This places immense pressure on vendors and service providers who are caught in the middle.

Procurement can no longer operate in a silo. For FM professionals and vendors to build true partnerships, organisations must align their practices with their on-the-ground operational realities.

As you go through the detailed insights in this issue, we invite you to look beyond the immediate transaction and ask a harder question: is your organisation or client truly ready to embrace smart practices?