Five steps to smarter M&E asset management
John Cooper, Operations & Technical Director at NG Bailey Facilities Services, presents a five-step guide to help facilities management professionals shift from reactive maintenance to proactive, data-driven asset management.
Facilities management teams are under growing pressure to maintain mechanical and electrical (M&E) assets while navigating a complex landscape of evolving regulations, fragmented data systems, resource constraints and, increasingly, cyber threats.
By tackling compliance challenges, improving data quality and adopting cross-functional collaboration, this framework empowers teams to ensure safety, meet statutory requirements and optimise building performance. Whether managing a single site or a national portfolio, these steps offer a clear path to resilient, future-ready M&E strategies.
Step 1: Get the basics right
Start with a deep understanding of your systems, assets and operational procedures. Building and site maintenance should be driven by reliable data, not guesswork, to ensure that all works deliver measurable value and cost benefit to the business. This includes getting under the skin of all aspects including emergency-use equipment and systems that may only be activated under specific conditions. It’s also important at this point to evaluate the digitalisation of your M&E assets and whether they are futureproof or if further work will be required, which can then be reflected in the relevant maintenance and development plans.
Step 2: Tailor, don’t standardise
Different buildings have different needs. Maintenance strategies should align with the building’s purpose and broader organisational goals whether that’s Net Zero ambitions or enhancing visitor experience.
Recent trends show companies downsizing or reconfiguring their property portfolios in response to hybrid working. We live this approach with our own office strategy, with adaptable spaces and tailored maintenance plans that support flexible occupancy and our sustainability goals.
Step 3: Capture data and benchmark
Accurate data measurement is essential. Facilities managers (FMs) should consistently track key metrics, with the minimum being gas, electricity and water usage. Teams can then use both quantitative and qualitative insights to refine maintenance strategies. This data underpins Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) schedules, supporting sustainability goals and enabling cost effective, pre-emptive action. For instance, organisations which have invested in a range of solutions as part of decarbonisation initiatives can gain information on when the most energy is required and generated. This means they can assess efficiencies and challenges but also manage servicing schedules to accommodate wear and tear through usage. It’s also important to consider the data that the latest building accreditations, such as NABERS, ask for. With occupiers looking to ensure their buildings are of the highest standard, particularly from a sustainability perspective, it’s crucial that facilities management teams record the information that is needed to not only keep accreditations but protect both the buildings and the organisation’s reputation.
Step 4: Communicate effectively
Once you have the data the next challenge becomes how you share it, which is where we often recommend live digital dashboards. The ability to track asset performance, energy usage and maintenance activity live increases transparency and supports better decision-making, providing senior decision makers with the evidence to make investments as required.
Equally live tracking allows FMs to respond quickly when unexpected challenges arise, as they can see exactly where issues have arisen, a benefit which can reduce asset downtime and often head off system problems.
Step 5: Collaboration is key
Effective M&E maintenance doesn’t happen in isolation – it requires input from across the organisation. FMs should work closely with HR teams to understand occupancy patterns, which influence asset usage and maintenance schedules, and sustainability teams to ensure their work is supporting wider carbon reduction efforts.
Finance departments help align FM spend with broader operational goals, ensuring investments in maintenance and upgrades deliver value. Health and safety teams contribute to fire safety planning and business continuity strategies, including cyber resilience, an increasingly critical consideration as digital systems become more integrated with physical infrastructure.
Collaboration can extend beyond your business, external consultants also bring valuable expertise, using facilities management data to conduct energy audits and assess carbon use in operation. Their insights can help shape long-term strategies and support compliance with evolving standards.
By fostering collaboration across departments and stakeholders, facilities management teams can build smarter, more resilient M&E strategies that support both operational efficiency and organisational goals.
Conclusion
In today’s fast-evolving built environment, M&E asset management is more than just about keeping systems running, it’s about enabling smarter, safer and more sustainable buildings. The five steps outlined in this feature offer FMs a practical framework to move from reactive maintenance to proactive, data-led evidence that future-proofs investment and eliminates guesswork from decision-making.
By tailoring strategies to building use, leveraging data and fostering cross-functional collaboration, facilities management teams can unlock efficiencies, reduce risk and support broader organisational goals such as ESG commitments.
Whether you’re managing a single site or a national portfolio, adopting this approach will help future-proof your operations and deliver long-term value.
