Work Forward » Together

Auditing your occupancy costs

Building operating costs have shifted significantly throughout this crisis. Your current operating cost structure may no longer reflect the actual expenses. For example, utility bills are likely much lower as buildings sit dormant. Same for property taxes for owned spaces. Many landlords are receiving deferral or credit opportunities. We can cross-reference this knowledge with your lease contracts and accounting records to identify opportunities for potential immediate savings.

Creating short and long-term strategies

There will be short and long-term impacts to your space requirements and workplace design relating to layouts, density, distancing, hygiene, space types, technology and new operating norms and behaviors.  Initial findings from our ”Working from Home” global survey also show a longer-term demand for home or other remote work options. 

We can help you rationally navigate this new normal using evidence specific to your unique situation, coupled with global best practices from recognized workplace experts. Our workplace experts will provide you with actionable insight to guide you in getting your facilities ready so employees feel comfortable returning to the workplace.

Assessing and retrofitting your workplace

Our Project Management team has developed assessment processes utilizing video and other remote approaches as well as scenario modeling and capital plans to help you implement a program to get one office or an entire portfolio retrofitted and ready for the new normal quickly and flexibly at the optimal cost.

Creating mid and long-term lease strategies

Each client’s situation is unique. And research shows this time and time again: a blanket strategy on rent relief rarely works across a large, diverse portfolio. At the same time, based on our expertise working with our clients on strategy, lease restructuring can yield savings, concessions and benefits for tenants and landlords.

Colliers professionals provide a range of creative approaches to achieve a win-win outcome through space demand certainty/uncertainty analytics and real estate market timing all while considering the relationship between the tenant and landlord over the longer term.

Providing solutions to coworking

As a result of the pandemic, this segment of the industry has been particularly hard-hit. Looking beyond the current economic challenges of the business model, flexibility remains part of the key value proposition for occupier clients. Compared to traditional leases, flexible workspace solutions offer occupiers an alternative to the de-densification of their spaces and can be a solution for remote-working arrangements.

Evaluating down-market strategies

Disposition strategies are part of our down-market strategies given the current market outlook. Occupiers should evaluate existing lease agreements, explore opportunities for upcoming lease expirations for closure, consider space reductions or possibly consider immediate capital infusion throughs sale / leasebacks. 

Labor and demographic data insights

Occupiers are being faced with tough location decisions right now. Our consulting team provides valuable expertise to help occupiers navigate the workforce and footprint implications of COVID-19. We can help you establish a new engineering center, relocate existing jobs to a more optimal labor market, distribute your workforce into multiple markets to alleviate concentration risk, and more. Part of our deployment of service offerings includes:

• Distributed Work Implications: We address the pressing needs of planning for reimagined, distributed workforce strategies and help you reposition real estate portfolios to accommodate these new approaches.
• On-Shoring Opportunity Analysis: We assist clients with evaluating on-shoring manufacturing and distribution away from overseas. Our experts advise you on the right shoring strategy, as occupiers are now, more than ever, dependent upon finding the right workforce around the world for successful execution.

Creating an evolved real estate operation

The next evolution of real estate portfolio strategy for occupiers could look quite different from what we have been used to. Beyond the obvious of significantly enhanced focus on resiliency and risk, we see some companies will choose to materially change the makeup of their real estate footprint, including the numbers and sizes of locations; the geographic makeup; urban versus suburban considerations; remote working expectations; the structure of transactions and lease and own decisions; and flexible workspace solutions.

Colliers will use its extensive expertise in:

• Real-time data forecasting
• Scenario planning (not estimating)
• Location and workforce analytics, including concentration risk analysis
• Strategic planning that flexes on an ongoing basis

Our team is committed to putting our clients’ interests first and managing property to maximize asset value. Currently, building operations and occupancy are in flux, tenants are requesting rent relief, and increased safety protocols are a focus for everyone.  Colliers can assist in navigating your building through this business disruption to mitigate risk so that when we all return to work, your assets are operating efficiently and your tenants can re-enter their workplaces with confidence.

Colliers ensures the safety, comfort and environmental well-being of property occupants. Our teams of highly trained personnel can provide guidance in the areas of janitorial procedures and increased sanitization of common areas, directional flow (egress/ingress) of tenant foot traffic, including elevator/stairwell usage and staggering the incoming work force to maintain social distancing recommendations of local municipalities.

Our RE-ENTRY services cover the complete spectrum of management and value preservation considerations, covering a range of options from no-cost process modifications to add-on products that are available to match the investment tolerance of any client.

Colliers can provide clients with expert advice and management of capital expenditure projects, from design through construction, resulting from new state and local guidelines.  Projects can incorporate social distancing measures, common area, and tenant suite modifications. Our project management teams provide strategic project planning, value engineering, quality assurance and timely performance for these improvements.

Our in-house team can assess HVAC operations and establish updated schedules to accommodate the most recent guidelines established by ASHRAE.  These procedures include increased outdoor air ventilation, improved central air filtration using MERV-13 filters, and operating building systems for extended periods of time.

Property tax appeals greatly reduce real estate costs during times of economic uncertainty or decline. We offer a high return, low risk solution for all REMS clients through our contingent tax appeal process – if our team cannot achieve an actual property tax reduction, we do not charge a fee.

Neighborhood Curated by Colliers is a suite of technology-forward services that integrates industry-changing partnerships to create experiences that benefit our clients and their tenants.  As employees gradually return to the workplace, the tenant experience, communication and safety can all be improved utilizing technology.