Budget planning for space planners and CRE leaders

Corporate real estate (CRE) teams face a new landscape of hybrid attendance patterns, rising operational costs, and increased pressure from leadership to optimize every square foot.  

Space planners now play a strategic role, connecting workplace design to organizational performance and long-term portfolio strategy. Budgets aren’t just numbers; they’re signals of where the business is headed. 

To stay ahead, CRE leaders need to pair real-time utilization data, scenario modelling, and a value integrator mindset to build budgets that reduce financial risk, eliminate unused space, and ensure every design decision aligns with business outcomes. 

Key takeaways 

• Space planners need a value integrator mindset to connect design decisions directly to financial outcomes and enterprise priorities
• Real-time utilization data is the backbone of modern CRE budgets, enabling accurate forecasting and data-driven scenario planning
• Hybrid work requires flexible, iterative budgeting—quarterly reviews, multiple layouts, and an adaptable footprint that reduces long-term financial risk 

CRE budgeting basics for space planning 

A space planning budget isn’t simply a list of projected expenses. It’s a model of how people interact with the built environment—and how that environment will need to adapt over the next 12–24 months. 

Core elements to include in a space planning budget: 

• Accurate occupancy baselines: Use sensor data, booking analytics, badge data, and historical patterns to identify peak, average, and low-use days
• Service-level assumptions: Cleaning, security, catering, IT support, and maintenance vary dramatically based on occupancy 
• Reconfiguration and project needs: Costs for moves, renovations, furniture updates, technology installations, and workspace modernization
• Lease exposure: Footprint size, renewal deadlines, and rent escalations—especially important in volatile markets
• Hybrid work variables: Desk-sharing ratios, meeting room demand, collaboration space needs, and team-based neighborhood planning
   

The more data you use to build your baseline, the clearer your budget structure becomes. 

Aligning space plans with financial goals 

Space planners must translate design decisions into financial impact. That’s what transforms a budget request into a strategic proposal. 

Podcast guest Adam Hoy captures this shift perfectly, “Being an innovator is thinking beyond the nuts and bolts… Workplace innovators connect those dots and wrap a business case around that.” 

This echoes the “value integrator” concept from the Eptura Insights, “Value integrators serve as the bridge between CRE and the broader business… translating workplace strategy into measurable impact.” 

How to align budgets with financial goals: 

• Show direct cost implications. Instead of “We need more collaboration space,” say, “This redesign reduces adjacency conflict, increases meeting availability by 20%, and eliminates overflow spending on offsite meeting rooms.”
• Tie utilization patterns to capital decisions. If a floor is consistently under 40% occupied, it becomes a prime target for consolidation.
• Use scenario models. Present leadership with multiple options—e.g., “Maintain,” “Reduce footprint by 10%,” “Shift to a 60/40 hybrid model”—and compare 3–5 year financial impacts.
• Connect design to employee experience metrics. Higher satisfaction and better space access often translate into measurable productivity gains and retention improvements.

This approach demonstrates value, not just space design. 

Challenges in forecasting CRE costs 

Forecasting is no longer a once-a-year exercise. Hybrid work introduces variables that shift month-to-month—or even week-to-week. 

Challenge 1: Unpredictable attendance patterns 

Different teams have different rhythms. Finance may peak during month-end. Sales may peak mid-week. Marketing may travel more often. 

How to address it:
Use peak/average split data, track patterns by department, and model for variability instead of assuming uniform demand. 

Challenge 2: Rising operational and insurance costs 

The Eptura Insights notes that, “Property insurance premiums have tripled in some cases since 2020.” 

That affects every CRE budget line—from risk planning to long-term lease strategy. 

How to address it:
Build inflation factors directly into multi-scenario forecasts. Revisit cost assumptions quarterly. 

Challenge 3: Fragmented CRE data 

The Eptura Insights article also states, “37% of businesses use 11 or more employees to gather, analyze, and report data from single-point systems.” 

Fragmentation leads to inconsistent assumptions—and missed savings. 

How to address it:
Use integrated space planning, utilization, and portfolio dashboards to create a single source of truth. 

Challenge 4: Disconnected CRE and FM functions 

As Adam Hoy emphasized, “I want one expert team providing a seamless, joined-up service.” 

How to address it:
Map all CRE, FM, IT, and workplace responsibilities, then centralize decision-making for budgets and forecasting. 

When forecasting is accurate, budget conversations become significantly easier. 

Tools to optimize budget decisions 

Effective budgeting requires more than data—it requires clarity, automation, and shared visibility across all CRE stakeholders. 

Key capabilities to prioritize: 

1. Real-time utilization analytics 

Adam Hoy reinforces this, “Some of the most valuable information is utilization data we’re getting in real time… Using sensors and utilization tools allows us to plan for catering, housekeeping—all of that.” 

This data directly impacts cost forecasting. 

2. Scenario modelling and space planning tools 

Run “what-if” tests before committing budget to a large project.
Examples: 

• What happens if we convert 20% of desks to hoteling? 
• What if a team shifts to a 3/2 hybrid policy? 
• What are the cost impacts of consolidating two floors into one?3. Move management software
  

Plan moves more efficiently, forecast labor needs, and reduce disruption. 

4. Portfolio dashboards 

Compare sites, allocate costs by department, and identify footprint optimization opportunities. The Eptura Insights article also warns, “Technology is not the answer by itself—CRE teams must pair tech with shared processes and aligned teams.” 

So the toolset must sit within a clear process framework. 

Planning ahead for flex and hybrid use 

Hybrid work demands flexibility—not as a trend, but as a permanent condition. 

How to build hybrid-ready budgets: 

• Plan for peak days, not averages. This avoids overtime costs, space shortages, and reactive spending
• Invest in flexible, reconfigurable spaces. Multi-use rooms, modular furniture, and zones designed for quick changes. 
• Use reservation data to eliminate unused space. Identify the 10–20% of space that consistently goes unused and evaluate consolidation opportunities
• Create quarterly review cycles. Hybrid patterns shift. Your budget should too
• Link occupancy to service-level spend. If occupancy drops by 15% on Mondays and Fridays, cleaning and catering spend should reflect that

Smart budgeting builds resilience into your portfolio, even when employee behavior changes. 

By Amanda Meade

Amanda Meade is a content creator at Eptura, specializing in workplace experience, meeting productivity, and emerging trends in workspace planning and visitor management. With a background in content marketing and SEO, she crafts clear, actionable content that helps teams work smarter through in-office collaboration. Throughout her career, Amanda has worked across industries, including home services, healthcare, real estate, and SaaS, developing a unique ability to distill complex topics into practical insights.