IFMA’s latest Facility Management Pulse Report (October–December 2025) is out, and the headline is blunt: project delays are no longer the exception. Only 10% of organizations report all projects on schedule. Most are seeing 1–40% delayed, and about 17% are dealing with delays on more than 40% or all of their projects.
“Only 10% of organizations report that all projects are on schedule. Most report that 1%–40% of projects are delayed, and about 17% report that more than 40% or all projects are delayed.”
IFMA FM Market Pulse Report, Oct–Dec 2025
The top drivers are scope changes (51%) and supply chain issues (49%), followed by permitting/regulatory approvals (34%) and funding delays (32%). Quality and safety problems barely register. This is planning and market friction, not execution failure.
The part that matters most for healthcare facility leaders is the contract response. Facilities managers are tightening terms to manage volatility and compliance risk:
- Cybersecurity / data security requirements: 55%
- Price-escalation clauses: 47%
- ESG or sustainability provisions: 45%
- Shorter price-hold windows: 30%
Almost two-thirds are also rescoping, deferring, changing vendors, or shifting to domestic/regional suppliers because of tariffs. Projects are still moving — just with tighter controls on pricing, compliance, and information.
For hospitals, that 45% ESG-in-contracts number is the signal. Healthcare already accounts for roughly 8.5–9% of U.S. commercial building energy use while occupying only about 4% of the floorspace. As much as 30% of that energy could be saved at a typical hospital with no sacrifice in comfort or safety. ENERGY STAR-certified hospitals use 35% less energy and emit 35% less greenhouse gas than the typical hospital, on average.
If your capital projects are already slipping on scope and supply chain, the smart move is to bake the ESG and energy performance language into the contracts now — before the next wave of delays forces it. That means referencing ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager scores, commissioning requirements, and clear retrofit scopes up front.
On this site, the related reading is Healthcare Facility Climate Risk in 2026, Healthcare Regulatory Convergence in 2026, and Healthcare Energy Management: ENERGY STAR for Hospitals.
Go deeper on your own
- IFMA FM Market Pulse Report, Oct–Dec 2025 — the full quarterly snapshot and Workload Index.
- Facilities Dive summary — quick read on the delay drivers and tariff impact.
- ASHRAE/ASHE Decarbonizing Hospital Buildings Guidebook — practical strategies for zero operational carbon by 2030.
- ASHE Energy to Care — free benchmarking and savings program that has returned over $500 million to patient care.
- ENERGY STAR Resources for Healthcare Properties — scores, certification, and Portfolio Manager tools built for hospitals.
Source: IFMA FM Market Pulse Report, Oct–Dec 2025 (via Facilities Dive summary). Not legal or procurement advice — building-specific.