Imran Safdar
Co-Founder & CEO, Mukamel Facilities Services
The FM services industry in the Gulf remains largely untapped, with ample room for growth and consolidation. Presently, only about 40 percent of the sector is organized — a sign of an industry still maturing. Many clients retain FM in-house or spread work across small providers rather than adopting portfolio management.
Mukamel established its KSA office in 2023. Headquartered in the Kingdom and present across Asia and North Africa, Mukamel is the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa's fully integrated facilities management specialist.
Saudi Arabia will lead regional growth, with the Kingdom's FM industry poised for roughly 20 percent year-on-year expansion. Home-grown firms with proven history and diversified service portfolios — such as Mukamel — are well placed to sustain rising regional demand.
Strengthening credentials
Over the next several years Mukamel will strengthen its position in technical, soft, and value-added FM by diversifying service categories and service lines. The company is present across KSA regions and will pursue strategic expansion into key cities to win long-term FM contracts.
The strategy includes expanding across KSA in the first phase and later introducing security services in select markets as a complement to existing integrated FM operations. Strategic acquisitions in emerging MENA and South Asia markets remain under evaluation.
Regional challenges
Three challenges stand out for FM providers in the region. First, many providers come from the unorganized sector with limited experience aligned to global best practice — undermining the strategic role IFM should play in operational efficiency and asset longevity.
Second, talent acquisition, training, and retention remain major obstacles, especially as FM competes with engineering and construction for skilled manpower on complex projects.
Third, FM providers are often engaged only at handover. Early involvement in design would ensure buildings meet energy-efficiency and best-practice standards before costly retrofits erode asset profitability.
Qualified talent with the right mix of experience, skills, attitude, and motivation remains critical. Mukamel offers structured career paths, competency assessment, and mandatory training across hard services, soft services, soft skills, and facility management disciplines.