Soft facilities management is undergoing a profound transformation. Once viewed primarily as a support service, it is now becoming a strategic driver of operational resilience, sustainability, customer experience, and business continuity. As clients demand smarter, greener, and more value-driven service models, FM leaders are rethinking how technology, workforce development, and innovation come together to deliver measurable outcomes. 

In this exclusive interview with Clean Middle East, Luis Carlos Barroso, Director for the Facility Service business at ACCIONA Middle East, shares how the company is expanding its footprint across critical sectors, investing in digital transformation and sustainability, and championing a shift from labour-focused contracts to outcome-based service delivery. He also explains why the future of soft FM depends not only on robotics and data, but on empowering the frontline workforce that keeps essential facilities running every day. 

What milestones, projects, or initiatives are you most proud of — and what impact have they had on the people, clients, or communities you serve?  

Over the past year, one of my main achievements has been consolidating and strengthening ACCIONA’s soft FM operations across the Middle East, particularly in complex and high-demand environments such as healthcare, education, aviation and public infrastructure. 

A key milestone has been maintaining and reinforcing our leadership in the healthcare sector by extending existing contracts that were approaching expiry, ensuring service continuity in critical environments where cleaning, hygiene, waste management and operational reliability have a direct impact on patients, healthcare professionals and the wider community. 

At the same time, we have significantly increased our presence in the education sector with the addition of 13 new international schools and universities across the region, including Compass International School in Doha, Al Yamamah University in Riyadh and Middle East College in Muscat. This growth reflects the trust placed in ACCIONA to support learning environments where safety, cleanliness and the daily experience of students, staff and visitors are essential. 

I am also particularly proud of the progress we have made in workforce development and welfare. Our People Hub model and training initiatives have continued to support thousands of frontline employees across the region, helping us improve engagement, service consistency and career development opportunities. This was also externally recognized through regional FM awards, reinforcing the importance of placing people at the center of service excellence. 

For me, the biggest impact is not only measured in contracts or revenue, but in our ability to discover, retain, develop and empower talent within our teams. In a people-driven industry like soft FM, creating opportunities for our frontline employees is one of the most meaningful ways to build long-term service excellence. 

Whether it's robotics, IoT, AI-assisted operations, green cleaning protocols, or upskilling your frontline teams, what steps are you taking today to shape the industry of tomorrow? 
Future-proofing soft FM requires a balanced approach between technology, sustainability and people. Technology alone is not enough if it is not properly integrated into operations and understood by the teams delivering the service. 

At ACCIONA, we are investing in digital tools, robotization, automation and data-driven operational models to improve efficiency, service quality and control. Robotics and smart cleaning solutions are becoming increasingly relevant, especially in large facilities where consistency, productivity and traceability are essential. We are also working on stronger reporting systems and operational dashboards to support better decision-making and more proactive service management. 

Sustainability is another key priority. Our recent ISO 14067 and ISO 50001 certifications reinforce our commitment to carbon management and energy efficiency. In soft FM, this translates into more responsible use of resources, better chemical management, waste reduction, greener cleaning practices and a stronger focus on helping clients achieve their own sustainability objectives. 

However, the most important element remains workforce development. Soft FM is still a people-intensive industry and the future will belong to companies that can professionalize, train and retain their frontline teams. Through our training programs, welfare initiatives and internal development structures, we are working to ensure that our employees are not only service providers, but skilled professionals who understand quality, safety, sustainability and client experience. 

The future of soft FM will be more digital and more sustainable, but it must also be more human. 

From talent retention and standardisation to client education on value versus cost — where do you see the most urgent need for change, and what role are you personally playing in driving it? 

The biggest challenge facing soft FM in the Middle East is the need to move away from a purely manpower-based and price-per-person mindset. Soft FM should not be reduced to how many people are deployed or how much each person costs. The real discussion should be about what service is being provided, what outcome is expected, which risks are avoided and how the model can be optimized to deliver better performance at a competitive price. 

Better service does not always mean a more expensive service. In many cases, improvement comes from better planning, stronger supervision, smarter use of technology, clearer processes, better training and a more efficient allocation of resources. This is where we are focusing our efforts: helping clients understand that value comes from the quality and reliability of the service model, not simply from increasing or reducing headcount. 

Soft FM teams also play a much broader role than is often recognized. Due to the number of staff deployed across a facility, they are often the eyes and ears of the operation. They have a crucial role in customer care, visitor guidance, maintenance observations, early identification of issues, reporting defects and serving as additional safety eyes across the facility. This frontline presence gives soft FM a strategic value that goes far beyond cleaning. 

My role is to keep pushing for a more mature dialogue with clients and stakeholders. This means helping clients understand the real impact of service models, manpower structures, training, supervision, technology, consumables and welfare standards. A cheaper model is not always an efficient model if it creates higher risk, lower consistency, staff turnover, visitor dissatisfaction or reputational issues. 

At ACCIONA, we address this challenge by focusing on transparency, operational governance and partnership. We present clear service models, explain the consequences of different cost scenarios and work with clients to find the right balance between efficiency, service resilience and cost competitiveness. 

For me, the urgent change needed in the industry is to move from “cleaning as a cost” to “soft FM as a strategic function”. Soft FM protects the reputation, safety and daily experience of every facility. The companies and clients that understand this will be the ones shaping the future of the sector.