Compare · Decision guides
Compare Facility Management Options — Honestly
Every owner weighing facility management options faces the same comparisons: hire in-house or outsource, buy standalone CMMS software or include it with an operating partner, go with a global firm or a regional one, and tell strong bids from weak ones. These guides name the trade-offs — including where the answer isn't us.
The comparison most owners get wrong first: benefits alone average about 30 percent of total compensation for private-industry workers, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — so a salary-vs-contract comparison understates the in-house column before it even starts.
Which comparison should you start with?
Start with the operating model — in-house vs. outsourced — because it decides everything downstream. If you already employ the field team, start with the CMMS guide. If you are outsourcing the full operation, use the provider alternatives guides to build your bidder list.
Decision guide 01
In-House vs. Outsourced Facility Management
The fully loaded math — salary, benefits, coverage gaps, software, training — against contract pricing, plus where each model genuinely wins and how hybrids work.
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Decision guide 02
Affordable CMMS Alternatives
Levaru compared honestly with Fiix, Limble, UpKeep, MaintainX, and eMaint: current public pricing, mobile field access, and when software-only is the better answer.
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Decision guide 03
Levaru vs. JLL
A regional self-perform model set beside a global enterprise platform, using JLL as the example. Which structure fits your building — and when each genuinely wins.
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Decision guide 04
JLL Alternatives
Where a global firm is the right answer, why mid-size owners often feel underserved by enterprise structures, and what to demand from a regional alternative.
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Decision guide 05
CBRE Alternatives
The same honest framework applied to the world's largest CRE services firm — what its enterprise-first model means for one building, and how to run a fair bid.
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Decision guide 06
Cushman & Wakefield Alternatives
Where a global firm belongs on the shortlist, why a mid-size DMV building can feel underserved by enterprise scale, and the four structural questions to ask any bidder.
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FAQ
Comparing your options — common questions
Why does a facility management company publish comparison guides?
Because owners run these comparisons anyway, usually with incomplete numbers. We would rather put the honest framework in writing — including the cases where in-house teams or global firms are the better answer — and compete on the merits. A reader who chooses in-house for a large campus made the right call; a reader with a mid-size DMV building should know exactly what to demand from us.
Is outsourced facility management right for every building?
No. Large single-owner campuses with continuous workloads, and specialized operations like labs or data centers, often justify dedicated in-house teams. Outsourcing wins for most multi-tenant commercial buildings and distributed portfolios, where no single property generates enough work for full-time skilled headcount. The in-house vs. outsourced guide walks through the actual math.
Does Levaru compete directly with JLL, CBRE, or Cushman & Wakefield?
In one lane only: facility and property management for commercial buildings in Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland. We do not offer global portfolio outsourcing, international brokerage, or investment management. The comparison guides are for owners deciding whether an enterprise-scale firm or a senior-led regional one is the right structure for an account their size — and they name the cases where a global firm is the better answer.
How should I use these guides before taking bids?
Start with the in-house vs. outsourced guide to settle the operating model. If the software decision is separate, use the affordable CMMS alternatives guide; if the whole facilities relationship is in scope, use the provider guides. Fix a written scope, make every bidder price the same one, require named account teams, and unbundle technology costs.
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