Facility management services in India: scope, contracts, law
Soft and hard services, contract models and SLAs, the OSH Code on contract labour, a quote template, how to choose a company, and where Starleads' FM firms are.
By Kavita Khatri · Published · 20 min read
In this article · 9 sections
- The quick answer
- What facility management services include
- Facility management companies in India: how many and where
- Starleads' facility management lists
- Facility management companies by city
- Related lists: pest control, lifts and technical services
- How facility management contracts work
- The labour law behind a facility management contract
- What goes into a facility management quote
- How to choose a facility management company, step by step
- Selling to facility management companies
- Questions people ask
- What comes under facility services?
- What is AMC in facility management?
- What does IFM mean in facilities management?
- How many facility management companies are there in India?
- Which cities have the most facility management companies?
- Can a company outsource housekeeping and security to a contractor?
- Does a facility management company need a licence?
The quick answer
Facility management services are the work that keeps a building running so the people in it can do their own jobs: cleaning and housekeeping, security, front desk and pantry, waste, gardening, pest control, and the technical upkeep of electrical systems, lifts, pumps, air conditioning and fire safety. In India most of it is bought as a contract with a facility management company, either one service at a time or as a bundle (integrated facility management, or IFM). Since 21 November 2025 these contracts sit under the Labour Codes, and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code treats cleaning, security and housekeeping as non-core work that may be given to contractors. In Starleads' data there are 22,231 facility management and security services firms in 25 states and 142 cities, most of them in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad and Delhi.
This guide is for two readers. The first runs an office, factory, hospital, school, warehouse or housing society and wants to buy facility management services without surprises: what to include, how the contract should work, which labour rules make the buyer liable, and how to compare quotes. The second sells to facility management companies (cleaning chemicals and machines, uniforms, attendance and helpdesk software, training, insurance) and wants to know how many there are, where, and how to reach them within TRAI's rules. The Starleads figures below are counts of contacts in Starleads' data, checked on 5 November 2026, not an official census.
What facility management services include
The trade splits the work into two halves. Soft services are about people and the space they use: housekeeping, security, reception, mailroom, pantry and canteen, waste collection, gardening and pest control. Hard services are about the building and its machines: electrical maintenance, diesel generators, HVAC and air conditioning, lifts, plumbing and pumps, fire detection and fire fighting systems, and minor civil repairs. A third layer, often called workplace or business support, covers things such as space planning, energy monitoring, travel desks and helpdesks; large corporate parks buy it, most small sites never need it.
Many buyers search for a "facility management company" when they really need one or two services. A housing society of 200 flats typically needs guards, housekeeping staff and a lift and pump operator. A factory needs housekeeping on the shop floor, security at the gate, canteen staff, and electricians on shift. An IT office needs all the soft services plus HVAC and electrical upkeep, under one manager. The table shows who usually supplies each service and how many such businesses Starleads holds, so you can see where a specialist is easy to find and where you will probably buy through a larger firm.
| Service | What it covers | Who usually supplies it | Businesses in Starleads' data |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housekeeping and cleaning | Daily cleaning, washrooms, deep cleaning, floor care, garbage segregation | Facility management companies and housekeeping contractors | Part of the 22,231 facility management list; 1,486 are listed as industrial housekeeping and 371 as "Housekeeping Services" |
| Security | Guards, supervisors, gate and visitor control, night patrols | Licensed security agencies, often a sister company of the FM firm | Inside the same list; see our security agencies guide for the PSARA licence |
| Pest control | Termite, rodent, mosquito and general pest treatment, usually on an annual contract | Specialist pest control firms | 4,508 pest control services |
| Electrical maintenance | Panels, wiring, DG sets, lighting, shift electricians | Electrical contractors or the FM firm's technical team | 7,959 electricians and electrical contractors |
| Plumbing and pumps | Pumps, tanks, pipelines, sewage and water treatment plant operation | Plumbing contractors, STP operators | 4,803 plumbers and plumbing contractors |
| Air conditioning | Split and central AC servicing, chillers, AMCs | AC dealers and service centres, HVAC contractors | 18,203 AC dealers and service centres |
| Lifts | Preventive maintenance, breakdown calls, statutory inspections | The lift maker or an independent lift company | 3,409 lift and elevator companies |
| Fire safety | Extinguisher refilling, hydrant and sprinkler upkeep, fire alarm checks | Fire safety equipment dealers and contractors | 2,570 fire safety and fire fighting equipment firms |
The pattern is clear: there are far more specialists for technical services (more than 18,000 AC service businesses alone) than there are integrated facility management firms in any one city. That is why most small buyers end up with a soft-services contract from an FM company and separate annual maintenance contracts (AMCs) for the lift, the AC and the fire system. An AMC is simply a yearly contract for scheduled servicing and breakdown support of one asset or system; IFM is the opposite approach, one company and one contract for many services. Our guide to lift companies covers the lift side in detail, including the state lift laws.
Facility management companies in India: how many and where
No government body publishes a count of facility management companies. Firms register as companies, LLPs or proprietorships under general business codes, labour departments license contractors and not "FM companies" as such, and the same group often runs a guarding company, a housekeeping company and a pest control company side by side. Starleads counts the businesses it holds contact details for, which is a practical answer to "how many can I actually reach": 22,231 contacts in its facility management and security services list, 97% with a mobile number and 74% with an email address.
The list's categories show what these firms call themselves. 14,514 are listed under "Facilities Management", 1,486 under "House Keeping Services- Indl" and 755 under "Facility Management". Security guard agencies, pest control firms and cleaning services make up most of the rest. The three biggest states, Maharashtra (8,919), Karnataka (2,729) and Gujarat (1,554), hold 59% of the list. The cities tell a sharper story, because facility management follows office space, IT parks and large factories:
| City | Contacts in Starleads' data | With a mobile number | With an email address | What stands out |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mumbai | 6,869 | 96% | 58% | 77% of Maharashtra's list; most in Andheri East (181), Andheri West (121) and Malad West (96); 792 listed as industrial housekeeping and 712 as security guards |
| Bengaluru | 2,625 | 99% | 80% | 96% of Karnataka's list; 1,997 under "Facilities Management", 206 industrial housekeeping |
| Pune | 1,628 | 99% | 78% | Spread across Chinchwad (29), Hadapsar (29) and Kothrud (23), i.e. the industrial belt as well as the city; 83 industrial pest control firms |
| Hyderabad | 1,512 | 99% | 97% | 99% of Telangana's list; nearly all under "Facilities Management"; 93% name the contact person |
| Delhi | 1,220 in the city (1,398 in the state list) | 99% | 62% | A mix: 781 "Facilities Management", 181 "Facility Management", 160 industrial housekeeping in the state list |
| Gurugram | 1,100 | 99% | 93% | 86% of Haryana's list, around the corporate parks |
| Kolkata | 667 | 98% | 98% | 92% of West Bengal's list |
| Chennai | 619 | 98% | 97% | 76% of Tamil Nadu's list |
Two things are worth reading from these numbers. First, the size of a city's list is not the size of its market: Mumbai's list is large partly because many small housekeeping and guarding outfits are listed there, while Hyderabad's and Gurugram's lists are dominated by firms describing themselves as facility management companies. Second, the contact mix differs. In Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chennai almost every firm has an email address, so a written enquiry or an email campaign reaches nearly all of them; in Mumbai only 58% do, so you will be phoning more of them.
Starleads' facility management lists
Our Facility Management & Security Services list has 22,231 contacts in 142 cities. 97% have a mobile number and 74% an email address, and 75% name the contact person. Most contacts are in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad and Delhi. Every list page shows 60 real sample rows with a free Excel download, and you can buy one of 11 cities instead of all of India. City, state and specialisation lists cost ₹499 each and the All-India file ₹1,999, plus 18% GST.
Facility management companies by city
- Mumbai 6,869 contacts · 58% email · 96% mobile ₹499
- Bengaluru 2,625 contacts · 80% email · 99% mobile ₹499
- Pune 1,628 contacts · 78% email · 99% mobile ₹499
- Hyderabad 1,512 contacts · 97% email · 99% mobile ₹499
- Gurugram 1,100 contacts · 93% email · 99% mobile ₹499
- Vadodara 730 contacts · 61% email · 100% mobile ₹499
- Kolkata 667 contacts · 98% email · 98% mobile ₹499
- Noida 665 contacts · 89% email · 99% mobile ₹499
- Chennai 619 contacts · 97% email · 98% mobile ₹499
- Jaipur 553 contacts · 62% email · 97% mobile ₹499
- Ahmedabad 471 contacts · 92% email · 97% mobile ₹499
Related lists: pest control, lifts and technical services
- Facility Management & Security Services 22,231 contacts · 74% email · 97% mobile ₹1,999
- Pest Control Services 4,508 contacts · 47% email · 91% mobile ₹499
- Electricians & Electrical Contractors 7,959 contacts · 23% email · 97% mobile ₹499
- Plumbers & Plumbing Contractors 4,803 contacts · 26% email · 93% mobile ₹499
- Lift & Elevator Companies 3,409 contacts · 61% email · 88% mobile ₹499
- Fire Safety & Fire Fighting Equipment 2,570 contacts · 62% email · 83% mobile ₹499
How facility management contracts work
Before you compare companies, decide how you want to pay, because it changes what the company is promising. There are three common models, and buyers often mix them.
- Manpower-based (input) contracts. You pay a monthly rate per person deployed: so many housekeepers, so many guards, one supervisor. It is the easiest to understand and to audit, and it is how most housing societies and small factories buy. The weakness is that the company is paid for heads, not results; if the washrooms are dirty but everyone turned up, the contract has been met.
- Output-based or lump-sum contracts. You pay a fixed monthly sum for a defined result, such as "all floors cleaned to this standard, washrooms checked every hour, consumables included", and the company decides how many people it needs. This rewards a good company for working efficiently, but only works if the standards are written down and measured.
- Integrated facility management (IFM). One company manages all or most services under one contract and one site manager, often subcontracting technical work. You get one point of responsibility and one invoice; you also depend more heavily on one vendor.
The government buys the same way. A MyGov blog post on the services most bought on the Government e Marketplace (GeM) lists manpower-based services, housekeeping (cleaning and sanitation, horticulture, canteen, waste management) and facility management, which "as a bundle can be procured by selecting combination of offerings such as housekeeping, security, electric work etc." It also notes that each GeM service category has pre-identified specifications and a standard service level agreement (SLA), with room to customise. That is a useful model for private buyers too: fix the specification and the SLA first, then let companies quote against it. If you are on the selling side, our guides to GeM registration for sellers and getting government tenders explain how facility management firms bid for this work.
Whichever model you choose, an SLA is what turns a vague promise into something you can enforce. A practical SLA for a small or mid-sized site has a short list of measures: posts filled at the start of each shift, time to replace an absent worker, a cleaning checklist signed hourly or per shift, response time for breakdowns, complaints closed within a stated time, and monthly proof of wages and statutory payments. Each measure needs a way of checking it (attendance records, checklists, a complaint log) and a consequence, usually a deduction from the monthly bill. Keep the list short enough that someone on your side will actually check it every month.
The labour law behind a facility management contract
Facility management is mostly people, and in India the people are usually contract workers: employed by the FM company, working at your site. That makes the labour law part of your contract whether you mention it or not. On 21 November 2025 the four Labour Codes came into force. The Press Information Bureau's release of that date says the Code on Wages, 2019, the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the Code on Social Security, 2020 and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 "are being made effective from 21st November 2025, rationalising 29 existing labour laws". Among the changes it lists are mandatory appointment letters for all workers, a statutory minimum wage for all workers with a floor wage set by the Central Government, PF, ESIC and other social security for all workers, a free annual health check-up for workers above 40, and "single registration, PAN-India single license and single return" in place of multiple registrations.
The contract labour rules are in Part I of Chapter XI of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code. We read the text of the Code as introduced in Lok Sabha in September 2020, published by PRS Legislative Research, on 5 November 2026; the section numbers below are from that text, and the details that matter in practice (wage periods, licence fees, forms) come from the rules your state or the Centre has notified, so check those too.
| Rule | What the Code says | What it means for a facility management contract |
|---|---|---|
| Who is covered (section 45) | Every establishment where 50 or more contract labour are employed, or were on any day of the preceding 12 months, and every manpower supply contractor who employed 50 or more on any day of the preceding 12 months. Work of a purely intermittent or casual nature is excluded. | A large site, or any FM company of a reasonable size, is inside these rules. |
| Contractor's licence (section 47) | A contractor covered by the Part may not supply or engage contract labour, or execute work through contract labour, except under a licence, which states the number of workers and the security deposit; a "work specific licence" can be issued for a single work order. | Ask the FM company for its licence and check that the number of workers it covers is enough for your site as well as its other clients. |
| Non-licensed contractor (section 54) | Employing contract labour through a contractor who needs a licence but has not got one is deemed a contravention of the Code by the principal employer. | The risk falls on you, the buyer, not only on the FM company. |
| Welfare facilities (section 53) | The principal employer provides the welfare facilities in sections 23 and 24 to contract labour working in the establishment. | Washrooms, drinking water, rest areas and first aid for housekeeping staff and guards are your responsibility on your premises. |
| Payment of wages (section 55) | The contractor pays wages within the prescribed period, by bank transfer or electronic mode, and informs the principal employer electronically. If the contractor fails or pays short, the principal employer must pay the wages in full or the balance, and can recover it from the contractor. | Ask for monthly proof of wage payments for the workers on your site. If the company stops paying, you will be paying twice. |
| Core activity (sections 2(1)(p) and 57) | Contract labour is prohibited in an establishment's core activities, with exceptions. The definition of core activity says the following are not essential or necessary activities unless the establishment is set up for them: sanitation work including sweeping, cleaning, dusting and waste disposal; watch and ward including security; canteen and catering; loading and unloading; support hospitals, schools, guest houses and clubs; courier; civil and construction work including maintenance; gardening; housekeeping and laundry; and transport including ambulances; plus any intermittent activity. | Housekeeping, security, gardening, canteen and maintenance, the heart of facility management, can lawfully be outsourced by an office, factory or society, because they are not what the establishment exists to do. |
Two practical consequences follow. First, a quote that is far below the others usually means wages, PF, ESI, leave or relievers are missing from it, and section 55 means that gap can come back to you. Second, security has its own licence on top of these rules: a company that supplies guards needs a licence under the Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act, 2005 from your state, which our security agencies guide explains with the fees, validity and checks.
What goes into a facility management quote
Ask every company to quote on the same template, with each part shown separately. This is the only way to compare a ₹ figure from one company with a ₹ figure from another, and it shows you at once which quote has left something out. Minimum wages differ by state, zone and skill category, so the rupee values will differ by city; the structure does not.
| Line in the quote | What it covers | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Wages | Basic pay and dearness allowance for each role and shift length | At least the minimum wage notified for that role in your state and zone; overtime shown separately for long shifts |
| Statutory contributions | Employer's PF and ESI, bonus, gratuity provision, paid leave and holidays | Shown as amounts, not "as applicable"; challans available every month |
| Relievers | Cover for weekly offs, leave and absence | How many relievers per site, and whether you pay for them separately |
| Supervision | Site supervisor or manager, area manager visits, night checks | Named supervisor and the number of visits a week |
| Consumables | Cleaning chemicals, garbage bags, washroom supplies, tissue | Included or billed at actuals; brand and quantity written down |
| Machines and tools | Scrubbers, vacuum cleaners, ladders, uniforms, torches | Who owns them, who repairs them, and what is left behind at the end |
| Management fee | The company's overheads, insurance, training and margin | A clear percentage or fixed sum; compare it across quotes |
| Taxes | GST on the invoice | The rate and SAC code on the quote; ask your accountant how it applies to your business |
When minimum wages are revised during the contract, the wage and statutory lines go up and the management fee usually does not. Write that into the contract: the revision passes through at cost, from the date of the notification, with the new wage sheet attached to the next invoice.
How to choose a facility management company, step by step
The steps below work for a housing society hiring its first housekeeping contractor and for a factory moving to integrated facility management. Done properly they take two to four weeks.
- Write the scope. List every service you want, the area or number of posts, shift timings, and which days. Note what you will supply (water, electricity, a store room, a changing room) and what the company must bring. Attach a simple floor plan if the site is large.
- Choose the contract model. Manpower-based if you want to count heads, output-based if you can write and check standards, IFM if you want one manager for everything. Decide the length: a one-year contract with a renewal clause is common.
- Build a shortlist of five or six. Ask neighbouring offices, factories and societies who they use. Look for companies with an office in your city and existing sites near you, since a supervisor who is two hours away will not come at night. A city list such as Starleads' Pune, Hyderabad or Bengaluru facility management list gives you names, contact persons and localities to start from; the free 60-row sample shows the kind of firms in it before you pay.
- Hold a site walk. Invite the shortlisted companies to see the site on the same day and answer the same questions. Companies that do not visit cannot quote sensibly.
- Collect quotes on your template. Use the break-up in the table above. Reject quotes that do not show wages and statutory payments separately.
- Check the company. Look up its company or LLP record, GSTIN and Udyam registration (our company search guide shows how to do each free), its contract labour licence under the Code if it is covered, and its PSARA licence if it supplies guards. The names on the licence, the GST registration and the invoice should match.
- Check its people practices. Ask how it recruits and verifies workers, what training they get, whether every worker gets an appointment letter (now mandatory under the Labour Codes), and how wages are paid. Ask for recent PF and ESI challans for another client's site.
- Take references and visit a site. Call two current clients of similar size, preferably one that has used the company for more than two years, and look at one of its sites unannounced.
- Negotiate the SLA and sign. Put the scope, the rates with their break-up, the SLA measures and deductions, the replacement time for absent staff, monthly compliance proofs, insurance and liability, the wage revision clause, notice period and handover at exit into the contract.
- Plan the first month. Agree a start date, the joining of workers and supervisors, training on your site rules, and a review meeting at the end of week two and month one. Most problems show up early; fix them before they become habits.
Companies with formal procurement processes can fold these checks into supplier onboarding; our vendor registration guide lists the documents large buyers usually ask suppliers for.
Selling to facility management companies
Facility management firms are buyers in their own right. Every one of them buys cleaning chemicals and consumables, scrubbing and vacuum machines, uniforms and shoes, safety gear, attendance and payroll software, training, insurance for staff and liability, and often vehicles for supervisors. The decision maker in a small firm is the owner; in a larger one it is the purchase, operations or HR head. Because the business runs on thin margins and large headcounts, your pitch works best when it saves labour time, reduces consumable cost per square foot, or makes compliance easier to prove.
Start with the cities where the firms are and pick the channel that fits the list. Hyderabad (97% with email), Kolkata (98%), Chennai (97%) and Gurugram (93%) suit an email introduction followed by a call to those who open it; Mumbai, where 58% have an email address but 96% a mobile number, suits a calling campaign. Starleads' list builder lets you combine facility management firms with related trades, such as pest control and housekeeping, in one Excel file, and every list starts with a free sample of 60 contacts so you can see the fields before you pay.
Calls and messages to these firms must follow TRAI's rules, even though you are calling businesses:
- The DND register (NCPR). According to TRAI's preference registration page, a subscriber can register, change or withdraw preferences against commercial communication by sending an SMS or calling 1909, by IVR, through an approved app or on a web portal with OTP. Check numbers before a campaign; our DND check guide shows how.
- DLT registration for SMS. TRAI's advice to senders says every sender of bulk communication must register as a principal entity, get a header assigned, register content templates, register consent templates where needed and acquire the recipient's consent where needed, on the telecom operators' DLT platforms.
- Consent and opt-outs. Introduce yourself, say why you are calling, stop when asked, and keep a record of who opted out. For email, include your business name and an easy way to unsubscribe.
Our cold calling tips help with the first conversation, and the pest control companies guide covers one of the trades most FM firms subcontract.
Questions people ask
What comes under facility services?
Soft services (housekeeping and cleaning, security, reception, pantry and canteen, waste management, gardening, pest control) and hard services (electrical, DG sets, HVAC, lifts, plumbing and pumps, fire safety, minor civil repairs). Large sites add workplace services such as helpdesks, space planning and energy monitoring.
What is AMC in facility management?
An annual maintenance contract: a yearly agreement for scheduled servicing and breakdown support of one asset or system, such as a lift, air conditioners or a fire alarm. GeM, for example, offers AMC and comprehensive maintenance contracts for air conditioners, CCTV, fire alarms, fire extinguishers and computers. Many buyers combine a soft-services contract from a facility management company with separate AMCs from the equipment specialists.
What does IFM mean in facilities management?
Integrated facility management: one company runs most or all services at a site under one contract and one site manager, subcontracting specialised technical work where needed. It suits large offices, campuses and hospitals; small sites usually buy services one by one.
How many facility management companies are there in India?
There is no official count. Starleads holds 22,231 facility management and security services contacts in 25 states and 142 cities; that count includes housekeeping, guarding and pest control firms and is a count of contactable businesses, not a census.
Which cities have the most facility management companies?
In Starleads' data: Mumbai (6,869), Bengaluru (2,625), Pune (1,628), Hyderabad (1,512) and Delhi (1,220), followed by Gurugram (1,100), Kolkata (667) and Chennai (619).
Can a company outsource housekeeping and security to a contractor?
Yes, in general. The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code prohibits contract labour in an establishment's core activities, but its definition of core activity says sanitation, cleaning, watch and ward including security, canteen, gardening, housekeeping and laundry are not essential activities unless the establishment is set up for them. The buyer still has duties: welfare facilities on site, and paying wages if the contractor fails to.
Does a facility management company need a licence?
A contractor covered by the Code's contract labour part (50 or more contract workers) needs a licence before supplying or engaging contract labour, and any company supplying security guards needs a PSARA licence from the state. It will also have its company, GST and labour registrations; ask for all of them.