Real estate in control: managing today while shaping tomorrow

Richard Betts talks to Klaas Bosma, chief revenue officer at Planon Real Estate, about its plans to bring its real estate management software to the UK.

Can you explain a little about Planon Real Estate — what the link is with Planon and how the company came about?

Let’s start with Planon, as it has the longest history. Planon is originally a Dutch company, founded in Nijmegen. The company began with a very practical challenge. The founder was asked to create a maintenance plan – when to refurbish walls, carry out painting and manage upkeep. Rather than simply putting this on paper, he recognised that software could support and improve the process.

The first customer was Philips in the Netherlands, which quickly saw the value of this approach. That initial success led to the idea of developing software that could be licensed more broadly. That was the starting point – more than 45 years ago.

Since then, Planon has continuously expanded its capabilities, adding functionality to support real estate management from a corporate perspective. This includes areas such as facility management, room bookings, portfolio planning, and strategic decision-making – such as where to build new offices or retrofit existing assets.

Over time, these capabilities evolved into what is now known as Integrated Workplace Management Software (IWMS). More recently, research company Verdantix introduced the term ‘Connected Portfolio Intelligence Platform’ (CPIP), reflecting a stronger focus on forward-looking decision-making.

From a functional perspective, Planon is a market leader, supporting a global customer base that includes organisations such as Heineken, Total and the University of St Andrews.

How did Planon Real Estate emerge from this?

Around 10 years ago, the idea emerged that these capabilities could be extended beyond corporate real estate into the commercial and residential sectors.

This led to a clear two-part strategy. On one hand, the existing software was adapted to better support property management – covering budgets, contracts and tenant management. On the other hand, the focus was on acquiring complementary companies that specialised in forward-looking real estate analysis.

This forward-looking perspective is centred on understanding value not just based on historical performance but on future potential – looking ahead 10 to 15 years to assess expected cash flows and how these translate into market value.

To support this, three companies were acquired. The first was the Dutch company Reasult, where I was working at the time. This was followed by COOR, based in Salzburg, Austria, and Control IT, based in Bremen, Germany. All specialised in the strategic and financial side of commercial real estate and brought established market presence and proven solutions.

These capabilities were then combined with Planon’s property management solution to form what is now Planon Real Estate.

Today, within the wider Planon Group, there are two distinct business lines: Planon Facilities, which focuses on corporate real estate and facility management; and Planon Real Estate, which is dedicated to the commercial and residential sector. I am responsible for leading Planon Real Estate.

How do you see the way technology is evolving in the real estate space?

At its core, our role is to help customers stay in control of their real estate. That means balancing two perspectives: managing today while planning for tomorrow.

Being in control today is about understanding what you have – your buildings, financial performance, returns and budgets. But tomorrow is about decision-making: where to invest, how to finance, and what to develop.

Historically, many organisations have relied on tools like Excel to build scenarios. While flexible, this approach becomes increasingly complex as the volume of data grows. Real estate decisions require detailed business cases, scenario modelling and stress testing.

What we’re seeing is a shift in software – from systems that simply provide an overview of stored data to platforms that actively support decision-making processes.

This includes the ability to compare scenarios, track decisions over time, and learn from past investments. If you made a decision five years ago and are now completing that investment, you want to understand what changed and where improvements can be made. That “time-travel” aspect is becoming increasingly important.

At the same time, new layers of intelligence are being introduced. Sustainability, for example, is now a key driver. Investors must meet climate targets, and there are multiple ways to approach this – divesting underperforming assets, acquiring new ones, or investing in existing portfolios.

At portfolio level, consolidation provides new insights – where to allocate equity, where to take on debt, and where to delay investment. This is exactly where purpose-built software adds value, as managing this level of complexity through disconnected models becomes almost unworkable.

Another important element is standardisation. Our calculation engine is validated by PwC and aligned with RICS standards. Ultimately, the output is only as good as the input — but when the data is right, consistency and reliability are critical.

Is there anything else you would highlight in terms of challenges and opportunities?

A key development for us is that Planon is now part of Schneider Electric, with the latter owning an 80% majority share. Schneider’s focus is on energy intelligence – ensuring that buildings operate as efficiently as possible. Bringing together hardware and software is essential to achieving this.

For example, you can invest heavily in upgrading building systems, but real efficiency comes when the building can respond intelligently, adjusting energy usage based on occupancy patterns.

What we add with Planon Real Estate is the ability to support better decision-making. Sustainability is not only a technical challenge but also a financial one. Organisations need to evaluate different scenarios, balancing investment costs with environmental impact.

By combining financial modelling with sustainability metrics, organisations can make more informed decisions about how best to achieve their goals.

You’re launching in the UK. Why now, and why this market?

Planon is already a global company, with a strong international presence. Planon Real Estate, however, has until now been focused primarily on Continental Europe.

The UK is a natural next step. One of the key reasons is the shared approach to valuation. Both the UK and the Netherlands rely heavily on discounted cashflow (DCF) methodologies, making the market highly aligned with how our software is designed.

At its core, our platform is built around cashflow modelling. We combine factual data – such as building characteristics – with assumptions around market conditions, tenant behaviour and interest rates. From this, we generate cashflows that underpin investment decisions, feasibility studies and market valuations.

This cashflow-driven approach is deeply embedded in the UK market, which makes it a strong strategic fit.

In addition, we already have a presence in the UK through Planon Facilities, as well as strong backing from Schneider Electric. Combined with existing industry networks, this gives us what we would describe as a “warm start”, rather than entering the market from scratch.

Beyond the UK, France represents another key growth market, with similar dynamics and strong alignment through Schneider Electric.

Looking ahead, how do you see the role of technology evolving – particularly with AI?

The evolution of technology can be viewed in three areas: data, intelligence and interaction.

First, data remains fundamental. For AI to deliver meaningful outcomes, it must be built on accurate, validated data. This is an area where we have a strong foundation – ensuring data is structured, reliable and suitable for analysis. AI already plays a valuable role in areas such as data validation. For example, when data is received in different formats or with inconsistencies, AI can help standardise and clean it far more efficiently than traditional methods.

However, when it comes to core calculations – such as consistently applying DCF models – AI is not yet at the level required. There are still concerns around transparency and traceability, which are critical for our customers.

Looking ahead, the biggest shift will be in how users interact with software. Rather than navigating complex systems, users will increasingly engage through natural language – asking questions about their portfolio and exploring scenarios more intuitively.

But the foundation will remain the same: a robust database, validated calculations, and a system that provides confidence in the results. AI will enhance this, but it will not replace it.

https://planonsoftware.com/uk/software/real-estate

Following this discussion, Real Asset Media and Planon Real Estate will host an upcoming webinar exploring these themes in more detail – from real-world challenges to practical approaches for improving portfolio performance and decision-making.

More details about the webinar will be shared soon.