Revisiting the Facilities Management Awards 2026, held on 11th March at the Radisson Blu, Royal Convention Centre, Dublin, one of the most celebrated partnerships of the evening was the recognition of WorkSpace and NEXT Retail as winners of the Client and Service Provider Partnership of the Year in the Specialist Services category, a win the judging panel described as a standout example of modern, high-performing collaboration in Irish facilities management.

The partnership between WorkSpace and NEXT Retail spans 44 stores across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, a footprint that immediately signals the operational scale and coordination required to make this collaboration function effectively. Managing FM service delivery across two jurisdictions, each with its own regulatory environment and operational context, demands a partnership model built on more than goodwill; it requires the kind of clear governance, open dialogue, and embedded capability that WorkSpace and NEXT Retail have developed together over time.

At the heart of the partnership's success is a service model that has been allowed and designed to evolve. Rather than locking the relationship into a static delivery framework, WorkSpace and NEXT Retail have maintained a continuous dialogue that allows the service model to develop in step with NEXT's changing operational needs. That responsiveness, grounded in transparency and shared ambition, is what the judges identified as the defining quality of the collaboration, setting it apart from partnerships that deliver consistently but do not genuinely adapt.

The operational results are equally compelling. Embedded engineering teams across the store estate have ensured business continuity and asset resilience at a scale that a more transactional service model could not sustain. Consistent performance across all 44 live retail sites reflects the discipline and accountability that underpins the partnership's day-to-day delivery.

The Facilities Management Awards 2026 recognised in WorkSpace and NEXT Retail a partnership that demonstrates what is possible when client and service provider work as one, setting a new benchmark for property management and facilities services collaboration across the retail sector in Ireland.

Stay tuned for the Facilities Management Awards 2027 cycle, where Ireland's top facility and property management teams will once again have the opportunity to showcase their achievements.

View the full list of winners at fmawards.ie/shortlist, and subscribe to the newsletter to stay up to date with announcements, finalist updates, and event news.