The Building People & Occuspace Partner to Modernize Federal Facilities
The Building People, a recognized leader in integrated smart building solutions and federal facilities management, has announced a groundbreaking partnership with Occuspace, a pioneer in real-time occupancy analytics. Together, the two companies are introducing a powerful platform designed to transform the way organizations, particularly federal agencies, optimize their workspaces.
This strategic collaboration merges The Building People’s extensive experience in facilities operations and large-scale portfolio strategy with Occuspace’s cutting-edge AI-driven occupancy sensing technology. The combined solution delivers scalable, data-rich insights that enable organizations to enhance workplace efficiency, elevate employee experiences, and achieve measurable cost savings.
The partnership has already secured a significant achievement: a five-year, $41.9 million Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) awarded to The Building People by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). Under this contract, the companies will deploy a suite of advanced smart sensor solutions across 180 million square feet of federally owned and managed space. These solutions will deliver actionable intelligence on occupancy, environmental quality, and energy use, positioning federal facilities to operate at peak efficiency while aligning with sustainability and modernization goals.
A Vision for Smarter, Adaptive Workplaces
Lawrence Melton, CEO & President of The Building People, emphasized the importance of this collaboration in redefining how federal workplaces function:
“Partnering with Occuspace enables us to combine real-time data with enterprise-scale facilities expertise to create smarter, more adaptive workplaces. This collaboration positions us to help GSA and other clients optimize their portfolios, improve workplace experiences, and reduce operational costs through actionable insights.”
Occuspace brings a critical piece of the puzzle to this vision. By offering one of the most scalable and cost-effective occupancy sensing solutions on the market, the company is enabling organizations to measure space usage with unprecedented accuracy. Nic Halverson, CEO of Occuspace, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership:
“We designed Occuspace’s platform to deliver the most scalable and cost-effective occupancy measurement technology in the market. Working with The Building People allows us to integrate real-time occupancy intelligence into enterprise solutions that help organizations manage space more efficiently at scale.”
Meeting Federal Real Estate Challenges Head-On
The U.S. General Services Administration, as the nation’s largest real estate manager, oversees more than 370 million square feet of property. With workplace needs rapidly evolving in the wake of hybrid work models, sustainability mandates, and rising operational costs, GSA requires advanced tools to make informed, data-driven decisions about its vast portfolio.
Traditional methods of space planning, such as badge swipes, surveys, or manual observation, often fall short in accuracy and timeliness. The partnership between The Building People and Occuspace provides a new way forward — enabling GSA to leverage secure, real-time, and interoperable smart sensor solutions. This empowers federal leaders to respond quickly to changing occupancy trends, improve employee well-being, and ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent effectively.
Key Benefits of the Partnership
Through this collaboration, GSA and other clients will gain access to a suite of capabilities designed to transform facilities management at scale:
- Real-Time Occupancy Intelligence
- Sensors track how spaces are being used, from individual workstations to entire buildings.
- This data allows facility managers to identify underutilized zones, optimize layouts, and make evidence-based decisions about consolidation or expansion.
- Indoor Air Quality & Environmental Monitoring
- Beyond occupancy, the sensors monitor factors like CO₂ levels, humidity, temperature, particulate matter, and ambient noise.
- This supports healthier, more productive work environments while aligning with federal initiatives around employee wellness.
- Energy & Cost Optimization
- By combining occupancy and environmental data, agencies can align HVAC, lighting, and cleaning schedules with actual usage.
- The result is reduced energy consumption, lower operational costs, and progress toward government-wide sustainability targets.
- Enterprise-Scale Deployment
- Occuspace’s plug-and-play sensors allow for rapid deployment across large and complex portfolios.
- Seamless integration with existing Building Automation Systems (BAS) and portfolio analytics platforms ensures minimal disruption while maximizing data value.
Why This Matters Now
The timing of this partnership is particularly significant. Federal agencies, like many private organizations, are facing new realities shaped by hybrid work, sustainability imperatives, and the need to modernize legacy facilities. Questions such as “How much space do we actually need?” or “How can we adapt work environments to improve performance?” have become central to agency strategy.
The Building People and Occuspace are offering solutions at exactly the right moment. By delivering accurate, real-time insights into how workspaces are used, they allow leaders to:
- Reduce unnecessary real estate costs by consolidating underutilized space.
- Improve employee experiences by aligning facilities with actual needs.
- Advance sustainability goals by lowering energy consumption and carbon footprints.
- Support adaptive, resilient workplace strategies in the face of future disruptions.
Beyond GSA: Implications for the Broader Market
While the GSA contract represents a major milestone, the impact of this partnership extends well beyond federal government clients. Organizations across industries — from higher education and healthcare to commercial real estate and corporate enterprises — face the same challenges of managing space efficiently in a rapidly changing environment.
For example:
- Universities can use occupancy data to understand classroom and lab utilization, guiding decisions about new construction or repurposing existing buildings.
- Hospitals can optimize patient flow and staff workspaces while maintaining compliance with air quality standards.
- Private companies can reduce their real estate footprints while ensuring employees have access to collaborative, well-ventilated, and efficient work environments.
The scalability of Occuspace’s sensors, combined with The Building People’s integration expertise, makes the solution adaptable to portfolios of any size or complexity.
The Future of Smart Facilities Management
The collaboration signals a broader trend in facilities management: the shift from reactive operations to proactive, data-driven strategy. Instead of responding to problems after they occur — such as overcrowded meeting rooms, wasted energy, or poor air quality — organizations can now anticipate issues and adjust in real time.
Moreover, the partnership underscores the growing role of AI and IoT (Internet of Things) technologies in building management. Sensors, automation systems, and advanced analytics platforms are converging to create intelligent environments that are not only more efficient but also more human-centered.
The Building People and Occuspace are at the forefront of this transformation, proving that when expertise in facilities management meets innovative technology, the result is a smarter, more sustainable, and cost-effective future for the built environment.
