ISS Facility Services improves operations and cost control with a shared central data model

The solid idea

ISS Facility Services Netherlands is part of one of the world’s largest facility management providers, with more than 350,000 employees globally and over 45 years of activity in the Netherlands. ISS delivers a wide range of workplace services, including cleaning, catering, reception, workplace management, technical services, and logistics. The company also advises on and coordinates these services for its clients.

ISS aims not only to unburden clients operationally, but to create work environments that are more productive, enjoyable, and sustainable.

According to the ISS Annual Report 2024, ISS Netherlands generated approximately €240 million in revenue and employed over 2,500 people. This makes ISS one of the major players in the Dutch facility services market.

The data initiative originated from the vision of CFO Claire Lurvink, who recognized that reliable data is a strategic prerequisite for better steering the organization and providing clients with clear, evidence-based reporting. For ISS Netherlands, this means more control over costs and performance, as well as the ability to deliver more consistent services and provide clients with timely insights. With a strong data platform, ISS strengthens both internal decision-making and collaboration with customers.

Together with Information Manager Mark Flierman, ISS set the direction for building a central data platform as the solid foundation for the future.

The take-off

Guided by the CFO and driven by Information Manager Mark Flierman, ISS partnered with Rockfeather to build a modern data platform in Microsoft Azure. A scalable data infrastructure, including Azure Data Factory, forms the backbone of this setup.

At the heart of the solution is a data platform built around a clearly defined central data model where all data comes together and can be combined. All departments now work with the same definitions and assumptions. For visualization, ISS chose Microsoft Power BI enhanced with Zebra BI visuals based on the IBCS standards.

This combination of Power BI and Zebra BI is not just a technical choice; it reflects best practices and proven market standards. It ensures that all reports follow the same logic and structure, which means everyone at ISS can interpret the numbers easily and consistently.

From this foundation, dashboards were developed around strategic themes such as workforce planning, performance management, sustainability, and catering. These initiatives were spearheaded by Mark Flierman and his team and align closely with ISS’s core ambition: work more efficiently, make better decisions, and offer clients greater insight and value.

Rockfeather acted as both partner and accelerator, not only delivering the technical implementation but also ensuring structure, clarity, and transferability. The platform is designed so that ISS’s internal team can confidently continue building and improving.

“Working with Rockfeather is a pleasure. They’re flexible, proactive, and bring external expertise inside without making us dependent,” says Mark Flierman, Information Manager at ISS Facility Services Netherlands.

The flight

Since the introduction of the new data platform, ISS Facility Services Netherlands has embraced a more data-driven way of working. Reports are more reliable, data is uniform and shared, and decisions are made faster and with greater confidence.

The dashboards play a central role:

• Performance Management Dashboards give executives, key account managers, and site managers real-time insights into performance, costs, and deviations.
• Workforce Dashboard provides visibility into hours spent at client sites and strengthens operational efficiency. Managers can plan more effectively, and clients receive more transparent, consistent reporting.
• Sustainability Dashboard makes sustainability tangible by showing CO₂ emissions as well as circularity, biodiversity, and waste metrics. This helps ISS steer more effectively and report more transparently to clients.
• Catering Dashboard combines POS data with other sources to deliver operational and commercial insights for both ISS and its clients.

For CFO Claire Lurvink, the platform provides a reliable foundation to steer ISS Netherlands both financially and strategically. For Mark Flierman and his team, it offers the insights needed to embed data-driven practices into everyday operations.

With Zebra BI inside Power BI, insights are presented in a consistent and structured way. This improves decision quality and leads to more efficient processes and better service delivery. Because the reports are uniform and easy to interpret, ISS now has faster access to reliable steering information, with fewer discussions about definitions or interpretations.

What began as a technical upgrade has evolved into a strategic transformation. ISS Facility Services Netherlands is positioning itself as a truly data-driven organization, today and in the future.

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