Corporate real estate management: more than clients' and users' procurement

This paper draws on the emerging property discipline - Corporate Real Estate Management (CREM) - to more completely conceptualise the entity that is meant by 'clients' and 'users'. With CREM's focus on meeting CRE organisations' business objectives this theory provides a stronger definition of clients and users as it displays more of their multi-dimensional nature that can manifest in procurement relationships. Six theoretical CREM models are presented, reviewed and integrated into a single, coherent model. These models are that: 1) Real estate is more than buildings; 2) CREM is the demand-side to the real estate economy; 3) The five roles of corporate real estate must be addressed and balanced; 4) CREM evolves in its strategic capacity; 5) CRE's levels of strategic-ness; and 6) CREM encompasses multiple domains of practice across strategic, tactical and operational levels. This reveals that, while there is much importance in procurement relationships, CREM is much more than procurement. The paper provides cross-over theory applicable to both real estate and construction management theory and practice. There are potential implications for those researching how the demand-side (corporate real estate and facilities management) and supply-side (construction management) engage with each other but this requires further research. This model provides a basis for doing so