At NFMT East 2026, a live recording of CMMS Radio featured Andy Gager of AMG International discussing the risks of deferred maintenance. He described it as a short-term financial decision that often leads to significantly higher long-term costs, including equipment failure, safety issues and operational disruption. While organizations frequently delay maintenance to preserve budgets, those decisions create ripple effects that extend far beyond the original issue.
A major barrier, Gager explained, is the disconnect between facilities teams and leadership. Securing funding requires translating maintenance needs into financial terms — risk, cost and return on investment — rather than technical concerns. This is where CMMS platforms prove critical, providing the data needed to track asset performance, predict failures and build stronger business cases. With reliable data, maintenance teams can shift from reactive problem-solvers to strategic advisors presenting clear, quantified consequences.
Even with strong data, however, organizations often delay action due to budget pressures and competing priorities, particularly in public-sector environments facing decades of deferred maintenance. Gager advised facilities leaders to take a phased, strategic approach — prioritizing critical assets, offering multiple solutions and continuing to make the case over time. Ultimately, deferred maintenance is as much a business and leadership challenge as it is a technical one, requiring persistence, clear communication and a focus on long-term value over short-term savings.
