Biel is streamlining its real estate portfolio

Biel is reorganizing its extensive real estate portfolio. In August 2026, the municipal council adopted a strategic framework to ensure that maintenance, investments, school facilities, and land policy are no longer based on scattered data and fragmented responsibilities.

This political move is more than just an organizational matter. For the first time, the city aims to comprehensively catalog buildings, properties, and building rights so that renovations, repairs, and new construction can be prioritized based on a shared database. Until now, information has been scattered across departments, Excel files, and paper archives.

As early as September 2025, the city council requested a loan of 2 million Swiss francs for a centralized real estate management tool. This system is intended to digitally consolidate the previously decentralized processes. According to the project roadmap at that time, the rollout has been proceeding in phases since October 1, 2025, with completion of the entire project scheduled for the third quarter of 2027.

Strategy Adopted in August 2026
A new development is that, in August 2026, the City Council adopted the strategic framework for managing the city’s real estate within its financial and administrative assets. It serves as the basis for coordinated planning of maintenance, repairs, and new construction. This is relevant for the industry because it means that investment decisions, land reserves, and operational requirements will no longer be treated in isolation.

The city is also linking this new management framework to its spatial and land use policies. In addition to public buildings, the portfolio includes income-generating properties as well as land parcels strategically set aside for future development. The background document also mentions more than 600 parcels under building rights and approximately 100,000 square meters of undeveloped land—particularly in Boujean—that are earmarked for commercial and industrial use.

14 Action Areas Set the Framework
The strategic framework is based on 14 action areas. These include a central database, long-term planning for administrative and school facilities, and climate goals for the existing building stock. Municipal buildings are to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040. At the same time, Biel aims to more clearly separate the roles of owner representation, property management, and operations.

The restructuring is not yet fully complete. Another political step is planned for the three-role model. A report on the specific details is to be submitted to the City Council by May 2027 at the latest. Only then will it become clear to what extent the new real estate management system will influence ongoing operations and future procurement and investment decisions.