What GCC Leaders Look for in a Real Estate Partner
As Global Capability Centres (GCCs) become strategic anchors for innovation, R&D and digital operations, the success of their expansion into India hinges on more than just the availability of talent or government incentives. Increasingly, GCC leaders are turning their attention to one critical but often underappreciated success lever — the real estate partner. The right real estate partner doesn’t just secure office space, they act as a strategic advisor who helps shape long-term outcomes around cost-efficiency, talent retention, scalability and operational excellence.
2025 report indicates that GCCs were responsible for 45% of India’s total office space absorption - approximately 8 million square feet. This momentum highlights a decisive shift in how global enterprises approach real estate, which is often the first and most irreversible investment a company makes when setting up a GCC. A wrong location, misjudged lease term, or poorly designed office space can trigger a ripple effect that slows operations, inflates costs and hampers talent acquisition. Real estate occupies around 10 to 15% of the total cost in setting up a GCC in India and any misstep leads to a huge burden on the setup budgets. It’s not just about finding square footage, it is about making smart choices that enable flexibility, compliance and employee satisfaction from day one. Hence GCC leaders are looking for partners and not vendors who can support end-to-end execution aligned with global business mandates, local compliance and talent strategy.
What Makes a Great GCC Real Estate Partner?
Pan-India Market Intelligence
GCCs are no longer limited to Bengaluru, Hyderabad or Pune. Emerging locations such as Ahmedabad, Visakhapatnam, Coimbatore and Lucknow are being evaluated for cost, connectivity and talent pools. The ideal partner must offer unbiased, data-backed comparative analyses of cities including attrition rates, infrastructure readiness and policy incentives which will help leadership choose the right location the first time. As per industry reports it is anticipated that India will host over 2,500 GCCs by 2028, many of which will be located in emerging Tier-2 markets.
Incentive policies vary widely across states, from stamp duty waivers in Uttar Pradesh to plug-and-play tech parks in Tamil Nadu. A good partner ensures fast-track government approvals, documentation assistance and incentive unlocking — helping GCCs reduce setup time by 20–30%. Gujarat’s Global Services Hub Policy (2025) promises 15% reimbursement on annual operational expenditure, including lease rentals, bandwidth and cloud services capped at Rs. 20 crore per year for five years.
The post-pandemic reality demands flexible, collaborative, tech-enabled spaces. GCCs now demand workplace designs that balance employee wellness, data security, agility and sustainability. A strong real estate partner works with architectural and ESG consultants to deliver such solutions - not just turnkey office interiors. As of 2025, Indian GCCs are also tending towards a core + flex model to adapt to business fluctuations.
Time-to-launch is critical for new GCCs trying to align with global fiscal planning cycles. A qualified partner must demonstrate execution velocity, including options with pre-fitted offices, SEZ-ready spaces and access to developers with proven handover timelines. The infrastructure setup phase for a new GCC alone can take between 3 to 6 months, often becoming a bottleneck due to customisation needs and compliance requirements.
A trusted real estate advisor will offer Total Cost of Occupancy (TCO) modelling, factoring in rent, CAM charges, future fit-outs and exit penalties. This is vital for GCCs planning long-term scalability, especially if they intend to expand from a 100-seat innovation centre to a 1,000-seat COE within 3–5 years. When factors such as long-term lease obligations, facility management and relocation penalties are added in the budgeting of GCC setup, the real estate costs can typically go to 5 times the base cost over the lifecycle of the lease.
A real estate partner that understands micro-market nuances such as commute patterns, availability of shared mobility, housing and childcare near office parks can help GCCs build employee-first campuses that improve stickiness and engagement.
CIRIL stands apart as one of India’s prominent real estate advisory networks with a true multi-city presence and deep specialisation in GCC expansion strategy. From city selection and government policy navigation to hybrid workplace consulting and TCO (Total Cost of Occupancy) benchmarking, CIRIL provides comprehensive, end-to-end support.
What truly sets CIRIL apart is its on-ground expertise with local teams across 29+ cities who work directly with CXO-level stakeholders. This allows CIRIL to deliver scalable, compliant and cost-effective real estate solutions that help GCCs not just launch faster, but also scale smarter and operate more strategically in India’s evolving business landscape.
Whether you're a global enterprise setting up your first India-based innovation centre or scaling an existing presence, your real estate partner should be your first strategic hire - not your last.
Partner with the experts at CIRIL to ensure your GCC setup is future-ready from day one.
Visit www.ciril.in to start your journey.
