Use the free template
Header-only CSV for comparing service schedules. Add your site information and obtain suitable review before appointment.
Define what each service includes
Write tasks rather than slogans. 'Maintenance included' does not identify assets, visits, consumables or repairs. State asset groups, task descriptions and deliverables. For cleaning, identify spaces and inspection criteria; for maintenance, identify systems and the task basis.
Separate recurring work from fault response and separately approved repairs. Identify interfaces with existing suppliers and landlord services. If information is missing, describe the discovery task and assumptions so every bidder prices the same uncertainty rather than a different imagined building.
- Site, service and asset or space boundary
- Task and suitable task basis
- Included labour, materials and attendance
- Exclusions and assumptions beside the task
Specify access and completion evidence
Record permitted hours, sign-in, escorts and operating restrictions. Daytime pricing may not cover a busy store that permits work only after closing. State who provides permits, isolation arrangements or access equipment where relevant.
Agree evidence and acceptance. Depending on the task, this might include an asset-linked work record, test results, appropriate photographs, recommendations or a specialist report. A generic tick should not replace evidence needed for the particular work. Define what happens when a contractor cannot complete the task.
- Access window, induction and permits
- Client-provided dependencies
- Required record and supporting documents
- Defect escalation and acceptance owner
Make the pricing schedule comparable
Choose a pricing unit matching the task: visit, hour, asset group or recurring package. Ask bidders to explain volume assumptions and which taxes or other charges are included. Unlike units do not represent the same cover and should not be compared as equivalent.
List callouts, travel, parts, specialist attendance and consumables separately where excluded from the recurring fee. Ask how new assets or longer operating hours affect price. Keep the technical specification and pricing schedule aligned when clarifications change the work.
- Unit, quantity and period
- Recurring and variable costs separated
- Minimum visit or callout provisions
- Rate basis and variation approvals
Keep the schedule useful after appointment
Map accepted tasks to owners during mobilisation and keep revisions controlled. When a building changes use or equipment is added, record the changed scope and cost. A schedule should help interpret ongoing reports, rather than disappear into the tender archive.
Review with operations, budget and site safety decision makers before signing. Appropriate specialists should assess technical or regulated work, and suitable advice should cover legal terms. The template structures the conversation; it cannot determine the requirements or duties of a particular estate.
- Accepted revision and document owner
- Task owners and performance definitions
- Client-approved change log
- Exit requirements for records and unfinished work
Sources and editorial responsibility
This is company-published buyer guidance. Official sources support the context, not an endorsement, accreditation or a claim that we inspected your premises. Use competent advice for the specific building and work involved.
- IWFM: What is workplace and facilities management?
- HSE: Using contractors — a brief guide
- HSE: Maintenance of work equipment
We have a commercial interest in FM enquiries. Read our editorial standards or send a correction.