1. Describe the estate before asking for a price
Create a site schedule with addresses, floor areas, opening hours, occupier types and the buildings included. Separate landlord-controlled common areas from demised tenant space. Add plant inventories, existing maintenance records, known defects, access restrictions and the renewal dates of current contracts.
Mark information you do not have as unknown. A missing asset register is a mobilisation task to price, rather than a reason to assume that every asset is in good condition. Give bidders a consistent route for questions and share material answers with all bidders.
- Site and asset schedules with agreed boundaries
- Known backlog, warranties and incumbent contract commitments
- Working hours, restricted areas and permit requirements
- Site visit and clarification arrangements
2. Separate the services and their ownership
Split hard FM, soft FM and management activities into a responsibility matrix. Identify who commissions specialist work, approves extra spend and owns the final records. A management fee does not necessarily include the labour, materials or specialist subcontract costs behind it.
Write a deliverable for each service: for example, a maintenance schedule with completion evidence, a cleaning specification by space and frequency, or a documented route for reporting security incidents. Avoid asking for a blanket guarantee that every building is compliant; the dutyholders, premises and work packages need to be identified.
- Included and excluded assets and activities
- Client, landlord, FM provider and specialist responsibilities
- Approval thresholds and subcontractor arrangements
- Ownership and access to records
3. Define response, attendance and resolution separately
A response can mean a telephone acknowledgement, attendance at the site or the start of a repair. State which event starts the clock, what hours count and how a priority changes when an incident worsens. Restoration and permanent resolution may be different milestones.
Set reporting expectations alongside service levels. Ask how overdue work, repeat faults, inaccessible assets and unapproved recommendations will appear in the report. Specify an escalation contact and the evidence required to close a job.
- Priority definitions and cover hours
- Response versus attendance versus restoration
- Escalation path and temporary make-safe arrangements
- Completion evidence and repeat-fault reporting
4. Compare total scope rather than headline fees
Use one bid schedule for fixed fees, planned visits, reactive labour, callout charges, materials, specialist tasks and mobilisation. Ask for assumptions, VAT treatment, exclusions and price-review terms. Compare the same hours and service boundaries across bids before deciding which price is lower.
Record which risks remain with the client. An apparently fixed price may still exclude asset replacement, consumables, access equipment or inherited defects. Request a worked pricing example for an ordinary fault and an out-of-hours incident; these are tender scenarios, not claims about actual delivery.
- Fixed and variable costs separated
- Minimum callout time, travel and out-of-hours charges
- Materials markups and spending authorisation
- Mobilisation, change control and exit costs
5. Check evidence and plan the handover
Ask for relevant competence evidence, insurance, subcontractor controls and permission-backed references before appointment. Match qualifications to the work being commissioned; a company description or a logo is not proof of competence for every task.
Agree how the new provider receives keys, permits, asset data and open jobs. Define what must be returned at the end of the contract, including usable records and unresolved actions. Put these obligations into the appointment rather than relying on a sales presentation.
- Evidence relevant to the proposed work
- Named responsibilities during mobilisation
- Open-defect register and starting condition agreed
- Data export, documentation and exit handover
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.
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