Fire detection and emergency lighting engineers, ADS Group
What the contract should name
The scope should be specific enough that you could hand it to a new facilities manager and they would know exactly what is covered.
- Every system covered, listed individually rather than described generally
- The visit frequency for each system and the standard it is serviced to
- What certification and documentation is issued, and when
- Out-of-hours arrangements and how a callout is raised
- How faults and non-conformances are reported
- What is included in the contract price and what is charged separately
Single contractor vs several
Fire detection, emergency lighting, extinguishers, intruder alarms and CCTV can sit under one agreement or be split across contractors. One agreement usually means one schedule, one set of records and no gap where each contractor assumed the other covered something.
Taking over an existing system
Where the systems were installed by someone else, expect an initial inspection and a written report on their condition before the ongoing schedule begins. That report is what tells you whether you have inherited a problem.
References
- National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI), Publisher of the Irish Standards governing each system type.
This guide summarises publicly available information. It is general information, not legal advice, and it does not reproduce the text of any standard. For your own building, request a survey.