Questions buyers ask before signing
The commercial answers, including the ones that lose us work, each linked to the page that answers it in full.
- Pricing
- Quote only, after a walkthrough
- Walkthrough
- Typically within five working days
- Signing to day one
- Typically two to four weeks
- Contract
- Annual, reviewed monthly
- Coverage
- Based in Riyadh, on site across Saudi Arabia.
Most enquiries want four things: what it costs, how fast you start, who does the work and what happens when it goes wrong. Price is quote-only after a walkthrough, day one is typically two to four weeks after signing, and the rest is below.
Two answers that cost us work
These come up in most first calls, and giving the comfortable answer to any of them would cost you more than it costs us.
No, we will not price your building over the phone. A number given before a walkthrough is a number that moves later, usually through variation orders, and everyone in the conversation knows it. The survey exists so that the quote can be real.
No, cheaper headcount is not a saving. Most FM bids are compared on people and hours, which means the lowest number wins and the building deteriorates in month three when the roster turns out to be theoretical. Compare the scope and the evidence discipline instead, including ours.
What actually moves the number
Pricing is quote-only by standing policy, so instead of a rate card here is what changes the figure. If you understand these six, you can read any FM quote, including a competitor's. The full list, with the honest lever on each, is on the pricing page.
| Driver | Why it moves the price |
|---|---|
| Asset count and condition | Not floor area. Twenty well maintained assets cost less to run than eight neglected ones, and the survey is what tells the difference. |
| Frequency and coverage hours | A day presence, a night crew and an on-call response are three different costs. Most savings come from getting these right rather than from cutting rates. |
| Access and windows | Work that can only happen during a shutdown, at height or under permit costs more per hour than the same work done in normal access. |
| Response targets | A two hour target and a next working day target are different staffing models. Buy the tight target where downtime is expensive, not everywhere. |
| Materials and consumables | Whether you hold the budget or we do, and where the threshold sits for coming back to you with a quote. |
| Evidence requirements | A site audited by SFDA, a customer or an accreditation scheme needs more record keeping than a private office, and that is real work rather than an add-on. |
What you get before you sign anything
The survey produces these three documents before any contract is signed.
The asset register
Every critical item on your site with its location, class and condition. Most buildings do not have this and cannot rebuild it quickly.
The draft scope
What we would put on a schedule, at what frequency, with what left deliberately out and why.
The defect list
What we found while walking your building, with photographs. Some of it will be things you would rather we had not noticed.
The rest of it
Who actually does the work?
Our own rostered, supervised staff on self-delivered lines. Specialist lines such as lifts and fire suppression are managed specialist work: a licensed specialist does it, and we write the scope, supervise the visit and keep their records in your file. Either way you see the whole evidence trail, including the parts where a task was missed. The services page marks which line is which.
What does audit-grade mean, concretely?
Four things you can check. Every task has a checklist written before anyone is rostered against it. Every closure carries a photograph and a timestamp. The monthly report is generated from the record rather than written at month end. And the monthly review produces an action list with owners and dates. If a provider claims the phrase and cannot show you those four, it is a slogan.
What happens if the service goes wrong?
You will usually see it in our own record before you see it in the building, because the completion rate and the response times are reported whether they flatter us or not. Then it goes on the review agenda with a cause and an action. Commercial remedies are agreed in the contract rather than advertised on a website, since they differ by site.
What records does the contract produce?
A closed work order with photographs for every task, a register per asset type, and a monthly pack generated from that record. The page on what you receive shows each document and when it lands.
How fast can you start?
Day one is typically two to four weeks after signing, with reactive cover live from that day. The timelines page has every step from the first call, and the mobilisation page covers the first 30 days.
Where do you work?
Based in Riyadh, on site across Saudi Arabia. Tell us the city when you get in touch, and the scoping call sets the walkthrough date.
Where to go next
What moves the price
Every driver behind an FM quote, and the honest lever on each.
Read moreBuyingTimelines
First call to the first monthly pack, with lead times per service.
Read moreContractSLA and KPI
Priorities, clocks and how each KPI is counted.
Read moreHubEvery FM line
The full catalogue, filterable by hard, soft and reporting.
Read morePart of one system
Every division keeps records to the same standard, so the second one you need works the way the first one did.
Book a site survey
If a question here was not answered, ask it at the survey, which also produces the register and the defect list.