How long each step actually takes
From the first call to the first monthly pack, with the lead time for each service and the things that make dates slip.
- Scoping call
- Typically within one business day of enquiry
- Walkthrough
- Typically within five working days
- Scope and quote
- Typically three working days after the walkthrough
- Signing to day one
- Typically two to four weeks
- First monthly pack
- Day 30
From first call to a running contract usually takes three to six weeks, plus your own approval time: a scoping call within one business day, a walkthrough within five working days, the scope and quote three working days after it, then two to four weeks from signing to day one. The first monthly pack lands on day 30.
- 01 Enquiry
- 02 Site survey
- 03 Scope and quote
- 04 Mobilisation
- 05 Planned schedule
- 06 Execution
- 07 Monthly report
- 08 Management review
- 09 Next cycle
How long each step actually takes sits at step 4 of the fm operating cycle. You receive a mobilisation plan with dates.
What makes dates slip
Most slips come from steps that neither side controls alone, which is why the plan names the slowest one on the first page.
Site passes, inductions and permits in Jubail, which is why we start them the day scope is agreed. Visas for new staff. Records from the outgoing provider arriving late or not at all. Approvals on your side, such as a method statement waiting for a signature. Specialist availability in peak season. Parts with long lead times.
A mobilisation date given before anyone has seen the building is a guess, and so is a start date inside Jubail before the passes are issued. When a step slips, the plan shows it with its new date and the reason beside it.
Enquiry to steady state
Typical timings, confirmed at the walkthrough. The steps marked as your timetable are yours to set.
| Step | What you hold | Typically |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping call | A walkthrough date and the name of who is coming. | Within one business day |
| Walkthrough | Notes on the day; the register follows with the quote. | Within five working days |
| Scope and quote | Asset register, draft scope, defect list and a fixed monthly quote. | Three working days later |
| Your decision and signature | The contract and its annexes, written against the scope above. | Your timetable |
| Day one | Reactive cover starts and the escalation matrix is issued. | Two to four weeks after signing |
| Assets verified and tagged | The verified register and the handover gap list. | Day 7 |
| Annual PPM schedule | Every planned task placed on a calendar per asset. | Within two weeks of verification |
| First SLA review | A review note written over real records, not the proposal. | Day 21 |
| First monthly pack | The month assembled from the record: done, failed, due. | Day 30 |
| First quarterly trend review | Repeat faults and completion trends across three months. | Month 3 |
| Annual review note | Every annual task done once, and what the year changed. | Month 12 |
What you hold along the way
The dated plan
Walkthrough to day 30, one line per step, with the slowest step named and the date it depends on.
The access and induction tracker
Per person: passes applied for, inductions booked and completed. It matters most on gated and Royal Commission sites.
The handover gap list
What the outgoing provider owed and did not hand over, issued on day 7 with the verified register.
The first monthly pack
Day 30: the first month from the record, including anything that slipped and why.
Lead times by service
Typical lead times from scope agreement or survey, per line. A combined contract runs its lines in parallel, so the longest one sets the date.
- 01
Pest control
The first survey of the site, which sets the monitoring-point map.
- 02
Sanitation and disinfection
The first documented cycle per area.
- 03
Commercial cleaning
Mobilisation of the rostered team.
- 04
Support staffing
Rostered site staff in place. The range depends on visa status.
- 05
MEP and industrial cleaning
The method statement for your approval.
- 06
Planned maintenance, HVAC, electrical, fire alarm
The schedule, board schedule or zone chart for the line.
- 07
Vendor management
The register of every contractor on site, with document expiries.
A contract ending next month
A logistics company's FM contract expires at the end of next month, and the board approved the change late.
From the scoping call, the walkthrough happens four days later and the quote three working days after that. The client signs within the week.
Because the site is in Dammam, not a Royal Commission city, access is not the constraint; staffing is, and one position waits on a visa. Day one lands on the contract changeover date with that position covered from the cover pool until the new starter arrives. The client holds the dated plan with the visa named as the slowest step.
Questions about dates
Can you start faster?
Sometimes, on a small scope with no access constraints. We say so at the walkthrough rather than promising it on the first call.
Why does Jubail take longer?
Site passes, permits and plant inductions, which are issued by others. We start them the day scope is agreed.
Can reactive cover start before the full scope?
Yes. Reactive cover is live from day one, while the register, tagging and planned schedule are still being built.
When is the first full PPM cycle complete?
When every annual task has been done once, which is month 12. The annual review note is written then.
Related pages
Mobilisation
The first 30 days of a contract, day by day.
Read moreBuyingWhat moves the price
The drivers behind the quote that lands three working days after the walkthrough.
Read moreLocationJubail
Royal Commission access, and what it does to a start date.
Read moreTrainingTraining delivery
Lead times for staff training, if your contract includes it, from ITF Training.
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.
Put a date on the walkthrough
The walkthrough is where these estimates become your dates, with the slowest step named.