Explainer
What are 'hard services'?
A short answer to a term that appears in every FM proposal and is explained in almost none of them.
Hard services are the physical systems of a building — the things that are bolted to it and that stop working. Mechanical and electrical installations, heating and ventilation, plumbing and drainage, fire detection and suppression, building fabric, and lifting equipment.
Why the distinction exists
It exists because the two halves of a facilities management contract behave completely differently. Hard services are largely statutory, need qualified people, and fail in ways that close buildings. Soft services are largely discretionary, need managed people, and fail in ways that annoy occupants. Pricing them together without distinguishing them produces a number that cannot be interrogated.
What is usually included
- Mechanical and electrical installations, including fixed wire testing
- Heating, ventilation and air conditioning
- Plumbing, drainage and water systems
- Fire detection, alarms and emergency lighting
- Building fabric, roofing and structure
- Lifts, hoists and other lifting equipment
- Building management systems and controls
The practical consequence
When you read a proposal, look at where the statutory obligations sit. A hard services scope that does not name the testing regimes it covers — fixed wire, emergency lighting, fire alarm, water hygiene, lifting equipment — is not a scope. It is a price.
Referenced in this article
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