SECTOR PREPARATION
Facilities management tender support
An FM bid must explain who owns each service and the interfaces between them. A consolidated contract can still contain separate hard-service, soft-service and subcontractor responsibilities. Build a service-boundary matrix before promising a single accountable response to every incident.
Start with the actual tender
Inventory each site, asset class and included service.
Separate hard-service tasks from soft-service work in this contract.
Assign delivery, approval and escalation owners for each interface.
Check subcontractor availability and evidence of the proposed arrangement.
Define how separate service records become one client report.
One report does not mean one competence
Explain which work your employees will perform and which specialists will deliver it. Procurement Act guidance distinguishes participation requirements from award criteria and discusses reliance on other suppliers. Check the applicable requirements before treating a subcontractor brochure as evidence that your proposed arrangement is accepted.
Cabinet Office: conditions of participation ↗ — Procurement Act procurements; check the authority and transitional rules.
Test a cross-service incident
Walk through an example where a leak affects a cleaned area. Who makes the space safe, who raises the repair, who approves extra work and who closes the job? Define the handover record, not merely a shared helpdesk address. Ask for missing asset condition information before committing to performance assumptions.
FM responsibility and service-boundary matrix
Use one record for each relevant item. Keep unknowns and approvals visible rather than filling them with assumptions.
| Field | What to record |
|---|---|
| service interfaces | Identify handovers and who accepts them. |
| hard versus soft FM | Classify the actual contract tasks rather than imposing a universal label. |
| subcontractors | Record delivery scope, evidence and agreement status. |
| escalation | Name decision owners and escalation triggers. |
| KPIs | Use the buyer-defined measure, reporting window and exclusions. |
| asset information | Log missing asset details and who supplies them. |
Fictional worked example
Fictional teaching example: a cleaning supervisor reports a plant-room leak to an engineering subcontractor. The FM lead owns client communication; the engineer owns the technical repair; the client approves work outside scope. Record all three responsibilities instead of saying the helpdesk resolves every fault.
No real customer, live opportunity or contract outcome is described. Do not submit this example as your own evidence.
Common mistakes
- Treating subcontractor capability as an already-approved commitment.
- Combining response and resolution times into one unexplained KPI.
- Assuming the buyer asset register is complete.
Questions about this guide
Should hard and soft FM use one matrix?
They can share a matrix if the service boundaries and specialist responsibilities remain clear. Do not collapse materially different work into one generic task.
Can I include proposed subcontractors?
Identify them as proposed until availability, scope and the required arrangement are confirmed. Follow the tender rules for relying on their evidence.
What if two services own the same issue?
Choose an accountable coordination owner and document the handover. Joint involvement without decision ownership creates a gap rather than resilience.
Source notes and limits
Cabinet Office: devolved contracting authorities ↗
Different devolved arrangements and cross-border exceptions require checking the actual authority. England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland are not interchangeable regimes.
Source accessed 2026-10-13.
Cabinet Office: transitional and saving arrangements ↗
Procurements commenced under the previous legislation continue under the applicable saved regime. Identify when and under which regime the procurement commenced; current guidance does not replace legacy rules.
Source accessed 2026-10-13.
Cabinet Office: conditions of participation ↗
Participation requirements and award criteria are distinct; tender-specific evidence matters. Procurement Act procurements; check the authority and transitional rules.
Source accessed 2026-10-13.
The checklist, worksheet and fictional examples are original planning aids, not government forms or prescribed submission formats.
Continue with related guidance
Need a scoped review?
Share the opportunity and deadline. LionTech will confirm fit, available capacity and a written scope before work begins. No award or compliance guarantee.
Request Tender Support