Overview
Building maintenance is property maintenance at commercial scale, and the SLA is the product
Building maintenance is the commercial cousin of property maintenance. The customer is a facilities team running an office block, a retail unit, an industrial warehouse, or a small portfolio of commercial properties. The work is the planned preventive maintenance (lighting checks, fire alarm tests, lift servicing, washroom upkeep, exterior fabric checks) and the reactive call-outs that keep the building usable through the working week. The procurement team buys against a service-level agreement: response time, planned visit frequency, escalation path, reporting cadence. A flat 'building maintenance contract, $3,200/month' quote that doesn't show the SLA is a quote that doesn't differentiate from the competitor.
QuoteGenio gives building maintenance contractors a quoting shape that fits commercial procurement. Planned preventive maintenance schedule by system (lighting, fire alarms, HVAC, lifts, washrooms, fabric) with frequency named, reactive call-out response times by priority (P1 same-day, P2 next-day, P3 within a week), hourly rates for in-hours and out-of-hours work, sub-contractor coordination for specialist trades, monthly reporting cadence, and the contract term and renewal clauses. Send via email or WhatsApp to the facilities contact, take any required first-month payment, raise monthly invoices, and the same record holds the visit logs, the audit logs, and the SLA performance against contract.
Who it is for
Who uses QuoteGenio
Built for contractors who maintain commercial, retail, and industrial buildings.
The problem
The quoting problems every building maintenance crew runs into
Building work means multiple trades, multiple stakeholders, and a paper trail. Your quoting needs to keep up without slowing the job.
Procurement takes too long
Facilities teams need a quote, a PO, and a sign-off before you start. Slow quotes mean delayed work and unhappy tenants in the building.
Quotes get lost in email chains
Hand-typed quotes buried in long email threads get re-quoted by the next contractor. A clean branded PDF on a unique link wins the work.
Scope creep on multi-trade jobs
One reactive call becomes plumbing, painting, and electrical. Without itemised quotes per scope, you eat the cost of the extras.
The fix
QuoteGenio keeps building work moving
A structured workflow for PPM contracts, reactive call-outs, and multi-trade jobs that facilities managers actually need.
The payoff
What you get with QuoteGenio
The everyday wins that add up across a year of quoting and invoicing.
Built for commercial work
Line items for labour, materials, call-outs, after-hours, and per-trade scope. Structured the way facilities teams expect.
Quote from the building
Send a quote from the plant room or the rooftop. Facilities approve on the link before you leave site.
Compliance lines built-in
Add compliance reports, certificates, and method statements as their own quote lines so they're priced and approved upfront.
Cleaner invoicing, faster pay
Convert signed-off quotes to invoices with one tap. PO references and project codes carry through to keep finance teams happy.
Built for your trade
Quoting calibrated to how building maintenance actually work
Pick your trade in Settings and the entire quote flow switches to fit. Line item presets, compliance fields, on-the-quote calculators, and per-m² / after-hours pricing all change to match your industry.
Trade-specific line items
Quick add picker pre-fills the common items your trade quotes. Skip the blank rows.
Brand-specific catalogues
Pylontech, Hikvision, Canadian Solar, Sunsynk and others pre-named. Pick the brand, the description writes itself.
Compliance fields built in
IOPSA, ECASA, PIRB, PSIRA, NHBRC, SAQCC. Set once. Every quote prints them under FROM.
Registration expiry alerts
Dashboard notification 60 days before your PSIRA, CoC or any dated registration lapses.
Per-m² / hour / day billing
Unit selector on every line item: m², hr, linear m, days. Stop doing the maths externally.
After-hours and emergency
1.5× and 2× multipliers as a one-tap toggle. Customer sees the breakdown on the quote.
Quote-flow calculators
Solar size, battery backup, cable run cost. Compute on the spot, drop straight onto the quote.
Staged payments
Deposit on acceptance + balance on completion as two separate amounts on the quote PDF.
Scope-of-work checklist
Structured Included / Not included lists. Client acceptance = signing the scope.
Site-survey mode
Log a location per line item: camera positions, fixtures by room, sensors by zone.
Regional rate hints
Pricing ranges per item per currency shown as you quote.
Free on every plan
All of the above included on the free plan. Premium is for capacity, not the trade tooling.
Why QuoteGenio
Why Building Maintenance choose QuoteGenio
The tools that matter most when you are quoting on-site, under pressure, and between jobs.
Quote from your phone
Most Building Maintenance build and send quotes directly from the job site. No laptop, no office, no delays.
Win more jobs, faster
The first professional quote a client receives usually wins. Respond in minutes, not hours.
Quote to invoice in one click
When the job is accepted, convert to an invoice instantly. No retyping, no double entry.
Pricing guide
Typical Building Maintenance job pricing
A rough guide to what building maintenance contractors charge for planned and reactive work. Pricing varies by building size, complexity, and access. Use these as a reference when you build PPM contracts and ad-hoc quotes, not as fixed figures.
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Reactive call-out (first hour, daytime) | R1,570 - R2,975 |
| Hourly labour (multi-trade, daytime) | R1,240 - R2,149 / hr |
| PPM contract (small office, monthly) | R6,280 - R15,701 / mo |
| PPM contract (medium retail or office park) | R29,749 - R79,330 / mo |
| Annual building condition report | R15,701 - R52,886 |
| Out-of-hours emergency response | R3,966 - R7,933 |
| Quarterly planned maintenance visit (per trade) | R5,289 - R12,891 |
Pricing converted from USD to ZAR at indicative rates. Rates vary significantly by country, region, currency, and market.
Call-out fees
A daytime reactive call-out for a commercial building typically runs R1,570 to R2,975 with after-hours and weekend work at 1.5x to 2x. Cover travel, access (security sign-in, lift access), and the first hour on-site. List it as its own line on every quote so out-of-scope work is clearly chargeable on top of any PPM contract.
Hourly vs fixed pricing
Use a monthly PPM retainer for predictable planned work and minor repairs. Use fixed pricing for known scopes (annual condition report, quarterly HVAC service) and hourly for diagnostic or unknown work. List each trade separately on multi-trade quotes so facilities can sign off and recharge cleanly.
See it in action
Example quote breakdown
Here's what a clean PPM visit quote looks like for a small office building. Each trade is its own line, the report is priced, and access is visible. Facilities managers sign these off faster because every cost has a category and a number.
Try it yourself
Job size
Region
Sample quote
Quarterly PPM visit, small office building
Site attendance and access (security sign-in, induction)
Plumbing service (taps, toilets, water heaters)
Electrical inspection (DB boards, emergency lighting test)
HVAC service (filter changes, coil clean, 4 units)
Materials and consumables
Site report and photo set
| Description | Qty | Rate | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Site attendance and access (security sign-in, induction) | 1 | R2,314 | R2,314 |
| Plumbing service (taps, toilets, water heaters) | 1 | R6,280 | R6,280 |
| Electrical inspection (DB boards, emergency lighting test) | 1 | R6,941 | R6,941 |
| HVAC service (filter changes, coil clean, 4 units) | 4 | R1,570 | R6,280 |
| Materials and consumables | 1 | R1,818 | R1,818 |
| Site report and photo set | 1 | R1,570 | R1,570 |
| Subtotal | R25,204 | ||
| Tax (10%) | R2,520 | ||
| Total incl. tax | R27,724 | ||
Totals recalculate as you change the controls above. Tax rate inferred from the sample quote.
Items often forgotten
Security sign-in time, lift booking fees, the second trip if a part isn't on the van, the after-hours premium for any work that has to happen outside trading hours, the photo report for the building file, and disposal of replaced filters. Add these as standard lines on your PPM template so they stop being absorbed into your hourly rate.
Peer snapshot
How Building Maintenance actually use QuoteGenio
Indicative activity for Building Maintenance on the platform. Use it as a benchmark for how often to quote and how fast to respond.
14
Quotes sent per month
48%
Average quote acceptance
4 min
Median time to send quote
R27,724
Typical quote value
Figures are indicative platform averages for this trade segment.
Start quoting Building Maintenance jobs like this, free
Build your first quote in under 2 minutes. No credit card, no setup fee, no contract.
Avoid these
Common quoting mistakes
We talk to a lot of building maintenance contractors. The same pricing and scoping issues come up across PPM and reactive work. Fix these and you protect margin while keeping facilities teams renewing every year.
Mistake: Single-line PPM contract pricing
Better: Itemise the PPM scope by trade and visit frequency. Facilities teams need to see what they're buying so they can defend the spend internally.
Mistake: No allowance for access and induction
Better: Add a 'site attendance and induction' line to every commercial quote. Security sign-in, contractor induction, and lift booking are all paid time.
Mistake: Bundling reactive into PPM
Better: Send a separate ad-hoc quote for any reactive work outside the PPM scope. Bundling makes the monthly fee look cheap and unprofitable to renew.
Mistake: No after-hours premium on quotes
Better: If the work has to happen outside trading hours (which is common in retail and office), build the after-hours rate into the quote upfront, not as a surprise on the invoice.
Mistake: Forgetting compliance documentation
Better: Add lines for the report, the certificate, and the method statement. Facilities teams need these for their building file and will pay for them when they're priced clearly.
Mistake: No PO reference on the invoice
Better: Capture the PO number on the accepted quote so it carries through to the invoice. Invoices without a PO reference get bounced by finance teams every time.
Mistake: Open-ended PPM pricing
Better: Set an expiry on PPM quotes and a renewal date in the contract. Annual review with a clear escalation clause keeps you ahead of cost increases without an awkward conversation.
Mistake: No follow-up after sending the quote
Better: Most quotes that don't close, don't close because nobody followed up. Send a polite check-in 48 hours after the quote lands, and a second nudge at day 7. Two of every three accepted quotes get there because someone followed up.
Step by step
How to quote building maintenance jobs
Walk the full building before you price a PPM contract. Inspect the roof, gutters, external walls, plant room, DB boards, HVAC units, plumbing risers, emergency lighting, and fire safety equipment. Count internal doors, toilets, taps, and water heaters. Photograph any pre-existing condition issues (roof leaks, corroded pipework, obsolete DB boards, HVAC units past their service life) so reactive work later is chargeable, not absorbed. Check site access constraints: security sign-in procedures, contractor induction requirements, lift booking rules, and any after-hours access arrangements. For retail and office sites where work must happen outside trading hours, note shift windows so the after-hours rate is baked into the quote upfront.
Itemise the PPM scope by trade and visit frequency, not as a single monthly figure. Quarterly plumbing service, quarterly electrical inspection with emergency lighting test, HVAC filter change at $ 95 per unit, annual building condition report, and quarterly site report with photo set each live on their own line. Add a site attendance and induction line ($ 140 is standard) to every commercial quote because security sign-in, contractor induction, and lift booking are all paid time. Quote reactive call-outs at $ 95 to $ 180 daytime and 1.5x to 2x after-hours as separate lines. On multi-trade reactive jobs, itemise each trade (plumbing, painting, electrical) on its own line with labour, materials, and call-out separated. Capture the PO number on the quote header.
Set a 12 month term on PPM contracts with an annual CPI-linked escalation clause, and a 30 day validity on reactive ad-hoc quotes. Facilities teams compare three quotes at tender and need time to get the landlord's sign-off. Show VAT as its own line because commercial invoices without VAT broken out get bounced by finance teams. State your payment terms on the PDF: most commercial clients pay on 30 or 60 day account terms from invoice. List compliance certificates (emergency lighting test, fire door inspection, water hygiene, electrical compliance) as separate priced lines even if they are included in the contract, so facilities teams can defend the monthly fee internally. Add a warranty line on reactive work, usually 12 months on workmanship.
Send the PPM tender quote within three working days of walking the building, because facilities managers are comparing bids in parallel and the first complete, branded proposal gets the longest conversation. Deliver the quote as a branded PDF by email with the building reference in the subject line, because FM teams file quotes by building. For reactive jobs, send the quote via WhatsApp to the facilities manager from the plant room before you leave site so they can accept on the link and the work starts the same afternoon. Follow up on PPM tenders after five working days. Issue variation quotes in writing for any out-of-scope reactive work and wait for the PO update before fitting parts, because finance will bounce invoices that do not match an approved PO.
FAQ
Common questions from building maintenance contractors
Everything you need to know before getting started.
Yes. Add a line item per trade, with separate labour, materials, and call-out lines. Facilities teams can see exactly what each scope costs and sign it off cleanly.
Yes. Capture the PO number on the quote and it carries through to the invoice when you convert. Keeps finance teams happy and stops invoices being bounced.
Build a quote with a 'PPM scope' section listing planned visits per quarter, included repairs, and response times. Add an exclusions section. Save it as a template for new clients.
Yes. Every quote has a unique public link. The facilities manager can accept it on their phone or desktop with no signup. The acceptance is timestamped on the quote.
Yes. Convert any accepted quote to an invoice with one tap. PO references, project codes, and line items all carry through, so there's no double entry.
Yes. The free plan gives you 5 quotes and 2 invoices per month with no credit card required. Upgrade to Premium for unlimited quotes, invoices, statements, and reports.
Start from the planned scope: how many visits per quarter, which trades attend, which compliance items are included (emergency lighting test, fire door checks, HVAC filter changes), and what's the response time for reactive call-outs. Price each visit as a fixed sum, then add a monthly retainer figure that totals the year. Add a clear exclusions list so reactive work outside scope is chargeable on top.
Roof and gutters, external walls and paint, windows and seals, internal common areas, plant room, electrical DB boards, plumbing risers, HVAC condition, fire safety equipment, and emergency lighting. Include a photo set and a prioritised list of recommended remedial works with indicative costs. The report itself is a billable deliverable, not a freebie thrown in with a PPM visit.
Build an after-hours and weekend rate into your PPM contract upfront. Most contractors charge 1.5x to 2x daytime hourly, plus a higher minimum call-out (often R3,966 to R7,933 for the first hour). Get the facilities manager to agree the rates in writing on the original contract so there's no friction at 11pm on a Saturday.
List them as separate priced lines, even if they're included in the contract. Facilities teams need to see that emergency lighting tests, fire door inspections, water hygiene checks, and electrical compliance reports are each costed. It justifies the monthly fee and it removes any argument about whether a certificate was 'in scope'.
Still have questions? We would rather answer them now than after you have signed up.
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Electrician · Berlin
Guides
Guides for Building Maintenance
Practical advice to help you quote better, get paid faster, and grow your business.
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