Service agreements

A service agreement is a contract with a vendor for ongoing or scope-defined work. The annual cleaning contract, the lift maintenance retainer, the fire alarm monitoring contract, the gardening agreement.

Service agreements differ from one-off work orders in two ways: they cover a defined scope over time, and they generate predictable spend that can be budgeted.

When to use a service agreement

• The vendor visits regularly (weekly, monthly, quarterly) for the same work.
• The vendor is on retainer for a class of work (ad-hoc plumbing, on-call electrical).
• A statutory inspection happens on a fixed schedule.
• A long-term project (Section 20 major works, refurbishment) needs a defined contract.

For one-off work, raise a work order directly.

Create a service agreement

1. Open the site and click Maintenance → Service agreements → Add agreement.
2. Pick the vendor.
3. Enter the scope of services (what the vendor will do).
4. Set the start date and end date.
5. Pick the pricing model:
   • Fixed fee (one number for the whole agreement).
   • Recurring fee (£X per visit, £Y per month).
   • Schedule of rates (a price list the vendor will quote against).
   • Time and materials (no fixed price; bills against agreed rates).
6. Set the renewal terms: auto-renew, fixed-end, notice period to terminate.
7. Upload the signed contract.
8. Save.

The agreement appears on the site's maintenance dashboard and on the vendor's profile.

Generate work orders from an agreement

If the agreement has a recurring schedule (monthly cleaning visits, for example), PropLink can generate work orders automatically:

1. Open the agreement.
2. Click Schedule → Add schedule.
3. Pick the recurrence: weekly, monthly, etc.
4. Pick the day(s) of the week or month.
5. Save.

PropLink generates a work order on each scheduled date, pre-filled with the agreement's scope. The contractor receives the standard ContractorPort invitation.

Bills against an agreement

When a vendor bills you for work done under an agreement, code the bill to the agreement:

1. Open the bill.
2. Pick the service agreement in the line item.
3. PropLink validates the bill against the agreement (rate matches, scope fits).
4. Approve and pay.

Coding bills against agreements drives the agreement spend report, showing how much you have spent against each agreement and whether you are tracking to the agreed value.

Renewing or ending an agreement

1. Open the agreement.
2. Click Renew to create a follow-on agreement (with the same scope but new dates).
3. Or click End to set an end date earlier than originally planned.

Past agreements stay attached to the site and the vendor for historical reference.

Reporting on service agreements

The Service agreements report under Reporting → Operational lists:

• All active agreements with renewal dates.
• Agreements expiring in the next 90 days.
• Spend year-to-date per agreement vs the agreed value.
• Vendors with the most agreements.

Useful for the procurement manager's quarterly review.