Description of the required services, on the basis of which several providers submit comparable quotes.
A service specification (Leistungsverzeichnis) describes which services a contractor is to provide, in enough detail that several providers can submit comparable quotes. In maintenance, it contains the list of assets with type, location and serial number, the services per asset with intervals, response and availability times, the records you expect and the price structure. It usually becomes part of the contract. Public purchasers also have to follow procurement law.
The quality of the specification determines the quality of the quote comparison. If an asset is missing, it is missing from the price, and the change order comes later. If an interval is not stated, every bidder assumes a different one, and the quotes cannot be compared. If the specification describes a service in general terms such as “per manufacturer's instructions” without attaching the instructions, a dispute over the scope follows. The same applies to inspections: whether the service company should only prepare, accompany or itself order the inspection has to be written there expressly.
For cost and liability, it is also a way to close gaps. The operator's duties under the BetrSichV, the F-gas Regulation or the MPBetreibV do not disappear if the contract does not mention them. The specification can assign them expressly, for example leak checks, safety inspections and documentation. It also fixes what is to be delivered: service report, inspection report and records, and in what form. Whoever checks invoices later needs this yardstick. vi reads quotes and invoices and compares the line items with the agreed services.
What matters
- Start with a complete asset list with type, location, year of manufacture and serial number.
- Describe services with the interval and scope per asset and attach the manufacturer's instructions.
- Require a uniform price sheet with flat fees, hourly rates, surcharges, travel and material markups.
- State response times, availability and the records required.
- Avoid open wording such as “everything required.”
Suppose an operator gets three quotes for several refrigeration systems. Because every bidder assumed a different number of visits, the prices cannot be compared. The operator writes a service specification with an asset list, visits per asset, leak checks and a uniform price sheet, and has the providers quote again.
Related regulations
In vi
- Service contracts: Scope, price and deadlines of every contract at a glance