Scope
Numbered by CSI MasterFormat division, because that is the vocabulary a scope of work is actually written in.
| Work item | Division | Facility Service Group | Otherwise you call |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day-to-day cleaning | Div 01General Requirements | Covered by Facility Service Group | Janitorial contractor |
| Day porter coverage | Div 01General Requirements | Covered by Facility Service Group | Janitorial contractor |
| Post-construction cleaning | Div 01General Requirements | Covered by Facility Service Group | Janitorial contractor |
| Job site clean-up | Div 01General Requirements | Covered by Facility Service Group | Janitorial contractor |
| Exterior pressure washing | Div 01General Requirements | Covered by Facility Service Group | Janitorial contractor |
| Window and glass cleaning | Div 01General Requirements | Covered by Facility Service Group | Window cleaning specialist |
| Onsite maintenance technician | Div 01General Requirements | Covered by Facility Service Group | Direct hire, or nobody |
| Concrete and flatwork repair | Div 03Concrete | Covered by Facility Service Group | Paving contractor |
| Parking lot repair and striping | Div 32Exterior Improvements | Covered by Facility Service Group | Paving contractor |
| Interior and exterior painting | Div 09Finishes | Covered by Facility Service Group | Painting contractor |
| Elevator service and repair | Div 14Conveying Equipment | Covered by Facility Service Group | Elevator company |
| HVAC preventive maintenance | Div 23HVAC | Covered by Facility Service Group | Mechanical contractor |
| Electrical repair and retrofit | Div 26Electrical | Covered by Facility Service Group | Electrical contractor |
| Landscape and grounds | Div 32Exterior Improvements | Covered by Facility Service Group | Landscaping company |
| Irrigation repair | Div 32Exterior Improvements | Covered by Facility Service Group | Landscaping company |
| Tenant build-out and remodel | Div 01General Requirements | Covered by Facility Service Group | General contractor |
| Temporary and contract labor | Div 01General Requirements | Covered by Facility Service Group | Staffing agency |
| What that means on paper | 1 contract1 COI · 1 invoice | 10 contracts10 COIs · 10 invoices | |
Otherwise you call a janitorial contractor
Otherwise you call a janitorial contractor
Otherwise you call a janitorial contractor
Otherwise you call a janitorial contractor
Otherwise you call a janitorial contractor
Otherwise you call a window cleaning specialist
Otherwise you call a direct hire, or nobody
Otherwise you call a paving contractor
Otherwise you call a paving contractor
Otherwise you call a painting contractor
Otherwise you call a elevator company
Otherwise you call a mechanical contractor
Otherwise you call a electrical contractor
Otherwise you call a landscaping company
Otherwise you call a landscaping company
Otherwise you call a general contractor
Otherwise you call a staffing agency
1 contract, 1 COI, 1 invoice — against 10 of each.
Consolidation does not lower the hourly rate and it is worth saying so plainly. A specialist is usually cheaper per hour. What it removes is the coordination: 10 certificates to track, 10 escalation paths, and the conversation about whose scope a problem falls into.
That count is the conservative reading. It assumes your janitorial contractor also handles pressure washing, post-construction and job-site clean-up, and that one paving contractor covers both striping and flatwork. Where that is not true, the real number is higher than 10.
A commercial building fails in small pieces. A condenser short-cycles in July, a panel trips on the third floor, an elevator sits down on a Friday afternoon, and every one of those is a different phone number, a different COI, a different invoice.
Cleaning is the only vendor in the building whose failure every single occupant notices personally, on the same morning, in the same restroom. It is also the contract most often awarded on price per square foot alone.
The grounds are the first thing a prospective tenant sees and the last thing anyone budgets for. On the Gulf Coast they also grow twelve months a year, which means a skipped cycle is visible within about ten days.
Most commercial construction on an occupied property is not a project, it is an interruption. The building has to keep operating, tenants have to keep working, and the schedule is judged on how little anyone noticed.
Headcount is the hardest thing to flex. Volume moves, a project lands, someone leaves, and the gap between needing a person and having one is measured in weeks you do not have.
Next step
That was the best line on the old website and it sat halfway down the homepage under a generic button. Tell us what building you are running and what is not getting done.
