From fire report to a clear contractor brief

You have the report. You may also have a budget meeting approaching, residents asking about disruption and several contractors asking different questions. The next step is to turn that information into a request they can understand and respond to consistently.

Be clear about what you need now: an initial discussion, a further survey, a budget estimate or a detailed quotation. These are different requests. A contractor should be able to say what can be established from the documents and what needs a site visit.

Keep the priorities and timescales set by your assessor visible. If a finding raises an immediate concern, follow the relevant professional advice and your building’s procedures; do not wait for a procurement exercise to finish.

Keep the original report and its references intact. Alongside it, create a short working schedule that makes the proposed package easy to navigate. For a portfolio, give each building its own entry within the same project.

• Location: building, floor, room, door number or drawing reference.
• Finding: the report action number and a concise description, without changing its technical meaning.
• Quantity: the recorded figure, an estimate clearly marked as such, or “to be confirmed”.
• Next step: work requested, clarification needed or further investigation proposed.
• Evidence: the relevant page, photograph or plan.

A useful check is whether someone who has never visited the building could find the same item in the schedule, the report and a quotation. If the references do not line up, resolve that before work is ordered.

A single report may lead to fire-door remedials, fire stopping and further compartmentation investigation. Keep them together as one project, but describe each work package separately.

That makes it easier to establish whether one contractor can take responsibility for all the required services or whether specialists are needed. Do not assume that experience in one service proves suitability for another.

Describe the boundaries between packages. Who will arrange access above ceilings? Who will make good disturbed finishes? Who will resolve a design question before installation? Record what is agreed and what still needs an answer. PFL can help organise the enquiry; technical responsibilities must be agreed with the appropriate appointed professionals.

Access can shape a programme as much as the number of defects. A quotation based on an empty building may tell you little about delivering the same work in an occupied block, school or care setting.

• State the building’s use and whether it will remain occupied.
• Describe working hours, appointments, escorts and known restricted areas.
• Identify the person coordinating residents, tenants or site teams.
• Explain other planned works and any dependencies between trades.
• Share relevant available access and hazard information through an appropriate route.

Keep initial documents proportionate. Remove resident names, personal contact details and other personal information that is not needed to understand the project. Describe an access requirement without including someone’s private circumstances.

A short introduction helps the reader understand why the documents have been sent. It should describe the requested next step, rather than repeat the entire assessment.

Illustrative example — not a PFL client project

We manage three occupied residential blocks. The attached door survey and compartmentation report identify several work packages. Please confirm which services you can cover and what further information or visits you need before quoting. Keep prices linked to the report references and identify investigation, remedial work and making good separately. Access is by appointment; our property manager will coordinate it. Quantities not confirmed in the reports remain subject to verification.

Add the report dates, buildings included, your target programme and who will approve the next step. If your budget is not yet agreed, say so.

Think about the handover before you compare prices. Ask each contractor to explain what evidence they will provide for the agreed scope, and how it will connect to your building and item references.

Depending on the work, the agreed records may include a completed item schedule, photographs, product and installation information, relevant certification, outstanding exceptions and maintenance information. Ask who will review these records and how unresolved items will be recorded.

A photograph or a general certificate is not a substitute for understanding what was actually completed. Make the required evidence part of the enquiry and the eventual written scope.

• Can the contractor identify the buildings and report items in scope?
• Have you marked unknown quantities and unresolved technical questions?
• Are access constraints and the requested next step clear?
• Have you asked for assumptions, exclusions and completion records?

You do not need a polished tender pack to contact PFL. Upload the report you have and tell us where you are in the process. We review the enquiry, clarify missing information and consider contractors against the relevant work packages before any introduction. The contractor assesses and quotes for the work; you decide who to appoint.