What a buyer should put in the contract
Start with the estate: addresses, uses, opening hours, areas and contacts. Then record the assets and systems that matter to each site. A retail rollout may use one reporting template, but a store, office, warehouse or mixed-use building will not have the same operational risk.
Facility management in Athens can be technical, operational or integrated. The contract should say whether the provider performs, coordinates or audits each service, and which decisions remain with the owner or tenant.
| Area | Define | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Sites and assets | Locations, equipment, critical points | Asset register and plan |
| Hard services | HVAC, electrical, plumbing, fire safety | Work order, service sheet, test |
| Soft services | Cleaning, hygiene, pest control, grounds | Checklist and report |
| PPM and reactive work | Frequency, priority, call route | Calendar and history |
| Compliance records | Documents, inspections, renewals | Expiry register |
| Exclusions | Projects, materials, third parties, damage | Variation approval |
| Reporting | Frequency, recipients, format | Monthly or site report |
Do you need an FM programme?
Indicative direction
Choose a requirement
This direction is indicative. The engineer and FM team confirm the appropriate scope.
Request an FM briefingSLA and KPI: making accountability visible
An SLA is more than a response-time promise. Define priority, call channel, start of measurement, access, temporary action, escalation and close-out evidence. This prevents an unclear “attended” status from being treated as a completed repair.
| Priority | Acknowledgement | Attendance | Close-out or escalation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical | Agreed target | Agreed target | Temporary control and update |
| High | Agreed target | Site and hours dependent | Escalate if unresolved |
| Routine | Next planned cycle | Scheduled visit | Close with work evidence |
Useful KPIs can cover planned-maintenance completion, open faults, repeat failures, report quality and actions by site. Define the data source and reviewer. The matrix is illustrative and must be adapted to risk, access, operating hours and agreed scope.
Commercial clauses and cost drivers
A contract may combine a fixed fee for an agreed scope, a management fee for coordination and pass-through costs for materials or specialist subcontractors. The proposal should explain what counts as a project, repair, call-out, replacement, out-of-hours work or variation.
Check indexation, VAT, invoice evidence, approval limits and payment rules. State who owns the asset register, reports, drawings and incident history. A clear variation process protects both the client and the provider when the site or scope changes.
Responsibilities and risk allocation
The client sets objectives and access rules. The landlord controls base-building information. The tenant reports operational changes and constraints. The provider operates the agreed scope and manages its contractors. An engineer or statutory inspector remains responsible for the technical or statutory work assigned to that role. A contract does not automatically transfer every legal duty to the FM provider.
Write down who maintains certificates, inspection logs, drawings, insurance evidence and incident records. Link preventive maintenance and fault response to an asset, priority and close-out record.
Choosing an FM provider in Greece
Ask for a mobilisation plan, asset-register example, sample report, call-out model, subcontractor controls, quality checks and escalation route. For a foreign owner or rollout team, identify the FM lead, local site contacts and the person who will consolidate reports in English for the asset manager.
If you need soft services, ask how daily completion will be recorded. If stores have specific risks, connect the contract brief to shop fire safety in Greece and keep the technical file with the site record.
Mobilisation and review
Mobilisation should include the first survey, baseline, asset register, planned-maintenance calendar, helpdesk channel, open-actions log and reporting format. Agree the first review and its data. A quarterly review may cover trends, repeat faults, open risk and scope changes when the contract includes it.
Send sites, area, use, opening hours, critical systems, current contractors and pain points with your FM briefing request. This produces a more useful comparison than a generic request for “full service”.
Sources: HFMA, facility management, Fire-safety approvals, gov.gr, P.D. 41/2018, kodiko.gr. Last checked: 2026-09-06.
Frequently asked questions
What should a facility management contract include?
It should define the sites and assets, hard and soft services, planned maintenance, reactive calls, response rules, reporting, responsibilities, subcontractors, exclusions and commercial terms. Anything left vague becomes a dispute once the service is live.
What is the difference between hard and soft FM?
Hard FM covers the technical operation of a building, including HVAC, electrical, plumbing and fire safety. Soft FM covers cleaning, hygiene, pest control or grounds care. Integrated FM coordinates both with one operating and reporting model.
What do SLA and KPI mean in facilities management?
An SLA sets the agreed service level, such as acknowledgement, attendance and escalation. A KPI measures whether the service happened, such as planned-maintenance completion or fault close-out. Targets should reflect site risk, access and operating hours.
How is a facility management contract priced?
Drivers include the number and type of sites, area, opening hours, assets, response requirement, in-house team, subcontractors, materials and reactive work. A proposal should separate the fixed scope, pass-through costs, call-outs, VAT and variations.
What should I request before appointing an FM provider?
Ask for a mobilisation plan, asset register, planned-maintenance calendar, sample report, call-out model, subcontractor controls, insurance, escalation route, exclusions and exit process. The provider should show how service delivery will be evidenced.