STEP 1
Start with the question, not the product
Write down what you need to find out or put right. Is it a changed workplace, a report with outstanding actions, a landlord’s request or a renewal reminder? Ask what requirement or risk the proposed work addresses.
“What specific need does this service address, and what information supports that?”
STEP 2
Check what you already have
Find previous reports, action lists, maintenance records and lease responsibilities. A useful current record may answer part of the question. An old report with unresolved actions may need action, not simply replacement.
“Can you review our existing information before proposing new work?”
STEP 3
Agree the scope in writing
Name the premises, areas, equipment and activities included. Clarify access, working hours and any shutdown. Ask for exclusions in plain English, especially inaccessible areas, sampling, retests and remedial work.
“Please list what is included, excluded and charged separately.”
STEP 4
Check the person doing the work
Ask about relevant training, experience with comparable premises and how the work is checked. Look at a suitably anonymised example deliverable. Check any claimed registration through the scheme itself, including its scope; a logo alone tells you little.
“Who will do our work, and what makes them competent for this particular job?”
STEP 5
Compare the whole price and terms
Put VAT, travel, repeat visits and extras on the same basis. Check renewal and cancellation terms. Agree that extra work requires your approval. A cheaper quote may cover a smaller job; an expensive one is not automatically more thorough.
“What could change this price, and when would you ask us to authorise it?”
STEP 6
Plan for what happens after the report
Decide who receives and explains the findings, who assigns actions and who checks completion. Ask how urgent issues are raised. File the useful information where the next person arranging work can find it.
“How will you explain the findings, limitations and next steps?”
Separate three different reasons for a service
A legal duty. Ask for the relevant requirement and check the jurisdiction and scope.
A risk-based recommendation. Ask how it follows from your equipment, activities or premises.
A contract or insurance condition. Read the actual condition. A policy requirement is not the same thing as a universal legal duty.
HSE explains that employers should appoint competent help, and that the employer remains responsible. GOV.UK explains that responsible people in shared premises need to cooperate on fire safety.
HSE: getting competent help