What BOMA and IFMA Members Should Expect From an Exterior Services Partner
Property and facility professionals hold their buildings to a high standard. Here is what they should expect from the partner that maintains the exterior.
Guide
Vendor Selection, Compliance, and Procurement
When an exterior services contractor works on your building, their insurance, safety record and paperwork become your exposure. This guide covers what to verify before engaging one, the documentation standards to hold every vendor to, how to structure vendors across a portfolio, procurement platform onboarding, national accounts, and how to change vendors without a gap in service.
What to verify before engaging an exterior services contractor
Check these before the first visit. Each one is a risk that otherwise lands on the property.
| Verify | What good looks like | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| Who does the work | W2 employees of the company you hire | Unnamed subcontractors you cannot vet |
| Insurance | A current certificate naming your property, delivered before work starts | A slow or missing certificate |
| Safety program | Written program, site-specific plans, training records, equipment inspection | Cannot describe it in detail |
| At-height qualification | Technicians certified before at-height work; asks for your anchor documentation | Never asks about anchors |
| Experience | References on buildings like yours, at your height and scale | No comparable references |
| Coverage | Its own crews in every market you need | Coverage outside its footprint left vague |
| Procurement fit | Can complete your onboarding and compliance requirements | Cannot get through vendor onboarding |
The Exterior Services Vendor Qualification Scorecard turns this into a weighted score for each bidder.
Insurance documentation standards
Your risk manager, lease and lender set the coverage types and limits. Whatever they are, hold every vendor to the same documentation standard:
- A certificate of insurance for every policy you require, typically general liability, automobile liability, workers compensation and umbrella or excess liability
- Your property and ownership entities named as certificate holder, and as additional insured where your contracts require it
- Endorsements, not just the certificate, where your contracts require additional insured status, waivers of subrogation or primary and non-contributory wording
- Current dates, with tracking for renewals before a policy lapses
- Coverage for every crew on site, including any subcontractor
The standard certificate form in the US is the ACORD 25. A certificate is evidence of coverage, not the coverage itself, so check that endorsements match what the contract requires.
Safety and compliance documentation standards
- A written safety program and the training behind it
- A site-specific safety plan for every at-height job
- Technician certification before any at-height work
- Equipment inspection records for lifts, swing stages and rope-access gear
- Roof anchor handling: a vendor who asks for your written anchor certification before rope descent work, as OSHA requires
- Safety performance data your procurement process asks for, such as injury and illness records or an experience modification rate
Single-vendor versus multi-vendor portfolio strategy
| Single vendor | Multi-vendor | |
|---|---|---|
| Management | One contract, one invoice, one point of contact | A contract, invoice and contact per vendor |
| Standards | The same scope and standard everywhere | Standards vary by vendor and market |
| Risk review | One insurance and safety review | A review per vendor, repeated at renewal |
| Pricing | Recurring program pricing across buildings | Competitive tension between vendors |
| Risk | Dependence on one provider; check its coverage in every market | More coordination, more gaps between vendors |
A common middle path: one primary vendor for recurring work across the portfolio, with line-item pricing per building, and specialists where the primary is not set up for the work. See when bundling services across a portfolio saves money.
Procurement platform onboarding and compliance
Many owners and managers require vendors to register on a vendor compliance or procurement platform before they can be engaged or paid. Expect onboarding to cover:
- Company registration, tax forms and banking details
- Insurance certificates and endorsements, tracked against your requirements
- Safety program documents and safety performance data
- Licenses where your jurisdictions require them
- Ongoing renewals, so a vendor does not drop out of compliance mid-contract
Ask every bidder early whether they can complete your platform's requirements. A vendor who cannot get through onboarding cannot start work, however good the bid.
National account structures for multi-market portfolios
- One master agreement with consistent scope, standards and pricing structure
- Line-item pricing per building and service, so each property's budget stands on its own
- One point of contact with authority to resolve problems in any market
- Local execution: crews in each market who know the buildings
- One workforce model: ask who does the work in every market, not just the headquarters city
- Rates for adding buildings, so acquisitions slot straight into the program
S&K coordinates multi-site portfolios under one contract and one point of contact, with the same standards in every location and local crews who are S&K W2 employees. See multi-site and franchise programs and our locations.
Transition planning without service gaps
- Check the exit terms in the current contract: notice period and end date.
- Onboard the new vendor first: insurance, safety documents and procurement platform before the old contract ends.
- Walk every building together and document existing conditions. See how to document existing facade damage.
- Hand over the building file: roof access, anchor certification records, keys, contacts and tenant rules.
- Schedule the first visits before the last visit of the outgoing vendor, prioritizing entrances and visible glass.
- Tell tenants who the new vendor is and when work starts.
- Review after the first cycle and adjust scope and cadence.
Running RFPs? See how to write an RFP for commercial exterior services and how to compare exterior services bids.
Why property managers choose S&K
- 100% W2 crews. Trained, insured S&K employees, never subcontractors.
- Certificates of insurance on request, and safety documentation you can hand to ownership, insurers or auditors.
- Documented safety: classroom and hands-on training, site-specific safety plans, technicians certified before at-height work, equipment inspected on a routine schedule.
- Anchors handled: installation, inspection, load testing and certification through our long-time anchor partner.
- One contract across your portfolio, one invoice and one point of contact, with local crews.
Ask us for our safety documentation and certificates of insurance. See safety and compliance.
Frequently asked questions
What insurance should an exterior services contractor carry?
Your risk manager, lease and lender set the types and limits. Commonly required: general liability, automobile liability, workers compensation and umbrella or excess, with a certificate naming your property and endorsements your contract requires.
What documents should I get before hiring a window cleaning or exterior contractor?
A certificate of insurance and required endorsements, the written safety program, a site-specific safety plan for at-height work, technician certification, and references on comparable buildings.
Is it better to use one vendor across a portfolio?
One vendor simplifies management and standardizes scope. It works when the vendor has its own crews in every market and prices each building separately.
How do I switch exterior services vendors without a gap?
Onboard the new vendor before the old contract ends, walk and document every building together, hand over access and anchor records, and schedule the first visits before the last outgoing visit.
What is a national account for exterior services?
One master agreement covering a multi-market portfolio, with consistent scope and standards, line-item pricing per building, one point of contact and local crews.
All Vendor Selection articles
Reading a Contractor's Certificate of Insurance: Limits, Additional Insured, and Waiver of Subrogation
A certificate of insurance is evidence, not coverage. Here is how to read one: the policies, the limits, additional insured status and waiver of subrogation.
EMR and TRIR: What a Contractor's Safety Numbers Actually Tell You
EMR and TRIR show up on every prequalification form. Here is what each number measures, how to read it, and what it cannot tell you.
What a Contractor's Safety Program Should Include
A vendor that cannot describe its safety program in detail does not have one. Here is what a real program for exterior work at height contains.
Red Flags in Exterior Services Proposals
Most bad vendor experiences were visible in the proposal. Here are the red flags to catch before you sign.
National Account Structures for Multi-Market Property Portfolios
A national account should feel like one vendor everywhere and a local vendor at every building. Here is how to structure one.
Single Vendor vs. Multiple Vendors Across a Building Portfolio
One vendor simplifies everything until it cannot cover a market. Here is how single- and multi-vendor strategies compare, and the middle path most portfolios use.
Subcontracting in Exterior Services: The Questions to Ask Before You Sign
Many vendors bid the job and hand it to crews you never meet. Here are the questions that surface subcontracting, and the contract terms that control it.
Transitioning Exterior Services Vendors Without a Service Gap
Most service gaps happen in the weeks between contracts. Here is a seven-step plan to switch exterior services vendors without one.
Certificate and Compliance Tracking: Keeping Vendors Current Without Chasing Paper
Expired certificates surface at the worst moment. Here is how to track vendor insurance and compliance documents so they stay current on their own.
Onboarding Exterior Services Vendors in Yardi, MRI, and VendorPM
A vendor that cannot get through your platform cannot start work. Here is what onboarding in Yardi, MRI or VendorPM usually requires, and how to keep it moving.
What to Verify Before Hiring a Commercial Exterior Services Contractor
Seven checks separate a qualified exterior services contractor from a liability. Here is what to verify, what good looks like, and the red flags.
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