What a commercial MSA covers (for facility managers)

A master service agreement (MSA) sets terms, rates, insurance and liability once. Jobs then go out as work orders under it, so a call about the parkade lights is a dispatch, not a procurement process.

MSAs differ in four places: response times, the rate card, the platform, and the paperwork.

Response times and dispatch credits

The service-level agreement (SLA) sets how fast the contractor responds and what happens when they don't. A typical Victoria structure:

An SLA needs measurement: "response" defined (callback or on site) and timestamped in a system both sides can see. It also needs a remedy, commonly a 10–25% credit on the work order or a waived truck charge when the window is missed without an agreed exception.

A contractor who won't put any remedy in writing doesn't trust their own dispatch. Carve-outs for windstorms and multi-building emergencies are fair, as long as the agreement says how triage works.

At Amped, commercial service calls are booked during business hours. For urgent problems, call us and we'll get someone out as soon as we can.

Tighter SLAs cost more because you're paying for a tech and a van held in reserve. If your buildings can live with next-day response for everything but emergencies, say so. Your rates will show it.

Rate cards

• Hourly rates. Expect separate journeyperson and apprentice rates, and an annual rate review.
• Truck/dispatch charges. Usually a flat charge per work order. Often waived above a monthly volume.
• Material markup. 10–25% on cost is normal. Ask for a fixed, disclosed percentage and supplier invoices on request above a threshold (say $500).
• Not-to-exceed (NTE) limits. The most useful clause for an FM. Work proceeds without approval up to the NTE (commonly $500–$1,500), and anything over needs a quote. Spell out what happens when a tech hits the NTE partway through.
• Annual escalation. CPI-linked or a fixed 3–5%. Negotiate a cap and 60–90 days' written notice.

Not negotiable: insurance minimums ($2M–$5M CGL is standard for commercial work), WorkSafeBC clearance, a Technical Safety BC contractor licence, and permits where required. A contractor who bends on those is moving their risk onto you.

Paperwork to ask for

A commercial contractor should hand over a WorkSafeBC clearance letter (verifiable online), a certificate of insurance naming you as additional insured, a Technical Safety BC contractor licence and a written safety program. Larger institutional and government clients also ask for COR certification (the Certificate of Recognition, audited through the BC Construction Safety Alliance).

Do the paperwork check before an emergency. Our MSA structure and credentials are on the commercial services page.

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