- Annual fire safety statement
- In NSW, a yearly statement given by a building owner confirming that essential fire safety measures have been assessed and maintained. Other states have their own equivalents.
- AS 1851
- The Australian Standard for the routine service of fire protection systems and equipment.
- Asset register
- A list of the equipment and building elements a site has, with location, age, condition and service history.
- Capital expenditure (capex)
- Spending on major works that extend or replace assets, such as a new roof, as opposed to routine running costs.
- Certificate of currency
- A document from an insurer confirming that a policy is in force, its limits and its dates.
- Cleaning Services Award
- The Fair Work modern award that covers many employees in the commercial cleaning industry in Australia.
- Colour coding
- Using different coloured cloths, mops and buckets for different areas, such as washrooms and kitchens, to prevent cross-contamination.
- Commissioning
- Testing and documenting that new or altered building systems work as designed before they are accepted.
- Computer-aided facilities management (CAFM)
- Software for managing assets, maintenance schedules, work orders and costs.
- Consumables
- Items used up in cleaning and building operation, such as toilet paper, hand towels, soap and bin liners.
- Cost-plus (open book)
- A pricing model where the client pays actual costs plus an agreed margin, with costs shown openly.
- Defect liability period
- A period after completion of works during which the contractor must fix defects at its own cost.
- Essential safety measures report
- In Victoria, an annual report confirming that a building's essential safety measures have been maintained.
- Facilities management (FM)
- The coordination of the services that keep a building safe, functional and comfortable, including maintenance, cleaning, security and compliance.
- Fair wear and tear
- Normal deterioration from ordinary use, which a lease may exclude from a tenant's make-good obligation.
- Fixed-price contract
- A contract where the price is set for a defined scope, regardless of the hours worked.
- Geofence
- A virtual boundary around a site. A check-in is accepted only when the worker's location is inside it.
- GPS-verified attendance
- A record of arrival and departure confirmed by time, photo and location.
- HACCP
- Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, a food safety management approach that identifies and controls hazards.
- Hard FM
- Facilities management of the physical building and its fixed systems, such as electrical, plumbing, air conditioning and fire protection.
- Helpdesk
- The team or number that logs, prioritises and tracks facilities requests such as faults and cleaning issues.
- Hoarding
- Temporary barriers that separate a construction zone from public areas.
- Housekeeping
- Cleaning and servicing of guest rooms and public areas in hotels and similar venues.
- Induction
- Site-specific training on hazards, rules and emergency procedures, given before a worker or contractor starts.
- Integrated facilities management (IFM)
- Providing several building services, such as maintenance, cleaning and compliance, through one accountable provider.
- ISO 14001
- The international standard for environmental management systems.
- ISO 45001
- The international standard for occupational health and safety management systems.
- ISO 9001
- The international standard for quality management systems.
- Key performance indicator (KPI)
- A measure used to judge whether an agreed service level is being met.
- Make-good
- Work a tenant must do at the end of a lease to return premises to the condition the lease requires.
- Management fee
- A fee charged by a facilities provider to manage services and contractors, often with contractor costs passed through to the client.
- Mobilisation
- The start-up phase of a new contract, covering staffing, inductions, access, equipment and systems set-up before and during the first weeks.
- Operating expenditure (opex)
- Day-to-day running costs of a building, including routine maintenance and cleaning.
- PCBU
- Person conducting a business or undertaking, the main duty holder under model work health and safety laws.
- Periodic cleaning
- Cleaning tasks done less often than daily, such as carpet extraction, floor polishing and window cleaning.
- Planned preventative maintenance (PPM)
- Scheduled maintenance carried out before equipment fails.
- Portfolio
- A group of properties or sites managed together under one strategy or contract.
- Public liability insurance
- Insurance covering legal liability for injury or property damage to third parties.
- Reactive maintenance
- Repair work carried out in response to a fault or failure.
- Safe work method statement (SWMS)
- A document setting out the hazards of a high-risk task and how the risks will be controlled.
- Schedule of rates
- A list of agreed prices for individual tasks or areas, used to price variable work.
- Scope of works
- The written description of the work to be done, including what is and is not included.
- Service level agreement (SLA)
- The part of a contract that states the service to be delivered, response times, standards and reporting.
- Single point of contact (SPOC)
- One person, team or phone number that receives every facilities request for a site or portfolio and is accountable for seeing it through.
- Site walk-through
- A visit where a provider inspects the premises with the client to understand the areas, conditions and risks before scoping and pricing the work.
- Soft FM
- Facilities management of services that support the people using a building, such as cleaning, security, grounds and waste.
- Stewarding
- Back-of-house hospitality work covering dishwashing, kitchen cleaning and moving equipment, crockery and cutlery.
- Strata
- A form of ownership where individual lots share common property, managed by an owners corporation.
- Tender (RFT)
- A formal invitation for providers to submit a price and proposal against a written specification.
- TGA
- The Therapeutic Goods Administration, which regulates therapeutic goods, including some disinfectants, in Australia.
- Work order
- A tracked request for a specific job, with a priority, an assigned trade and a record of completion.
- Workers compensation insurance
- Insurance covering employees for work-related injury or illness, required in each state under local law.
- Working With Children Check
- A state-based screening check required for many people who work in child-related settings. Rules vary by state.
General definitions for information only. Legal and regulatory terms vary by state.