Facilities management: competitor comparison
Use this competitor comparison exercise to compare alternatives against the buyer’s requirements without attacking another provider. You are discussing a planned maintenance coordination service with a property operations lead. The point of the practice is to make a useful decision together, including recognising when the offer is not a fit.
Produce a comparison with evidence, open questions and a clear decision criterion.
The situation
In this fictional brief, maintenance dates and contractor responsibilities are scattered. The buyer wants a visible schedule with assigned owners and escalation rules. Your offer is a planned maintenance coordination service, but you must first establish whether its scope addresses the actual need.
A relevant delivery constraint is that some equipment needs specialist or manufacturer-authorised work. Treat that as a fact in the exercise; do not remove it to make the sale easier.
| Your counterpart | a property operations lead |
|---|---|
| Offer under discussion | a planned maintenance coordination service |
| Evidence available | a sample asset register linked to work orders and completion records |
| Terms to clarify | Clarify which party commissions, performs, verifies and pays for each task. |
How to approach competitor comparison
A useful question for this stage: “What would you need to verify before deciding that either option meets the requirement?” Ask it when the conversation creates a reason for it, rather than reciting every question in order.
- Build a like-for-like comparison. Mark unknowns as unknown. Ask the buyer to rank the criteria before discussing your strengths.
- Ground the discussion in the buyer’s work. Ask: “Which asset failure would interrupt the most important activity?” Listen for a concrete example before making a claim.
- Use evidence relevant to the decision: a sample asset register linked to work orders and completion records. Explain what it demonstrates and what remains unverified.
- Produce a comparison with evidence, open questions and a clear decision criterion.
An industry-specific concern
Buyer: “We can coordinate the contractors ourselves.”
Possible response: “You may be able to. Let us compare the coordination workload, missed handovers and responsibility for tracking completion.”
Why this response helps: it acknowledges the concern, brings the discussion back to a verifiable requirement and leaves room for a different decision. Adapt the wording to what the buyer actually said.
Run the practice
- Prepare for two minutes. One person takes the seller role and one plays a property operations lead. Read the offer and constraint separately from your preferred answer.
- Have a five-minute conversation focused on compare alternatives against the buyer’s requirements without attacking another provider. The buyer should answer consistently with the brief and ask for evidence when a claim is vague.
- Add this challenge: The buyer quotes a feature or price you cannot verify. State the limit of your knowledge and compare documented terms.
- Pause for feedback. Quote one useful question and one missed opportunity. Repeat the difficult exchange using a different response.
- Finish by writing the actual agreement. A sensible option, when it fits, is to map a limited asset group and its next scheduled maintenance cycle. A clear decision to pause is also a useful outcome.
What to avoid
| Common mistake | Claiming the competing provider cannot do something without current evidence. |
|---|---|
| A stronger direction | I do not know their current terms. Here is what our proposal includes and what we should verify in both offers. |
| Scope and claim boundary | Do not substitute a generic checklist for statutory or specialist inspection requirements. |
| What to measure in real work | scheduled tasks completed with acceptable evidence. Establish a baseline and definition before interpreting a change. |
An example conversation
Which differences between the two options matter most to your team?
Our concern is that maintenance dates and contractor responsibilities are scattered. Also, some equipment needs specialist or manufacturer-authorised work.
Which asset failure would interrupt the most important activity?
We can coordinate the contractors ourselves.
You may be able to. Let us compare the coordination workload, missed handovers and responsibility for tracking completion.
What would you need to verify before deciding that either option meets the requirement?
Your working sheet.
Make the exercise your own. Notes are saved in this browser when storage is available. Download a copy to keep; avoid confidential information on a shared device.
Example: maintenance dates and contractor responsibilities are scattered; some equipment needs specialist or manufacturer-authorised work.
Example: What would you need to verify before deciding that either option meets the requirement? Industry question: Which asset failure would interrupt the most important activity?
Example: a sample asset register linked to work orders and completion records. Do not substitute a generic checklist for statutory or specialist inspection requirements.
Example: Propose a clear next step, such as: map a limited asset group and its next scheduled maintenance cycle. Confirm the owner and date.
Review your work
This is a reflection checklist, not an automated assessment.
Questions
Who is this facilities management exercise for?+
Can I use the example as a script?+
How should I assess the result?+
Fictional training scenario. The dialogue illustrates response choices; it is not a customer testimonial or a record of a real sale.
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