What a chiller AMC should actually include
A scope you can hold a contractor to, written as a specification to demand rather than a service to sell.
Annual Maintenance Contracts are quoted in this market on a single page and a lump sum. The differences between two quotes that look similar are almost always in what is left unwritten. Below is a scope worth insisting on, whoever you appoint.
Scheduled visits
The contract should say how many visits, what happens on each one, and who signs off. "Routine maintenance as required" is not a scope. At minimum each visit should cover condenser and evaporator condition, refrigerant charge and subcooling, oil level and condition, electrical terminations and contactor wear, control set points, and safety cut-out verification.
Response to breakdowns
Separate from scheduled visits: how quickly does someone attend when the plant stops, and is that response included or charged? A contract with unlimited callouts and a stated attendance time is worth materially more than one without, and the difference should be visible in the price.
What parts are covered
This is the clause that decides what you are actually buying:
- Labour-only — visits and attendance are included, parts are quoted as needed
- Comprehensive — major components are included in the fixed fee, usually excluding consumables and sometimes excluding compressors
Read the exclusion list rather than the inclusion list. Comprehensive cover that excludes compressors, coils and controls is labour-only with a longer name.
Records
Every visit should leave a report with readings on it, not a signature on a sheet. Over a year those readings are the only evidence of whether the plant is degrading, and they are what makes the next replacement decision something other than guesswork.
Exit
Agree at the start what happens at the end: who holds the service history, what notice applies, and what condition the plant is handed over in. It is an easy clause to agree before signing and an awkward one afterwards.