Reactive maintenance SLAs: attend times, fix times and the clock
A reactive SLA is only as good as its definitions: what each priority means, when the clock starts and stops, and whether a Friday evening call counts until Monday. Here is how to write one both sides can measure.
Every FM contract with call-outs has a table of response times. Most of the arguments about them are not about speed; they are about definitions. Was it an emergency? Did the clock run overnight? Does waiting three days for a part count against you? Settle those in the contract and the table measures itself.
Attend time and fix time
Use two targets, not one. Attend is how soon someone competent is on site. Fix is how soon the fault is put right, or made safe with a permanent fix planned. A single "response time" invites the argument over whether a phone call counts as a response.
Priorities, defined by effect
Define each priority by what the fault does, not by how loudly the client calls. As an example, these are the defaults PPMdesk starts every contract with, which most firms then adjust:
| Priority | Typical meaning | Attend within | Fix within |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emergency | Risk to people or property, or a site that can't operate: a major leak, no heating in winter in a care setting, a fire alarm fault | 4 hours | 24 hours |
| High | Serious disruption to the client's business: an office's air conditioning down in summer, a failed lighting circuit | 24 hours | 72 hours |
| Normal | A fault that needs fixing but can be worked around | 72 hours | 7 days |
| Low | Cosmetic or minor: a dripping tap, a sticking door | 7 days | 28 days |
Working hours or round the clock
The biggest single decision. A 24-hour fix time counted round the clock means a fault reported at 5pm on Friday is due by 5pm on Saturday. The same 24 hours counted in working hours of 08:00 to 17:00, Monday to Friday, means it is due on Wednesday afternoon. Both are reasonable; what matters is that the contract says which, and whether bank holidays count.
A common pattern is round the clock for emergencies and working hours for everything else, which matches what the client expects and what your engineers can staff.
When the clock stops
Agree the reasons the fix clock pauses, and say so in the contract. The usual ones:
- Waiting for parts that aren't stock items, once ordered
- Waiting for the client to approve a quote
- No access to the site or the equipment
- Waiting on the client for information or a decision
Record when each hold starts and ends. Without that, the monthly report becomes a negotiation.
Measuring it fairly
Attendance should be recorded when the engineer arrives, not when the office says they did: a tap on the engineer's phone, or the subcontractor marking themselves on site. The fix time is met when the job is completed and the job sheet is in. Report both monthly: jobs by priority, the percentage attended and fixed in time, and the reason for each miss.
How PPMdesk handles it
Each client contract holds the attend and fix times for each priority, counted round the clock or in the contract's working hours, with bank holidays excluded, and whether time on hold pauses the clock. Every reactive job at a site the contract covers gets its attend-by and fix-by times. Arrival is recorded when the engineer taps "I'm on site" or the subcontractor marks themselves arrived. Today's list shows jobs at risk before they are missed, and the jobs list ranks every contract job by time left. How reactive maintenance works in PPMdesk.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between response time and fix time?
Response, or attend, time is how soon someone competent arrives on site. Fix time is how soon the fault is put right or made safe. Contracts should set both, for each priority.
What are typical reactive maintenance response times?
A common pattern is attend within 4 hours and fix within 24 for emergencies, 24 and 72 hours for high priority, 72 hours and 7 days for normal, and 7 and 28 days for low priority. They vary with the client's business and what you can staff.
Should SLA clocks run outside working hours?
Decide per priority and write it down. Round the clock for emergencies and working hours for everything else is a common and defensible split.
Does waiting for parts count against the SLA?
Only if the contract says so. Most contracts pause the fix clock while waiting for non-stock parts, client approval or access, as long as the hold is recorded with its start and end.
Checked on 5 November 2026. If anything here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
