Findings
Formal inspector
Inspects doors and produces a written report of findings and priorities. For Parsec clients this is arranged through an external specialist partner.
Buyer's Guide
Choosing a Fire Door Installation or Repair Contractor
The right fire door contractor is the one whose scope, evidence and responsibilities are clear before work starts. These questions help you compare contractors on substance rather than price alone, and keep the inspector's role separate from the works contractor's.
Define The Scope Before You Compare
Contractors can only be compared if they are pricing the same thing. Start from the source of the work: an inspection report, an FRA action list, a door schedule or a planned replacement programme. Give each door a reference and state whether you expect repair, replacement or a decision on site.
Where you do not yet have a formal inspection, decide whether you need one first. Parsec arranges formal inspections and reports through an external specialist inspection partner, so the findings are recorded independently of the works quotation.
Three Different Roles
Scope check
Pre-works assessment
A Parsec visit to confirm access, dimensions and the works needed for our quotation. It is not a formal inspection report.
Delivery
Works contractor
Carries out the repairs, remedials, installation or replacement, and provides records against each door reference.
Tender And Interview Questions
Ask the same questions of every contractor and keep the answers in writing. Useful questions focus on the work in front of you rather than general claims.
- Who will do the work, and what experience and training do they have for these door types?
- How is competence for this work evidenced and checked, and can I see that evidence?
- Which product, doorset or component instructions will the work follow, and will you supply them?
- Who is the named person responsible for the job and for resolving problems?
- How will you decide between repair and replacement on each door, and how is that recorded?
- What is excluded, what is provisional, and how are changes priced and approved?
- How will occupied areas, escape routes and no-access doors be managed?
- What records will I receive for each door reference at completion?
Comparison Criteria
Score each quotation against the same criteria. A structured comparison makes gaps in scope visible and avoids choosing on the lowest total alone.
Scope match
Every door reference covered, with a stated action for each rather than a single lump sum.
Product evidence
Named products or components, with instructions or documentation identified for the openings being supplied or altered.
Frames and perimeter
Frame, lining, fixing and perimeter work stated or excluded, not left unclear.
Exclusions and provisional items
Making good, decoration, disposal, out-of-hours work and unknowns listed clearly.
Programme and access
A workable sequence for occupied areas and a plan for doors that cannot be accessed.
Handover
Completion records by door reference, including outstanding and no-access items.
Red Flags
- A price per door with no door list, photos or site information
- Replacement proposed for every door without explaining why repair is unsuitable
- Ratings or compliance stated from appearance alone
- No named products, instructions or components for the work
- Vague exclusions, or none at all, on a complex job
- Credentials or memberships that cannot be checked with the scheme or body named
- No plan for escape routes, residents or no-access doors
- No written record promised at completion
Handover Expectations
Agree the handover pack before work starts. It should follow your door references so you can match every finished opening to the original finding or schedule line.
A useful pack records the action taken on each door, the products and components used where relevant, any product documentation supplied, agreed photographs and a clear list of no-access or outstanding items with the next step for each.
Insurance, References And Due Diligence
If your organisation requires insurance evidence, references or pre-qualification, ask for them as part of the tender and verify them directly. Ask for references relevant to your type of building. Any scheme membership or certification a contractor claims can be checked with the body that operates it.
This page does not list legal requirements for contractors; your fire risk assessment, responsible person duties, insurer and client brief set the expectations for your building.
Related Pages
Pages that help you brief and compare contractors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ask Us The Same Questions
Send your report, action list or door schedule. We will answer your scope questions in writing and provide a repair and replacement quotation against your door references.