What to put in your request
A supplier can only price what they can see. Answer these and the quotes come back for the same job, which is the only way they can be compared.
- What you need: the service of existing equipment, new equipment, a detection or suppression system installed or maintained, signage and evacuation plans, or training.
- An inventory of what is there: how many extinguishers of each type and size (dry powder, CO2, foam), hose reels and hydrants, and the make of any fire panel or suppression system.
- The building: what it is used for, the floor area and number of floors, and anything that raises the risk, such as flammable liquids, a commercial kitchen or a server room.
- For a new installation: the approved building plans or the engineer's design that specifies the system, if there is one.
- Whether a fire panel must be monitored off-site, and by whom.
- How often you want equipment inspected and serviced, and whether this is a once-off job or a maintenance contract.
- When the work can happen, and whether a system may be off while it is done. Cape Town's by-law, for one, makes the owner tell the municipality when a system is out of service.
- Any training you want: fire marshals, using extinguishers, evacuation drills.
What to compare when the quotes come back
The lowest total is where comparing starts, not where it ends.
- What the price per extinguisher covers: the service itself, recharging, parts, and pressure testing when it falls due. Ask what is extra.
- Whether units taken away for repair or recharging are replaced with working ones while they are gone. Cape Town's by-law requires it.
- Which items your building actually requires and which are recommendations. A quote that adds equipment should say why.
- For a detection or suppression system: the make and model, the warranty, and whether any registered company can service it later or only the installer.
- For sprinklers: whether the installer is listed with the Automatic Sprinkler Inspection Bureau (ASIB), and whether your insurer requires that.
- The response time when a system develops a fault, and the call-out terms.
On SupScope every quote arrives with the same three figures: the total, the lead time and the deposit. The first comparison is done before you open anything. The rest of this list is what to read in each supplier's notes and documents.
Paperwork worth asking for
- A SANS 1475 permit or SAQCC Fire registration, for extinguisher servicing
- Municipal fire by-laws set who may service extinguishers. Cape Town's allows only the holder of an SABS permit for SANS 1475, the standard for servicing them, or a person with an SAQCC certificate of competence, and forbids an owner to let anyone else do it. Rules vary by municipality, so check yours, and ask to see the permit and the technician's card.
- SAQCC Fire registration for detection and gas suppression work
- SAQCC Fire, the industry's registration body, registers technicians for fire detection (SANS 10139) and gas suppression (SANS 14520) systems, and says both standards require competent persons. Ask the technicians on site for their current SAQCC Fire card, and check it on SAQCC Fire's website.
- A written report after every service
- Cape Town's by-law makes the owner keep a detailed record of the tests and maintenance done on fire protection systems, and requires whoever maintains a system to report in writing the defects found, the work done and the work still outstanding. Ask for that report after every visit, wherever you are.
- The designer's certificate for a new system
- Under the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act, when a fire protection or fire installation system is installed under approved plans, the person who designed it and inspected the installation must certify to the municipality that it matches the approval. The building's occupancy certificate depends on it.
And from any supplier
- A SARS Tax Compliance Status PIN
- It replaced the old tax clearance certificate. Checking it on eFiling shows the supplier's status on the day you check, not the day it was issued.
- A B-BBEE certificate or sworn affidavit
- Only if your own scorecard counts it. Small suppliers (turnover up to R10 million) may use an affidavit instead of a verified certificate.
- Company registration and a bank confirmation letter
- Worth having before the first payment, so the account you pay is the company you chose.
General guidance, not legal advice. Regulations change, and some depend on your municipality or the job, so confirm anything you rely on with the authority concerned.
How this works on SupScope
- Step 1
Post it once
Describe the job and choose Fire Protection & Safety and your province.
- Step 2
It reaches the right suppliers
Only suppliers who work in this trade and cover your province see it.
- Step 3
Compare and award
Quotes arrive side by side. Accept one and the others are told.