An on-call HVAC agreement is a standing arrangement for repairs and small projects as they come up. Its scope should define what work falls under it, how each request is authorized, what response tiers mean in plain terms, how after-hours calls work, and how parts, refrigerant and reports are handled. Without a clear boundary, every call becomes a negotiation.
- An on-call agreement is not a maintenance contract. It covers work as it arises, so the scope must define which kinds of work belong to it.
- Response tiers should be defined by the situation, such as no cooling in a critical space, not by promises in the abstract.
- Every task needs an authorization step. Decide who can approve, in what form, and what happens in an emergency.
- Parts, refrigerant and permit-triggering work are the usual friction points. Write the rules before the first call.
- Reporting is part of the service. A task without a record is a task nobody can audit.
What an on-call agreement is, and what it is not
An on-call or task-order agreement pre-qualifies a contractor so the owner can send work without rebidding each time. The contractor has the pricing framework, insurance and site rules in place. The owner issues a request, the contractor responds, and the work is authorized task by task.
It differs from a commercial HVAC maintenance contract, which schedules planned visits to specific equipment. Many owners hold both: a program that keeps equipment healthy and an on-call agreement for what the program does not cover. The two documents should not overlap or leave a gap. Say which one governs a repair found during a planned visit.
Defining what falls under the agreement
The most important sentence in the scope is the one that says what is covered. Describe it by category, by property and by size of task.
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Which properties or equipment classes are included? | Prevents disputes when a new building is added or a tenant system is requested |
| Which trades: HVAC, refrigeration, ice, water heating, controls? | A commercial kitchen call may involve several at once |
| What is the largest task allowed under the agreement? | Above that, the work goes to a quote or bid |
| Does installation work qualify, or only repair? | Replacement of equipment can trigger permits and design review |
| Does it include diagnostics and investigation? | Troubleshooting is labor even when no part is replaced |
| Are subcontracted trades part of the agreement? | Electrical, roofing and structural are separate trades and must be assigned |
Davinci's mechanical, refrigeration and controls work is self-performed by its own UA Local 250 crew. If a task needs electrical service work, roofing, structural or another trade, the agreement should say who performs it and who coordinates it. The self-performed vs subcontracted HVAC work page covers how to word that.
Response tiers without numbers
Many agreements fail by attaching a clock to a vague label. A cleaner approach is to define tiers by what is affected and let the owner state the expectation for each tier in the agreement itself. The contractor can then confirm whether it can meet that expectation before signing.
| Tier | Defined by | Typical examples |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency | Loss of cooling or heating in a critical space, food safety risk, life safety or active property damage | Walk-in cooler down, server room cooling failure, leaking pipe over equipment |
| Urgent | Comfort or operation impaired for occupied areas, with no immediate safety risk | Rooftop unit not cooling in a retail space, hot water out in a clinic |
| Standard | Equipment working with a fault, or minor comfort complaint | Noisy fan, intermittent thermostat issue |
| Scheduled | Planned work agreed with the owner | Controls adjustments, minor repairs found at inspection |
Davinci does not set response times in this article; each owner and contractor should agree in writing what each tier means for a given site. Pair the tiers with a dispatch contact list, because a good response depends on someone who can say which tier a call belongs to.
After-hours calls, parts and refrigerant
After-hours
Define what counts as after hours, how calls are routed, whether the same authorization process applies, and what access (keys, alarm codes, building engineer escort) the contractor is given. Restaurants, grocery stores and clinics often need access outside business hours, so address it in the agreement.
Parts
State how parts are sourced, whether like-for-like is required, what documentation accompanies a replaced part and who owns removed components. Where special-order equipment is needed, say how the owner is notified of lead time.
Refrigerant
Refrigerant work is regulated. EPA Section 608 governs handling, and California adds its own requirements, so confirm current rules. The agreement should require leak documentation, state who owns the refrigerant log and describe how leaks above applicable thresholds are escalated. See the refrigerant compliance guide for California. The agreement should also describe how a unit on a phased-out refrigerant is handled when a repair is requested.
Reporting and records
A service report should be produced for every task. At minimum it should list the equipment, the complaint, the findings, the cause, the work done and any recommendation. With DaVinci Portal, the equipment record, readings and photos attach to the asset so the next technician sees the history.
- Report delivery method and timing.
- Periodic summary: tasks by site, equipment, tier and cause.
- Repeat-call flagging, so the same fault is escalated to root-cause review. See commercial HVAC diagnostics root cause guide.
- Documentation needed for audits, refrigerant logs and insurance.
Contractor shall respond to service requests issued by Owner's designated representatives for the sites and equipment classes listed in Exhibit A. Each request shall be assigned a response tier as defined in this Agreement. Work exceeding the approval threshold stated in this Agreement requires written authorization from Owner before proceeding, except for emergency stabilization. Contractor shall provide a service report for each task, including equipment identification, findings, work performed and any refrigerant added or recovered.