Facility Management ERP Consultant, USA

National accounts, self-performed work and vendor networks

Many US facility management companies sit between a client with a large property portfolio and a network of local trades. The provider takes the call, decides whether its own technicians or a vendor will attend, approves the cost against a not-to-exceed limit and bills the client, often at a marked-up rate. Some providers self-perform most services; others act mainly as integrators. Both models need the ERP to treat a work order as a commercial document, not only an operational one.

In practice each work order should carry the client's reference, the site, the trade, the NTE amount and any approved increase, and it should link to the vendor purchase order and the eventual vendor bill. When those links are missing, finance discovers margin leaks weeks later: vendor bills with no matching client invoice, or invoices rejected because the portal reference was wrong. I map this chain with operations and accounts payable in the same room, then write requirements that make an unmatched job visible the day it is completed. Where a dedicated CMMS or service automation tool already runs dispatch, I define what it passes to the ERP and when, through system integration specifications rather than nightly spreadsheet uploads.

Union sites, prevailing wage work and labor cost

Labor is usually the largest cost in janitorial, security and building engineering services, and in the US it rarely follows a single set of rules. Some sites are staffed under collective bargaining agreements with their own pay scales and benefit contributions. Public buildings and some government-funded contracts may carry prevailing wage obligations and additional payroll reporting. Other sites use straightforward hourly staff, often with heavy overtime while vacancies are filled.

For the ERP, the question is how this cost reaches each account and site accurately. I document how time is captured, whether through mobile clock-in, a time and attendance system or supervisor sheets, how relief workers are charged and how benefit burden is applied. Then we decide together whether payroll runs inside the ERP or stays with a payroll provider that feeds labor cost back by job. I do not interpret labor agreements or wage law; those rules come from your HR, payroll and legal advisors. What I ensure is that the system can hold them per site without forcing finance into manual reclassifications every month.

Insurance certificates, compliance documents and sales tax

Before a vendor sets foot on a client site, most FM contracts require proof of insurance, often with the client named as additional insured. Certificates expire, coverage requirements differ by trade and some clients ask for proof on demand. When this lives in an inbox, a lapsed certificate is usually found after the job is done. I write requirements so the vendor record holds certificate types and expiry dates, dispatch warns or blocks when coverage has lapsed and accounts payable can hold payment until documents are current. The same pattern works for licenses, safety training and background checks where your clients ask for them.

Sales tax is the other distinctly American thread. Some states tax certain building services, such as janitorial or repair work, while others do not, and materials can be treated differently from labor. With sites in many states, the tax decision has to sit on the site and service line, not on the customer. I include these scenarios in testing and ask your tax advisor to confirm each rule, often with a tax calculation engine connected to the ERP. The dispatch and technician side is covered on the ERP for field service page.

Where US FM companies start and how I help

A common starting point is QuickBooks or an older mid-market accounting package, a CMMS or service platform for work orders, a separate payroll provider and spreadsheets joining them for account profitability. Moving to an ERP does not mean replacing all of those at once. I usually recommend settling the account and site structure first, migrating open work orders, open vendor bills and current recurring billing schedules, and leaving closed history in the old tools for reference.

Because I have no software or implementation services to sell, the advice can include keeping a CMMS your technicians like and integrating it. My work covers requirements gathering, vendor selection and oversight of whichever implementation partner you choose. The broader approach I take with FM firms is on the facility management ERP page, while ERP consulting for American businesses and the United States overview describe my wider work in this market.