31/10/2026
𝗙𝗠 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸 | 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲?
Take your list of permits, licenses, inspection certificates and service contracts. Next to each one, is there an expiry date and a name?
In a lot of buildings these documents sit in different places: a cabinet, a shared drive, someone's email, the contractor's own files. The renewal date is in one person's calendar. When that person leaves or goes on leave, the date goes with them.
Tracking licenses and permits is a standard function in most CMMS software, and a well-kept spreadsheet can do the same job if someone actually checks it. What matters is what each record holds:
𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗰𝘀
What the document is, which asset or area it covers, who issued it, the expiry date, and a scanned copy attached.
𝟮. 𝗔𝗻 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘂𝗽
A reminder sent to a shared inbox that nobody reads does not count. Name one person, and name who covers when they are away.
𝟯. 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲
A single alert a week before expiry is too late for anything that needs an inspection, a test or a signature first. Set the alert according to how long the renewal really takes: months for some, a couple of weeks for others.
𝟰. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗼
Contractors' insurance and license documents expire as well. Check them before a work order goes out, and keep the expiry dates in the same list. If a renewal needs an inspection or test, raise it as a work order so it sits on the same schedule as the rest of the maintenance.
Easy first step: this month, list everything that expires in the next 90 days and put a name next to each one.
Which has caught your team out before: a contract, a permit, or a contractor's paperwork? Comment below.