Short answer: a job sheet for a commercial customer should show who attended, when they arrived and left, which site and asset, what was asked for, what was done, readings and parts used, faults found with how urgent they are, certificates issued with next due dates, photos, and a named sign-off. Send it the same day. The customer's facilities team uses it to approve your invoice and keep its records.
Why the job sheet matters
- It is your evidence. In a business-to-business service contract in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the law implies a term that the supplier "will carry out the service with reasonable care and skill" (Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982, section 13). Consumer contracts are covered by the Consumer Rights Act 2015 instead, which implies the same care and skill term (section 49). A clear sheet shows what you did and what you found.
- It feeds the customer's records. On a site with water systems, HSE's L8 says records should normally include remedial work required and carried out with the date of completion, "a log detailing visits by contractors, consultants and other personnel", and the signature of the person who did the work or another form of authentication (para 74).
- It gets the invoice paid. Facilities teams match the sheet to their order before they approve payment.
What the sheet should show
| Section | What to include | Why the customer needs it |
|---|---|---|
| Header | Your firm's name, address and contact details; the job reference; the type of job | Filing and queries |
| Customer and site | Customer name, billing address, site name and full address | Many customers run dozens of sites |
| Their reference | The order or PO number and their own job reference | Matching the sheet to the order before paying |
| Who and when | Engineer's name, arrival time, completion time | Checking response times and time charged |
| Asset | Name, make, model, serial number and location | Updating their asset register and history |
| What was asked | The fault or task as reported | Shows the request was answered |
| Work carried out | Plain words, in the order it was done | The core of the sheet |
| Readings | Pressures, temperatures, currents, as found and as left | Trend over visits; compliance logs |
| Parts and materials | Item and quantity | Checking parts charged |
| Found on the visit | Each defect, with urgency and a recommendation | Budget decisions and risk records |
| Certificates and forms | Each one issued, its reference, result and next due date | Compliance diary |
| Photos | Before and after, with captions | Proof without a site visit |
| Sign-off | Name of the person who signed, the time, or why nobody signed | Acceptance of the work |
What to leave off
- Your costs and margins. The sheet is not a cost breakdown.
- Internal notes and spend limits. Office notes about the customer, or the most you are allowed to spend without asking, stay inside your firm.
- Vague words. "Checked system, all OK" tells the customer nothing. Say what was checked and what the readings were.
- Claims you cannot back. A job sheet is not a certificate. Where the work needs one, such as a gas safety record or an electrical report, issue it separately and list it on the sheet. For a pressure system, the competent person's written report of examination has its own contents set by law (Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000, reg 9(5)); a job sheet does not replace it.
Worked example: a booster set call-out
An FM company raises an order for a low-pressure complaint on the top floor of an office. The engineer finds pump 2 of a twin booster set short cycling and the vessel precharge low. The sheet reads:
| Their reference | Order 45810, FM ticket 2291 (example numbers) |
|---|---|
| Who and when | Engineer on site 08:40, completed 11:15 |
| Asset | Twin-pump booster set, basement plant room, make, model and serial number |
| Reported | Low water pressure on floor 3 |
| Work carried out | Isolated and locked off. Vessel isolated and drained on the water side; precharge found 1.8 bar, set to 3.15 bar to suit cut-in of 3.5 bar. Pump 2 cycling every 20 seconds before, normal after. Both pumps test run. |
| Readings | Inlet 1.2 bar, outlet 5.0 bar at cut-out, cut-in 3.5 bar |
| Parts | None |
| Found on the visit | Pump 2 seal weeping. Recommended: replace within 3 months. Quote to follow. |
| Photos | Gauge before and after; seal leak |
| Sign-off | Signed by the building's facilities coordinator at 11:15 |
The precharge method is in booster set servicing. The FM company can approve the invoice against order 45810, add the seal to its budget, and attach the sheet to the asset's history.
Who does what
- The engineer writes the work, readings and findings on site, takes the photos and gets the sign-off.
- The office makes sure the order number and the customer's reference are on the job before the visit, sends the sheet, and turns findings into quotes.
- The customer's representative signs to confirm the visit, or the engineer records why nobody signed.
What to record and keep
- The sheet as sent, with its date, and who it was sent to
- Certificates issued on the visit, kept with the sheet
- For Legionella monitoring tasks, the results and dates: L8 says keep them for at least five years (para 72)
- Any correction made after sending, with the reason
Job sheets in Field Suite
- The PDF job sheet carries your logo, colour and footer, and shows the customer, site, engineer, arrival and completion times, the asset with make, model and serial number, the work carried out, parts and quantities, faults found with how urgent they are, certificates and forms with their result and next due date, photos, and the customer's signature with name and time. You choose whether photos and parts appear.
- Sign-off on the phone: the customer signs with a finger. If nobody can sign, the engineer records the reason.
- Sent at signing: you can have the sheet emailed to the customer as soon as it is signed, with signed certificates attached. The customer portal also keeps past job sheets and certificates.
- Order numbers: the PO number is held on the job and carried to the quote and the invoice, and a customer can be set so an invoice cannot be sent without one. The job sheet PDF does not print it, so quote it in your covering email if the customer wants it with the sheet.
- Readings: ready-made forms include a pump service checklist. For other readings, add your own questions in the form builder.
Read about PPM schedules and the pump service checklist, see planned maintenance software, pump maintenance software and subcontractor management, check prices, or book a demo.
Field Suite is job management software, not a law firm. Your contract with the customer sets what each visit must deliver.
Questions
Is a job sheet the same as a service report?
Often the words are used for the same document. What matters is the content: who, when, what was done, readings, findings and sign-off.
Should the customer always sign?
Get a signature where you can. If the site is unmanned or nobody is available, record why, and send the sheet anyway.
Can I put the price on the job sheet?
You can. The sheet goes to the site and the invoice to the accounts team, so ask the customer where they want prices to appear.
Can a job sheet be changed after it is sent?
Correct mistakes openly: send a corrected version, say what changed and why, and keep the original.
Sources
- Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982, section 12 (contracts concerned). https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1982/29/section/12
- Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982, section 13 (implied term about care and skill). https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1982/29/section/13
- Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982, section 20 (extent: Part II does not extend to Scotland). https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1982/29/section/20
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 (service to be performed with reasonable care and skill). https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/section/49
- HSE, Legionnaires' disease: The control of legionella bacteria in water systems, L8 (fourth edition), paras 72 and 74. https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/l8.pdf
- Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000, regulation 9. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2000/128/regulation/9
Last checked: 5 November 2026 against the sources above.
Field Suite is job management software for UK building services firms, not a consultancy. Your own risk assessments, contracts and advisers decide what applies to your work. Spotted a mistake? Email info@fieldsuiteapp.com and we correct it.