How to get facilities management work as a contractor
FM companies and housing associations subcontract reactive maintenance to local trades, but rarely advertise it. This page explains who to call, what approved-supplier onboarding asks for, and how an AI agent can make first-contact calls across a whole county list at 12p a minute.
Why facilities management contracts are hard to find
Most facilities management work never reaches a job board. Housing associations, local councils, care homes and schools work from approved-supplier lists. When a boiler fails or a roof leaks, the FM coordinator picks from that list, not from Google. If you are not on the list, you never hear about the job.
The same applies to national FM companies like Mitie, CBRE and Sodexo. They subcontract reactive maintenance to local trades, but the work goes to firms they already know. Breaking in means making contact directly, asking what trades they need and getting through their onboarding process.
Who to call for FM subcontract work
The organisations most likely to need a local maintenance contractor fall into a few categories:
- Housing associations — manage thousands of properties and need plumbing, electrical, roofing, decorating and general maintenance on a rolling basis. Most have a procurement or repairs team you can contact directly.
- Care homes and nursing homes — require urgent reactive maintenance because residents cannot be moved. Response time matters more than price.
- Schools and academies — maintain ageing buildings with small internal teams. Academies and multi-academy trusts manage their own procurement, separate from the local authority.
- Commercial FM companies — always looking for reliable subcontractors in areas they do not cover in-house. A single phone call to the supply-chain team can get you on the radar.
- Letting agents and landlords — see how to get work from letting agents for a detailed breakdown.
What approved-supplier onboarding usually asks for
Getting on an approved list is not complicated, but it does require paperwork. Most organisations will ask for:
- Public liability and employers' liability insurance certificates
- Relevant trade qualifications (Gas Safe, NICEIC, CSCS or equivalent)
- A health and safety policy
- References from previous commercial or social-housing clients
- Company registration and VAT details
- DBS checks if working in care homes or schools
Prepare these before you start calling. When a housing association says "send us your documents", you want to reply the same day. Speed signals reliability, which is exactly what FM buyers look for.
How AI cold calling helps you reach more FM buyers
Building a pipeline of FM contacts by hand is slow. You find a housing association's repairs number, call it, get put on hold, leave a voicemail, try again. Multiply that across a county and it takes weeks.
FoxEra's AI agents (Cass, Alex or Andrea) phone every contact on your list during the hours you set. Each call introduces your trade, asks whether they take on new subcontractors, and logs the answer with a full transcript and recording. You review only the interested ones.
Pricing is from 12p per connected minute. You pay nothing for unanswered calls or voicemails. New accounts start with £7 of free calling credit, enough to test a short list. There is no subscription and no contract.
If you already use an AI assistant like ChatGPT or Claude, you can connect it to FoxEra via the MCP server and run the whole campaign from your existing workflow.
Building your FM prospect list
A good starting list for facilities management outreach includes:
- Housing associations in your region — the National Housing Federation publishes a member directory
- Care homes — the CQC register lists every registered care home in England with contact details
- Schools — the DfE's Get Information About Schools directory covers every academy and maintained school
- FM companies — search for firms that operate in your area and call their supply-chain or procurement departments
See how to build a UK cold calling list for detailed guidance on sourcing and formatting your contacts. Start with 20 to 50 contacts, read every transcript, and refine your script before scaling up. Read what your first campaign should aim for to set realistic expectations.
What to say on the first call
FM buyers hear from trades constantly. The calls that get through are short, specific and relevant:
- Name your trade and your area — "We're a Gas Safe registered plumbing firm covering South Yorkshire"
- Ask the right question — "Do you take on new subcontractors for reactive maintenance?"
- Mention your response time if it is genuinely fast
- Ask who handles supplier onboarding and whether you can send your documents
FoxEra's AI agent follows a calling script you approve before the campaign starts. You can edit it to match exactly what your trade offers. Every word the agent says is recorded, so you can hear how the conversation lands and adjust.
Frequently asked questions
Can an AI agent really get me on an approved-supplier list?
The agent makes the first contact — it finds out whether the organisation takes new subcontractors and logs who to follow up with. Getting on the list still requires you to send your documents and go through their onboarding. The agent handles the time-consuming part: reaching dozens of organisations by phone.
How much does it cost to call a list of housing associations?
From 12p per connected minute. Unanswered calls cost nothing. A short campaign of 30 to 50 contacts typically costs a few pounds. New accounts start with £7 of free credit.
Is cold calling housing associations and care homes legal in the UK?
Yes. B2B cold calling is legal in the UK provided you follow TPS/CTPS rules. FoxEra provides TPS screening guidance. See is cold calling legal in the UK for full details.
What trades are most in demand for FM subcontracting?
Plumbing, electrical, roofing, general building maintenance, decorating and locksmith services are consistently needed. Specialist trades like fire-alarm servicing and legionella testing are also subcontracted regularly.