What should your IT AMC actually cover?

Start with your inventory

• List every device, server, network device, printer and CCTV unit, with location, age and warranty status.
• Mark which assets are business-critical and what happens when each one fails.

What the contract should state

• Covered assets: quantities and locations, and how new assets are added.
• Preventive maintenance: how often, what is checked and what report you receive.
• Parts: whether replacement parts are included (comprehensive) or charged separately (non-comprehensive).
• Service hours: working days and hours, holiday handling and whether any cover is outside business hours. Do not assume round-the-clock cover unless it is written down.
• Response and resolution: what the vendor commits to for each, how it is measured and what happens if it is missed.
• Onsite and remote support: which issues are handled remotely and when an engineer visits.
• Escalation: a named contact, a second level and how critical issues are raised.

Check the exclusions

• Consumables such as toner, batteries and cables.
• Software licences, unless specifically included.
• Damage from misuse, power events or unauthorised changes.
• End-of-life devices the manufacturer no longer supports.
• Third-party and manufacturer dependencies outside the vendor’s control.

Look at the commercial terms

• Renewal, price-change and termination conditions.
• Reporting and asset-register updates during the term.

Questions to ask before you decide

• Which assets and locations are covered, and how are additions handled?
• What exactly counts as a response, and what counts as resolution?
• Are parts included, and what is excluded?
• What reports will we receive, and how often?

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