Elevator consulting, answered

An independent elevator consultant works for the building owner, board or property manager, never for the elevator company. The work covers auditing maintenance contracts and invoices, assessing equipment condition and remaining life, writing specifications and contract documents, running competitive bids, witnessing inspections, and overseeing modernization projects. Read more

The most common moments are before a maintenance agreement renews, before approving a modernization or major repair proposal, when invoices do not match what the contract covers, when planning capital reserves, and during due diligence on an acquisition. Read more

Common signs are callbacks billed as extra work that the contract already covers, repairs quoted separately on a full maintenance agreement, prices rising faster than the agreement allows, and an agreement that has not been competitively bid in years. An independent review of the contract against the invoices puts a figure on it. Read more

A full maintenance agreement generally covers routine maintenance plus most parts and labor for listed equipment. An oil-and-grease or limited agreement generally covers routine servicing only, with most repairs billed separately. The exact scope depends on the wording and exclusions of each agreement, which is why a line-by-line review matters. Read more

An elevator equipment assessment is an on-site survey of the condition of the equipment, the quality of the maintenance being performed, code status, and the remaining useful life of major components, delivered as a written report with a modernization budget and recommended timing. Read more

Age alone does not decide it. The answer comes from the condition and remaining life of the major components, parts availability, reliability and code status. An equipment assessment shows what needs replacing now, what can wait, and what a fair budget looks like. Read more

Yes. We review the scope, pricing, schedule and contract terms against what the equipment actually needs, and advise whether to negotiate the proposal or take the work to a competitive bid against a written specification. Read more

A QEI is a Qualified Elevator Inspector, certified to the ASME QEI-1 standard. Our team includes QEI certified inspectors, along with State of Florida Certified Elevator Inspectors and New York City Department of Buildings licensed elevator inspectors and directors. Read more

Because the contractor is testing its own work. An independent witness confirms that required inspections and tests, such as New York City Category 1 and Category 5 tests, were performed and passed, and documents any deficiencies in a form that holds up. Read more

No. The elevator contractor still performs the maintenance and the installation work. The consultant represents the owner: writing the standard the contractor works to, checking the work and the billing, and holding both sides to the agreement. Read more

Engagements are priced as a fixed fee, scoped to the number of buildings, devices and documents involved. The first conversation is free, and the fee and timeline are confirmed after it. Read more

Nationwide. We have a regional focus on Florida, New York, New Jersey, the Mid-Atlantic and Tennessee, and serve owners and portfolios in every other state to the same standard. Read more