SFG20 allows you to tailor maintenance schedules in Facilities-iQ to fit the reality of your assets and site.
This includes excluding non-applicable tasks as well as adjusting task frequency or criticality where this is justified by the asset context, risk profile, operating environment or an organisation’s decision-making process.
Every change should be documented with a clear rationale, so the resulting maintenance regime can be justified and evidenced.
Whether you're a client, contractor or engineer using Facilities-iQ, this guide explains what you can change, what you shouldn't and how to keep your decisions clear enough to stand up to scrutiny.
What Does “Tailoring” A SFG20 Schedule Mean?
Tailoring is any change made to an SFG20 schedule in Facilities-iQ to suit an asset, site context, risk profile, or compliance approach.
In practice, this includes excluding tasks that don’t apply, adjusting task frequency, changing task criticality, and assigning timings to 0Us (tasks that are designed to be assigned an appropriate frequency based on asset and site-specific variables).
As tailoring fundamentally means adjusting the SFG20 standard, it's best practice to keep a traceable rationale. This is why Facilities-iQ tailoring includes a justification feature whereby you can add notes to explain and keep track of any changes made, including why, by whom and when, as well as any supporting evidence and relevant references.
Why Does Tailoring Exist?
SFG20 schedules are designed as a standard baseline, meaning they may not always reflect your site’s exact configuration or operating reality.
Tailoring may be appropriate when any of the following differ from the assumptions behind the standard schedule:
- Asset configuration or what’s actually fitted
- How the building is used (and by whom)
- Operating conditions (environment, loads, hours, contamination, etc.)
- The site’s risk profile and operational priorities
- The method you’re using to achieve statutory compliance
In other words: two buildings can have the same asset type and still need different i.e. tailored maintenance schedules.
What Are the Benefits of SFG20 Schedule Tailoring?
Tailoring lets you adapt SFG20 schedules to match your specific assets, their risk profiles and how they’re actually used.
Done properly with a risk-based maintenance approach, this can result in significant cost savings while helping to maintain appropriate levels of safety, reliability and performance.
By recording every tailoring decision with evidence that supports the changes, you can make your maintenance regime defensible.
What Can You Tailor in Facilities-iQ?
Tailoring for Asset Suitability
The most straightforward (and common) form of tailoring is excluding tasks that aren’t applicable because the relevant asset, component or feature simply isn’t present.
Example: 10-01 Cold Rooms Task 24 (RED Criticality) Automatic leak detection system (if installed). This task can be removed if the system is not present on the asset.
What matters here is the evidence. If you remove non-applicable tasks, you should document the basis for removal. For example, asset register evidence, site survey findings, and scope confirmation.
Tailoring Task Frequency and Criticality
You can change the frequency and/or the criticality of tasks where it’s justified by:
- Asset context
- Operating environment
- Risk profile
- An organisation’s decision-making process for maintenance optimisation
0U Tasks: Setting the Right Frequency For Your Site
A 0U task is a task where frequency is intended to be set by the user based on asset and site-specific variables, using 0U-coded variable fields in Facilities-iQ.
You can assign a frequency to a 0U task:
- Individually (task-by-task)
- Systematically (scaled across assets or conditions)
You should record the basis for the chosen frequency and retain evidence of the variables and assumptions used.
Tailoring When Working to Achieve Statutory Compliance
When working to achieve statutory compliance, legislation often focuses on outcomes rather than prescribing exact activities. This means there may be more than one way to discharge duties, but it must be evidenced and traceable.
If you choose not to follow a specific statutory task because you’re using an alternative method to discharge your statutory duties, you’ll need to:
- Document what you’re doing instead
- Document why you believe it discharges the duty
- Include traceable references where available (guidance, ACoPs, industry standards/guidance)
It's important to know that tailoring for statutory compliance maintenance does not remove the need to identify and complete remedial actions required to achieve compliance.
When Tailoring is Not Acceptable
Where a statutory or regulatory duty exists, it must be discharged regardless of client preference, budget constraints or operational pressures, unless justified by a local risk assessment in the case of OU tasks and this has been approved by an authorised person.
The other exception is where an alternative documented means of discharging the statutory obligation has been formally recorded.
If a client chooses not to proceed with work required to discharge a statutory duty, this should be recorded and escalated in line with the organisation’s governance and risk procedures.
What “Audit-ready” Tailoring Looks Like
If you want tailoring decisions to hold up in audits, contract reviews or compliance reporting, you need consistency.
For a clear record of each tailoring decision, we recommend recording:
- What was changed
- Why it was changed
- Who approved the change
- References used (legislation, ACoPs, guidance, industry standards)
- Date of decision and review cycle
The tangible outcome of this is a maintenance regime that can be justified and evidenced, not just delivered.
A Practical Checklist For Tailoring SFG20 Schedules
1) Are We Tailoring For a Valid Reason?
For example, tailoring to suit an asset, site context, risk profile, or statutory compliance approach.
2) What Exactly are We Changing?
For example, task removal, frequency change, criticality change, 0U frequency assignment, or an alternative and documented compliance approach.
3) What References Support the Decision?
For example, legislation, ACoPs, HSE guidance, BSI standards, professional body guidance, etc.
4) Who Needs to Approve the Changes, and When Should We Review Them?
This includes the name/role, approval date and review cycle.
Knowledge is Power: What to Read Next
No two buildings will ever be the same.
It’s why SFG20 enables you to tailor maintenance schedules in Facilities-iQ, including excluding tasks, adjusting task frequencies, criticality levels and assigning timings to 0U tasks, all while keeping an audit trail for justification purposes.
For further information on SFG20 schedule tailoring in Facilities-iQ, read our full Guidance on Tailoring SFG20 Schedules document.
