# Write a cleaning scope that can be checked

Lesson 1 of [Specify and buy kitchen exhaust cleaning](https://greasecleaning.fyi/academy/specify-and-buy-exhaust-cleaning.md), 10 minutes.

A scope turns a broad request for hood cleaning into work you can discuss and review. It should identify the system and describe what the provider proposes to do. The outline below is a recommended purchasing tool. It is not a technical specification, a universal code checklist, or a substitute for a competent assessment of the installation.

## Define the boundary

Start with the property, kitchen and system identifier. Refer to the existing description and any survey information. Ask the provider to list the hood, identified filters, duct sections, fan and discharge components that it proposes to address, where those components exist. A list must describe your installation rather than assume every kitchen follows one layout. Record any uncertainty about concealed routes or shared equipment.

Use plain verbs. Inspecting, cleaning, repairing and testing describe different activities. Ask which activity applies to each part of the system. If the offer covers only accessible areas, ask the provider to identify those areas. A buyer should not have to infer the boundary from the finished invoice. An explicit exclusion is a question to resolve, not a detail to hide in small print.

## Connect the scope to equipment needs

The Home Office guidance identifies excessive grease buildup in catering extraction equipment as a fire hazard and calls for equipment maintenance by competent people. It also points to manufacturer instructions for cooking and catering equipment. Ask the provider how it has taken the actual equipment information into account and whether further assessment is needed before the work can be planned.

Keep method selection with the competent provider. You can ask how it will protect the property, manage access and communicate problems without telling it to use an unverified procedure. Do not request that a worker bypass a safety control, open an unfamiliar assembly, or alter a fire protection component just to meet a purchasing deadline.

## State the evidence you want

As contract recommendations, request a completion record naming the system, the work performed, limitations and follow-up actions. If photographs are included, ask for location labels so they can be matched to the scope. A close-up with no location cannot tell you which duct section it shows. Ask how the provider will distinguish areas cleaned from areas merely viewed or not reached.

Agree who receives the report and who can answer questions about it. Also identify whether another specialist is responsible for repairs, ventilation assessment or fire protection work. Seattle's systems testing page illustrates that fire protection maintenance and reporting can have their own local processes. Do not assume an exhaust cleaning report satisfies those separate obligations. Ask the relevant authority what applies to this property.

## Resolve unknowns before agreement

Consider a proposal that says complete kitchen clean while excluding the duct. Ask whether the intended purchase includes the duct and what work is needed to address it. Obtain a revised scope rather than accepting the word complete as proof. If access must first be investigated, make that a stated next step with its own decision point.

Keep the final scope with the quotation and later completion record. You should be able to follow the same system identifier through all three. That continuity helps you compare what was offered, what was authorised and what the provider says it completed, without pretending to have independently inspected concealed work.

## Sources

- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-risk-assessment-small-and-medium-places-of-assembly/fire-safety-risk-assessment-small-and-medium-places-of-assembly-accessible
- https://www.seattle.gov/fire/business-services/systems-testing

Also on the [web page](https://greasecleaning.fyi/academy/specify-and-buy-exhaust-cleaning/write-a-cleaning-scope).