If Thomas Jefferson came back to life today, you can bet that he could certainly come to see the connection between his famous triplet of inalienable rights—”life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”—and the main goals of NFPA 70B.

Although the title of NFPA 70B reads, “Standard for Electrical Equipment Maintenance,” listed first in its statement of purpose is safeguarding people.

When electrical service and maintenance contractors step in to help owners and facilities managers comply with the mandates of the NFPA 70B standard, their ultimate objectives are to save lives, provide everyone with the liberty to come and go in a safe environment, and allow everyone to pursue, without interruption, the happiness they find in whatever they might do on or off the job.

Keep that in mind during this final segment of our six-part series, which draws from the ELECTRI International study of the maintenance agreement process based on NFPA 70B requirements.

Phase six: Agreement closeout

Agreement closeout represents the final step in each maintenance cycle, but agreements should always be structured for automatic renewal. The goal is not to end a contract but to transition seamlessly into the next cycle, with scheduled touchpoints throughout the year ensuring the program stays current and adjustments are addressed before renewal.

Closeout, therefore, is not a termination event. Rather, it is a checkpoint in a continuous, ongoing relationship. It summarizes the outcomes of the cycle, confirms that documentation and deliverables are current and prepares your team and the customer for the next year of service.

A closeout should serve two goals:

1. To provide the customer with meaningful documentation that reflects the work performed and the system’s current state
2. To position a maintenance agreement as a continuous cycle

Closeout isn’t goodbye

Closeout is your opportunity to review the year’s results with the customer in a structured way. This includes revisiting completed maintenance tasks, discussing significant findings and outlining unresolved items or long-term risks.

Rather than treating this meeting as “end of contract,” present it as the transition point into the next cycle. When customers can see progress over time, such as better documentation, fewer failures and more predictable maintenance needs, they are more likely to renew and expand the program.

Documentation as a bridge

Documentation should be organized, accurate and easy to understand. This includes test results, findings, updated diagrams, equipment lists, deficiency logs and changes made during the year. This recordkeeping should give the customer a clear understanding of their system and prepare them for future planning.

How to handle nonrenewals

Not all customers will continue the program every year. When a customer pauses or exits, closeout should remain professional and supportive. This includes confirming final deliverables, identifying open issues or risks and communicating what the customer should continue monitoring in your absence.

A respectful exit maintains your reputation and encourages customers to return when circumstances change. How you close out an agreement often determines whether a customer views you as a long-term partner or a vendor. And, done correctly, it means you may be able to win them back. 

Capture lessons learned

Closeout should also include an internal review. Your team evaluates what worked well, where processes can improve and how the program can be delivered more effectively next cycle. This may include updating templates, refining technician instructions or adjusting scheduling and communication.

For customers who exit, define a simple re-entry path for yourself so you can quickly bring them back when they’re ready. Having this documented ensures future touchpoints are efficient and informed.

How to move forward

Jefferson penned the language of the Declaration of Independence and went on to live another 50 years. By the time of his death in 1826, surely, he must have had a vision of a young nation’s future, some knowledge of the science that would convey it into that future and a hunch about the way the fledgling field of electricity would factor into that future.

Today, we can be confident that electricity will be central to the future of civilization. For electrical contractors, the best sense of the future’s direction will come through direct engagement with facility owners and managers to meet their ongoing service and maintenance needs in close support of the full range of their operations. For a service-oriented electrical contractor, that will truly constitute the pursuit of happiness.

ELECTRI International’s research is available to every member of the electrical construction industry throughout the United States and internationally. 

Obtain copies of this research or other studies

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