Pricing preventative maintenance systems

Costs for preventative maintenance systems installation can span an incredibly wide range: basic do-it-yourself software for a five-person staff can be found for $450, while a company with several locations and thousands of employees and assets to track can easily spend hundreds of thousands of dollars. See what other BuyerZone users have paid for maintenance management systems.

Every preventative maintenance vendor prices their system differently, so it can be difficult to compare costs. The most typical pricing structure is a base price for the software plus a per-user cost: $5,000 to start, then $1,000 per user, for example. Others may simply charge a higher per-user cost. And many vendors charge for additional modules such as support for PDAs, so make sure you're only buying the modules you need.

A basic preventative maintenance system for a small company can range from $1,500 to $8,000, depending on the number of users. Mid-range packages with SQL/Oracle support and more complete feature sets go from $10,000 to $40,000. You can also expect to pay about 15% to 20% of the purchase price annually for support and software upgrades.

Some vendors will include basic training in their costs, others will charge extra. Make sure you get a complete breakdown of all the costs associated with installation and support so you can make a fair comparison.

As with many business purchases, you should be wary about buying preventative maintenance systems at either extreme of the price range. Of course you don't want to overspend, but spending too little can also lead to problems: you may find the bargain-basement suppliers don't offer enough customer support or all the features you really need.

It's important to remember that these costs - while seemingly high - will be offset by the time and money savings that result from better maintenance schedules. Think about long-term ROI - not just the up-front costs. A common mistake in preventative maintenance system implementations is not getting proper management buy-in and financial support: it will take significant time and effort to get your system up and running at peak efficiency. Commitment and support from management are essential to avoid the project failing before it ever gets off the ground.

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