Commercial pest management programme
A scheduled, documented programme for sites that cannot afford to find out about pests from a customer, a tenant or a verifier.
What is a commercial pest management programme?
A commercial pest management programme is a written arrangement under which a site is inspected for pests on a fixed schedule, monitored between visits by numbered monitoring devices, treated when activity is found, and documented so that the operator can show what was done. The method behind it is integrated pest management: prevent entry first, monitor continuously, and use treatment only where the evidence calls for it.
The written part matters as much as the visits. Food businesses must be able to show their verifier how pests are checked for and controlled, body corporates need a record they can put in front of a committee, and property managers need evidence of what was found when, and who was told.
Each programme is delivered by our partner's technicians, working from the written scope agreed after the site audit.
What the programme includes
Every programme is quoted from the same components. What changes between sites is the number of monitoring points, the visit frequency and the reporting format.
Programme components
| Component | What you receive |
|---|---|
| Site audit | A walk of the building, perimeter, waste and delivery areas, with entry points, harbourage and attractants recorded. |
| Site plan | A numbered plan of every monitoring point, kept on site and updated when points move. |
| Monitoring layout | External rodent stations on the perimeter, internal traps or monitors in sensitive areas, insect monitors where cockroaches or stored product insects are a risk, and fly units where flies are. |
| Scheduled visits | Every point checked and recorded at each visit, with treatment only where activity is found. |
| Service report | A dated written report after each visit: findings by point, treatment applied, products used, and recommendations with an owner. |
| Proofing advice | Specific, photographed recommendations for gaps, door seals, drains and storage practices, so the site needs less treatment over time. |
| Review | A periodic review of activity trends, with the layout and frequency adjusted to what the records show. |
How often should a commercial site be serviced?
There is no single legal frequency. The Food Regulations 2015 require regular inspections for pests and evidence of pests, and leave the operator to set a frequency that keeps food safe and suitable. It is set from the risk recorded at the audit, and the records then move it.
What moves the visit frequency
| Factor | Pushes frequency up when | Allows it down when |
|---|---|---|
| Food handled | Open food is prepared or stored on site | Only packaged goods are handled |
| Activity history | Recent activity or a poor verification result | Several consecutive visits record no activity |
| Building | Older fabric, shared walls, open loading docks | Sealed modern construction with good door discipline |
| Surroundings | Neighbouring food waste, drains, vegetation against walls | Clean surroundings and managed waste |
| Season | Late summer and autumn for insects; autumn and winter for rodents moving indoors | Cooler months for flies |
Between visits, the operator still has duties of its own. MPI's template food control plan asks food businesses to check internal and external areas, including waste areas, every day for signs of pests. The programme supports that daily check rather than replacing it.
How is a commercial pest control contract priced?
A commercial contract is priced per site, after the audit, from four things: the number of monitoring points, the visit frequency, the reporting the site needs, and any one-off proofing or clean-up work. That is why this site publishes no figures. Two buildings of the same floor area can need very different programmes once their food handling, waste areas and entry points are counted.
What drives the price of a programme
| Driver | Why it changes the price |
|---|---|
| Monitoring points | Each point is checked, cleaned and recorded at every visit |
| Visit frequency | Set by risk; it can fall once the records show a site is under control |
| Reporting | Multi-site or committee reporting takes more preparation than a single report |
| Proofing and clean-up | Quoted separately as one-off work, so the recurring fee stays predictable |
Whether a contract is worth it comes down to the cost of the alternative: repeated reactive call-outs, stock written off, a failed verification, or a complaint. The written scope sets the programme price against those risks so the decision can be made on paper.
Do you have to use a pest control contractor?
No. Under MPI's template food control plan a business manages pests either by employing a pest control specialist or by managing the risks itself. What it cannot avoid is showing its verifier how pests are checked for, how they are controlled and what happens when they are found. A contract is one way to meet that, with the records produced for you.
For body corporates, warehouses and offices outside the food rules, the reasons are practical: a documented routine is cheaper than repeated call-outs, and it produces the evidence a committee, landlord or insurer will ask for after an incident.
What the service agreement covers
Your service agreement is with our partner, and it sets out the visit frequency, the monitoring layout and the reporting you receive. The structure is published in our service agreement outline so you can read the terms before the site audit.
- The site, the areas included and any areas excluded.
- The monitoring points and the visit frequency.
- The report format and how quickly reports are delivered after each visit.
- How additional visits are requested when activity is found between scheduled visits.
- The responsibilities that stay with the site: housekeeping, waste, proofing repairs and access.
Questions facility managers ask
Is a site audit the same as a quote?
It is the step that makes an accurate quote possible. The audit records the site's risks and existing records, and the written scope that follows it lists the monitoring points, the proposed frequency and the price of the programme. Nothing is treated during the audit unless you ask for it.
Can an existing contract be reviewed instead?
Yes. Many sites already have a contractor and want to know whether the layout and records would stand up at their next verification or committee meeting. Our partner can review the existing site plan and reports and set out what is missing.
What happens if activity is found between visits?
Your staff record it and contact us, and an additional visit is arranged. The service agreement sets how those visits are requested and charged, so there is no negotiation at the moment you need someone on site.
Related pages
Sources
- Food Regulations 2015, regs 18 and 51 (pest control)
- MPI, Template Food Control Plan: Simply Safe & Suitable (S39-00006, August 2026)
Request a site audit. Our partner's technician walks the site and checks the records your verifier or committee will ask for. You receive a written scope with a monitoring layout and a quoted visit schedule.