Robotics maintenance SLA: what the contract must deliver

At 03:14 the platform reports: patrol robot at gate 4 not responding. The plant manager sees the last position on the smartphone, a thermal image and two phone numbers. What happens next is written in the Service Level Agreement. If nothing is written there, improvisation begins.

This text treats the robotics maintenance SLA as an operational tool. Not as an annex to the lease. As the document that defines the difference between an unsecured perimeter and a running replacement unit.

Robotics maintenance SLA: what the contract must deliver

An SLA is a measurable commitment. Three quantities are non-negotiable: availability in percent, response time in hours, sensor quality in documented calibration intervals. Anything formulated vaguely (timely, without delay, where possible) does not belong in a robotics maintenance SLA.

Distinction from warranty: the statutory warranty covers initial defects. It does not protect against a sensor failure in month 18 of a 24-month term. The SLA applies across the entire contract term and the entire fleet.

Core parameters in the contract text:

• Uptime per robot per month in percent.
• Mean Time To Repair (MTTR) in hours, tiered by incident class.
• Replacement-unit window in hours from incident notification.
• Calibration intervals per sensor type.

Penalties must trigger automatically. If the operator has to request credits, they are worthless. In the Robotics-as-a-Service model maintenance is part of the monthly rent. There is no separate maintenance contract with hourly rates, no travel flat fees and no material surcharges on standard components.

Availability and uptime definition

Quarero guarantees 98 percent patrol availability as a monthly average per robot. [insert source/reference to contract template or product page] In concrete terms: with 720 monthly operating hours, no more than 14.4 hours of unplanned unavailability are permitted.

Three categories are excluded from the calculation: scheduled maintenance windows (announced at least 72 hours in advance), customer-caused outages (blocked patrol routes, switched-off charging station) and force majeure (natural events, power failure in the customer network).

Measurement runs via the fleet management platform with second-level precision. Raw data is accessible to the customer via the API. Who measures, what counts as an outage and at what granularity, is in the annex. Without documented measurement methodology, every uptime commitment remains an assertion.

If availability falls below the threshold, the platform automatically issues a credit equal to the pro-rated monthly rent. After three consecutive months below threshold, the customer obtains an extraordinary termination right. Residual-term costs are waived. This clause changes the provider's incentive structure.

Response times by incident class

Three incident classes with different time windows:

Class 1: robot stationary, perimeter unsecured. Remote response within 30 minutes. On-site intervention within 8 hours. [insert source/reference to contract template or product page] During the intervention phase, either a second robot takes over the route. Alternatively, Quarero coordinates a mobile post with the incumbent service provider.

Class 2: sensor degraded, patrol running with restrictions. Response within 4 hours. Remediation within 48 hours. Example: the QR-2 thermal camera delivers only greyscale without temperature measurement. Patrol continues, detection depth is reduced.

Class 3: software bug without functional restriction. Remediation in the next regular release cycle, maximum 30 days. Example: reporting module exports PDF in the wrong format.

The 24/7 hotline is staffed by German-speaking operators. No first-level bot classifying tickets. The escalation path up to the managing director of Quarero Robotics is documented in the contract annex with names and mobile numbers. For class 1 incidents outside the response window, automatic escalation to the next level applies.

Replacement unit and redundancy

If an outage cannot be remedied remotely, an identical replacement unit is operated on site within 48 hours. For KRITIS sites, a 24-hour window is negotiable and pre-set in standard contracts for critical infrastructure.

The replacement unit carries identical sensor equipment. A failed QR-3 with LiDAR and drone detection is not replaced by a model without drone detection. No downgrade, no compromise on detection class.

Configuration and patrol routes are restored automatically from backup. No on-site engineering, no remapping. Commissioning takes 60 to 90 minutes after delivery.

Quarero holds a 10 percent reserve of the deployed fleet regionally. [insert source/reference to contract template or product page] With 40 robots deployed in the DACH region, four replacement units are available. The customer pays no additional rent during the replacement-unit phase. The running contract fully covers the replacement unit.

Sensor calibration and preventive maintenance

Preventive maintenance is the lever that prevents class 1 incidents. The following intervals are set in the contract annex:

QR-2 thermal camera: calibration every 6 months. Inspection protocol with reference temperatures at 20 °C, 35 °C and 60 °C. Deviation greater than 0.5 °C triggers replacement. [insert reference to manufacturer specification or ISO standard]

QR-3 LiDAR: cleaning and adjustment every 3 months. Range test against a reference target at 80 metres distance. Tolerance: 2 percent. [insert reference to manufacturer specification or ISO standard]

Battery: preventive replacement after 800 charge cycles, not only on measurable performance loss. With two-shift operation, that means replacement roughly every 14 months.

Mechanical components: drive motors, bearings and housing seals per manufacturer specification, at minimum annually. EN ISO 13482 provides the reference parameters for maintenance intervals of mobile robotics. The contract annex references this standard.

The EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 requires documented maintenance instructions and traceability across the lifecycle. All maintenance is logged in the platform. PDF export for audits is available at any time. An operator who cannot present evidence within 24 hours in a regulatory inspection has a compliance problem.

For operational cost assessment, these intervals are already included in the monthly total cost comparison. No additional invoices arise.

KRITIS evidence obligations in the SLA

Operators of critical assets must demonstrate the effectiveness of their security measures. The SLA delivers the data foundation for this evidence. Without it, the robot becomes a compliance risk.

The following data is stored in an audit-proof manner for 24 months:

• Patrol logs with GPS track and time stamp.
• Detection events with sensor data, classification and alarm chain.
• Maintenance records with inspection protocols and technician signature.
• Availability data at second-level granularity.

The audit interface for BBK, BSI and appointed inspectors is a contractual component at no additional cost. The BBK coordinates audits and reporting obligations for KRITIS operators and increasingly uses directly readable platform data in inspections.

The KRITIS-Dachgesetz (KRITIS Umbrella Act) requires demonstrable physical resilience for operators of critical assets and provides for audits by the BBK. The KritisV ordinance defines the thresholds and obligations for operators of critical infrastructure. The SLA closes the gap between statutory requirement and day-to-day operational evidence.

Contractually assured cooperation by Quarero in regulatory audits is mandatory. Quarero also provides raw data on request if the authority does not wish to work via the standard API. Anyone reviewing the KRITIS requirements in detail sees: without an SLA data foundation, the resilience obligation is operationally unfulfillable.

Penalties and contract exit

The penalty schedule for uptime shortfalls is linear and automatic:

• 1 percentage point below target (97.0 instead of 98.0 percent): 10 percent credit on monthly rent.
• 2 percentage points: 25 percent credit.
• 3 percentage points: 50 percent credit.
• 5 percentage points or more: 100 percent credit.

The penalty is offset on the next invoice. No application procedure, no evidence obligation on the customer. The platform delivers the data, the billing system applies the credit automatically.

On repeated breach of critical SLAs (class 1 response time, replacement-unit window), a special termination right arises without residual-term liability. This clause is the operational emergency brake. It prevents an operator from being bound to a provider who structurally fails to meet commitments.

Liability for consequential damages is governed separately. The SLA penalty does not replace liability. If a detection failure causes an insurable loss, the liability clauses of the main contract and the coverage of the operational liability insurance apply.

Dispute resolution runs through a designated arbitration body before the ordinary court route. This accelerates decisions by 6 to 12 months. [insert source for this claim or remove the phrasing] Each party appoints one assessor; the arbitration body determines the chair.

Eight contract points to settle before signing

Before the plant manager signs the SLA, the following checklist runs:

1. Are all parameters quantified? No term like timely or without delay without an hour value. Every deadline in hours or working days.

2. Is the measurement methodology documented? Who measures (platform, third party, customer), with which tool and at which granularity. Raw-data access regulated.

3. Do penalties trigger automatically? No application burden on the customer. Offset on the next invoice.

4. Replacement-unit window under 48 hours? For KRITIS sites under 24 hours agreed. Regional reserve fleet verifiable.

5. Is audit data exportable? Format (PDF, CSV, JSON) and interface (API endpoint) named. Retention period at least 24 months.

6. Is the escalation path in the annex? With names, functions and phone numbers. At least three levels up to managing director.

7. Are calibration intervals defined per sensor type? Thermal camera, LiDAR, optical camera, battery, drive. Each with tolerances and inspection protocol.

8. Is the special termination right defined? Triggering event (e.g. three consecutive shortfalls) and legal consequence (waiver of residual-term costs) unambiguously formulated.

Whoever answers all eight points has a viable robotics maintenance SLA. Whoever leaves even one open has a marketing document.

For KRITIS-specific contract review, the KRITIS-Dachgesetz checklist 2026 extends the eight points listed here. It adds the regulatory evidence obligations. Both lists belong in the procurement decision. Anyone evaluating the step to pilot operation can arrange an appointment via book a pilot meeting for robotics maintenance SLA or request contract templates directly under the Robotics-as-a-Service model.

At 03:14, what decides is not the contract but what is written in it. The plant manager with a precise SLA sees on the smartphone: class 1, remote response running for 6 minutes, replacement unit on the way. The plant manager without a precise SLA is on the phone.